| ||||
| National motto: None | ||||
| Official language | Albanian | |||
| Capital | Tirana | |||
| President | Alfred Moisiu | |||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 139th 28,748 km² 4.7% | |||
| Population
- Total (2003) - Density | Ranked 126th
3,582,205 122/km2 | |||
| Independence - Date | From the Ottoman Empire November 28, 1912 | |||
| Currency | Lek | |||
| Time zone | UTC +2 | |||
| National anthem | Hymni i Flamurit | |||
| Internet TLD | .AL | |||
| Calling Code | 355 | |||
| Table of contents |
|
2 Politics 3 Districts 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous Topics 9 External links |
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.
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.
Albania is divided into 36 districts, or rrethe. Several districts are then grouped into a prefecture of which there are 12. The capital city, Tiranė, has a special status. The districts are:
History
Main article: History of AlbaniaPolitics
Main article: Politics of AlbaniaDistricts
Main article: Districts of Albania
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See also: List of cities in Albania (Note: some cities have the same name as the district they are in).
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.
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.
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.Geography
Main article: Geography of AlbaniaEconomy
Main article: Economy of AlbaniaDemographics
Main article: Demographics of Albania
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1-January 2 | New Year's Day | Viti i Ri | |
| February 11 (2003) | Small Bayram | Bajrami i Vogėl | date varies, al-Eid saghir in Islamic countries |
| March 7 | Teacher's Day | Dita e Mėsuesve | non official |
| March 8 | Mother's Day | Dita e Nėnės | non official |
| March 22 | Nevruz Day | Nevruz | |
| April 20 | Catholic Easter | Pashkėt Katolike | |
| April 27 | Orthodox Easter | Pashkėt Ortodokse | |
| May 1 | May Day | Njė Maji | |
| October 19 | Mother Teresa Day | Dita e Nėnė Terezės | ratified by Albanian Parliament as an official and national holiday |
| November 25 (2003) | Big Bayram | Bajrami Madh | date varies, Eid-ul-Adhain Islamic countries |
| November 28 | Independence Day | Dita e Pavarėsisė | |
| November 29 | Liberation Day | Dita e Ēlirimit | |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Krishtlindje |
Miscellaneous Topics
External links