CIA - The World Factbook

Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, there have been claims of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-communist elections. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges to reduce crime and corruption, promote economic growth, and decrease the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

slightly smaller than Maryland

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

2,986,952 (July 2010 est.)

11.88 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

6.04 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

-3.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

1.47 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)

Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%

Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

approved by parliament on 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998

has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Kuvendi (140 deputies; 100 deputies elected directly in single member electoral zones with an approximate number of voters; 40 deputies elected from multi-name lists of parties or party coalitions according to their respective order)

Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) and multiple appeals and district courts

Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Party for Justice and Integration or PDI [Tahir MUCHEDINI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Unity for Humen Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE]

Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Elton KACIDHJA]; Omonia [Ligorag KARAMELO]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Castriota SKANDERBERG, who led a successful uprising against the Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-1478); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shkypetars," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

Albania, a formerly closed, centrally-planned state, is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. Macroeconomic growth averaged around 6% between 2004-08, but declined to about 3% in 2009-10. Inflation is low and stable. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad representing about 15% of GDP, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. The agricultural sector, which accounts for over half of employment but only about one-fifth of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming because of lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages because of a reliance on hydropower, and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment and lack of success in attracting new foreign investment needed to expand the country's export base. The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore has helped diversify generation capacity, and plans to upgrade transmission lines between Albania and Montenegro and Kosovo would help relieve the energy shortages. Also, with help from EU funds, the government is taking steps to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth.

$23.95 billion (2010 est.)

$23.23 billion (2009 est.)

$22.49 billion (2008 est.)

Albania has an informal, and unreported, sector that may be as large as 50% of official GDP

$11.58 billion (2010 est.)

1.1 million (2009 est.)

29.8% of GDP (2010 est.)

59.3% of GDP (2010 est.)

58.1% of GDP (2009 est.)

5.25% (31 December 2009)

6.25% (31 December 2008)

12.66% (31 December 2009 est.)

13.02% (31 December 2008 est.)

$2.708 billion (31 December 2010 est)

$2.995 billion (31 December 2009 est)

$9.096 billion (31 December 2009)

$9.279 billion (31 December 2008)

$7.701 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$8.231 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products

food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

2.888 billion kWh (2007 est.)

3.603 billion kWh (2007 est.)

2.475 billion kWh (2008 est.)

5,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)

36,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

749 bbl/day (2005 est.)

24,080 bbl/day (2007 est.)

199.1 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

30 million cu m (2008 est.)

849.5 million cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

-$1.245 billion (2010 est.)

-$1.845 billion (2009 est.)

$1.339 billion (2010 est.)

$1.048 billion (2009 est.)

textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Italy 58.75%, Greece 9.69%, Austria 6.73%, China 5.68% (2009)

$4.337 billion (2010 est.)

$4.264 billion (2009 est.)

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals

Italy 29.94%, Greece 14.05%, Turkey 7.1%, Germany 6.9%, China 5.39% (2009)

$1.992 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.37 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$1.55 billion (2004)

leke (ALL) per US dollar - 106.5 (2010), 94.979 (2009), 79.546 (2008), 92.668 (2007), 98.384 (2006)

4.162 million (2009)

2 public television networks, one of which transmits by satellite to Albanian-language communities in neighboring countries; more than 60 private television stations operating; many viewers can pick up Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 50 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2008)

gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2009)

43 km (on the Bojana River) (2010)

Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Joint Force Command (includes Land, Naval, and Aviation Brigade Commands), Joint Support Command (includes Logistic Command), Training and Doctrine Command (2010)

19 years of age (2004)

1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)

the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; the mass emigration of unemployed Albanians remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and expanding cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens