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Albania.
Albania
The Republic of Albania, or Albania (Albanian: Shqipėria, meaning Land of the Eagles), is a country in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro in the north, Serbia in the north-east, the Republic of Macedonia in the east, and Greece in the south, has a coast on the Adriatic Sea in the west, and a coast on the Ionian Sea in the southwest.
Republika e Shqipėrise
(In Detail)
(Full size)
National motto: None
Official languageAlbanian
CapitalTirana
PresidentAlfred Moisiu
Prime MinisterFatos Nano
Area - Total - % waterRanked 139th 28,748 km² 4.7%
Population
- Total (2003)
- Density Ranked 126th
3,582,205
122/km2
Independence - DateFrom the Ottoman EmpireNovember 28, 1912
CurrencyLek
Time zoneUTC +2
National anthemHymni i Flamurit
Internet TLD.AL
Calling Code355
Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide")
1 History
2 Politics
3 Districts
4 Geography
5 Economy
6 Demographics
7 Culture
8 Miscellaneous Topics
9 External links
History
Main article: History of Albania
Albania has been the site of several Greek colonies, and was later part of the Roman province of Illyricum. After being conquered by a number of nations, it became a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1478.
After the First Balkan War, Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but the country remained in unrest. Occupied by Italy during World War II, the (mainly communist) resistance led by Enver Hoxha seized control when the Italians left.
Until 1990, five years after the death of Hoxha, Albania was an extremely isolationist communist state, with little contact even with the other communist states. A multi-party democracy is emerging, but the country suffers from economic problems, organised crime, and a large number of Albanian refugees from Kosovo.
Politics
Main article: Politics of Albania
Head of state is the president, which is elected by the Kuvendi Popullor, or People's Assembly. The main part of the Assembly's 155 members are elected by the Albanians in elections every 5 years. The president is assisted by a council of ministers, which is appointed by the president.
Districts
Main article: Districts of Albania
Albania is divided into 36 districts, or rrethe. Several districts are then grouped into a counties or prefectures, of which there are 12. The capital city, Tiranė, has a special status. The districts are:
See also: List of cities in Albania (Note: some cities have the same name as the district they are in).
Geography
Main article: Geography of Albania
Albania consists of mostly hilly and mountainous terrain, the highest mountain reaching up to 2,753 m. The country mostly has a land climate, with cold winters and hot summers.
Besides capital city Tirana, with 520,000 inhabitants, the principal cities are Durrės, Elbasan, Shkodėr, Vlorė and Korēė.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Albania
Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries, with half of the economically-active population still engaged in agriculture and a fifth said to be working abroad. The country has to deal with a high unemployment rate, corruption up to high government levels and organised crime.
Albania is aided financially from abroad, notably by Greece and Italy.
The country exports nearly nothing and imports a lot from Greece and Italy. The money for imports comes from the financial aid and from the money that refugees working abroad bring to Albania. This is a good status-quo business for both Greece and Italy. Also unofficially Greece government makes money by selling visas unofficially to Albanian citizens, who are not allowed to travel freely abroad. For this reason both countries have several visa consulates in major cities of Albania, and oppose indirectly every possibility of free movement from Albanian citizens in EU.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Albania
Most of the population (95%) is Albanian, but there is a sizeable Greek minority (3%). Many ethnic Albanians also live in bordering Kosovo. The language is Albanian, although some Greek is also spoken.
Since the occupation by the Ottomans, the majority of Albanians have been Muslim (70%), even though religion was prohibited during the communist era. The Eastern Orthodox (20%) and Catholic Church (10%) are the other main religions in Albania.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Albania
Miscellaneous Topics
External links
Countries of the world | Europe | Council of Europe
Europe
Albania | Andorra | Austria | Azerbaijan | Belarus | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Czech Republic | Denmark | Estonia | Finland | France | Georgia | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Kazakhstan | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Macedonia | Malta | Moldova | Monaco | Netherlands | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia | San Marino | Serbia and Montenegro | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Turkey | Ukraine | United Kingdom | Vatican City
Dependencies
Azores | Channel Islands | Faroe Islands | Gibraltar | Isle of Man
This article is adapted from from Wikipedia All Wikipedia article text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
The Accursed Mountains; Journeys in Albania by Robert Carver
King Zog of Albania: Europe's Self-Made Muslim Monarch by Jason Tomes
Albania: The Bradt Travel Guide by Gillian Gloyer
Phoenix: High Albania: A Victorian Traveller's Balkan Odyssey by Edith Durham
Albanian Identities: Myth and History by Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers
Long Life to Your Children: A Portrait of High Albania by Stan Sherer
Albania and the Albanians by Edith Durham
Greece Map by Cartographia
The Myth of Greater Albania by Paulin Kola
Concert, The by Ismail Kadare
The Three-Arched Bridge 1e by Ismail Kadare
Curtain Calls: Travels in Albania, Romania and Bulgaria by Leslie, Gardiner
Albania at War, 1939-1945 (Central European Studies) by Bernd Jurgen Fischer
Albania in Transition: The Rocky Road to Democracy (Nations of the Modern World Ser) by Elez Biberaj
Blue Guide Albania (Blue Guides) by James Pettifer
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