Background: 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 high
unemployment, a dilapidated infrastructure, widespread gangsterism, and
disruptive political opponents. International observers judged local
elections in 2000 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic
development, but serious deficiencies remain to be corrected before the
the 2001 parliamentary elections.
Government type: emerging democracy
Capital: Tirana
Currency: 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars
Geography of Albania
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and
Ionian Sea, between Greece and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia 151 km, Yugoslavia 287 km
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m 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; small plains along coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
timber, nickel, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,410 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along
southwestern coast; drought
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links
Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
More Geography
People of Albania
Population:3,563,112 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.53% (male 536,495; female 500,026)
15-64 years: 63.48% (male 1,073,351; female 1,155,115)
65 years and over: 6.99% (male 107,476; female 138,021)
Population growth rate: 0.52%
Birth rate: 19.01 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: -3.69
migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 39.99
deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.83 years
male: 69.01 years
female: 74.87 years
Total fertility rate: 2.32
children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian
Ethnic groups: Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and
Bulgarians) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official
Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Religions: Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances
prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Languages: Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Literacy:
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 93% (1997 est.)
SOURCE: The World Factbook (2001, 2005) |