Albania, the Land of Eagles.
Introduction
In 1990 Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as corrupt governments have tried to deal with severe unemployment, the collapse of a fraudulent nationwide investment scheme, widespread gangsterism, and massive refugee influxes from neighboring Kosovo.
Geography
Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro. The Balcan penisula.
Geographic coordinates
41 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references
Europe, East Europe, South East Europe, Mediterranean Europe, Balcans.
Area
Total - 28,748 sq km
Land - 27,398 sq km
Water - 1,350 sq km
Area (comparative)
Slightly smaller than Maryland, USA.
Land boundaries
Total - 720 km
Border countries
Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro)
Coastline
362 km
Maritime claims
Continental shelf - 200m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea - 12 nm
Climate
Mild temperate. Cool, cloudy, wet winters. Hot, clear, dry summers. Interior is cooler and wetter.
Terrain
Mostly mountains and hills. Fertile plains along coast.
Elevation extremes
lowest point - Adriatic Sea 0m
highest point - Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753m
Natural resources
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower.
Land use
Irrigated land
3,410 sq km (1993 estimated)
Natural hazards
Destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast.
Environment (current issues) Deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents.
Environment (international agreements)
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
Geography (note) Strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
People
Population: 3,490,435 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years - 30% (male 545,329|female 507,589)
15-64 years - 63% (male 1,056,583|female 1,141,664)
65 years and over - 7% (male 104,086|female 135,184) (2000 estimated)
Population growth rate
0.26% (2000 estimated)
Birth rate
19.47 births per 1,000 population (2000 estimated)
Death rate
6.5 deaths per 1,000 population (2000 estimated)
Net migration rate
10.36 migrant(s) per 1,000 population (2000 estimated)
Sex ratio
At birth - 1.08 (1) male(s) per female
Under 15 years - 1.07 (1) male(s) per female
15-64 years - 0.93 (1) male(s) per female
65 years and over - 0.77 (1) male(s) per female
Total population - 0.96 (1) male(s) per female (2000 estimated)
Infant mortality rate
41.33 (41) deaths per 1,000 live births (2000 estimated)
Life expectancy at birth
Overall population - 71.57 years (2000 estimated)
male - 68.75 years (2000 estimated)
female - 74.59 years (2000 estimated)
Total fertility rate 2.37 (2) children born per woman (2000 estimated)
Nationality
Noun
Albanian(s)
Adjective
Albanian
Ethnic groups
Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 estimated)
(in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Instat statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Religion
Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
(All mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited. In November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice)
Language
Albania has two main dialects; Toschs and Ghegs. A river called River Shkumbin is the border between these two dialects. The northen side speaks Albanian with a Gheg dialect and the southern side with a Tosch dialect. The second is the official Albanian. Other languages include Greek.
Literacy
Age 9 and over can read and write. Approximately 93% of the polulation is educated (1997 data). The primary education is started at the age of 6 and is obligatory for all the children till the age of 14. The educationary system is as follows:
Government
Official Name - Republic of Albania
Common used name - Albania
Prime minister - Ilir Meta
President - Rexhep Mejdani