What countries border Albania?
What is the current weather in Albania?
What is Albania famous for?
What is the capital of Albania?
Capital | Tirana (Tirane) |
Government Type | parliamentary republic |
Currency | leke (ALL) |
Total Area |
11,100 Square Miles 28,748 Square Kilometers |
Location | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north |
Language | Albanian (official - Tosk is the official dialect), Greek |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.8% |
GDP - per capita (PPP) | $12,500.00 (USD) |
What is the population of Albania?
Ethnic Group - note | data represent population by ethnic and cultural affiliation |
Ethnic Groups | Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Romani, Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% |
Languages | Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% |
Nationality Noun |
noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian |
Population | 3,107,100 |
Population Growth Rate | 0.16% |
Population in Major Urban Areas | 520,000 TIRANA (capital) |
Urban Population |
urban population: 64.6% of total population rate of urbanization: 1.29% annual rate of change |
Population: Male/Female |
male: 1,531,063 female: 1,576,037 |
What type of government does Albania have?
Executive Branch |
chief of state: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Arben AHMETAJ (since 18 September 2021) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); a candidate needs three-fifths majority vote of the Assembly in 1 of 3 rounds or a simple majority in 2 additional rounds to become president; election last held in 4 rounds on 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022 (next election to be held in 2027); prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly election results: 2022: Bajram BEGAJ elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 78-4, opposition parties boycotted 2017: Ilir META elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 87-2 |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
Citizenship |
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
National Holiday | Independence Day, 28 November (1912) also known as Flag Day |
Constitution |
history: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998 amendments: proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic; amended several times, last in 2020 |
Independence | 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire) |
What environmental issues does Albania have?
Overview |
Albania is located in the southwestern corner of the Balkan Peninsula, occupying 28,748 square kilometers. It is roughly the size of the state of Maryland with a maximum length of about 340-km and a maximum width of about 150-km. Much of the country is rugged and mountainous. The highest peak is Korabi in the northeast at 275-m. Albania has 1,094 km of borders, 30% of which is the shore of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Of Albania’s lakes, the Lake of Shkodra is the largest in the Balkans (368 sq. km) and the Lake of Ohrid is the deepest. The country has 152 rivers including the Shkumbini, which roughly divides the country into northern and southern regions. |
Climate | The plain of Albania, where the capital city Tirana is located, has a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and generally mild winters with abundant rainfall. In the mountains, winters can be very severe with low temperatures and high snowfall. On average, temperatures range from -3°C in January to a maximum of 35°C in July. Parts of Albania are on a fault line and experience earthquakes and tremors. |
Border Countries | Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km |
Environment - Current Issues | Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents |
Environment - International Agreements |
Party To: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Terrain | Mostly mountains and hills; small plains along the coast |
How big is the Albania economy?
Economic Overview |
Albania, a formerly closed, centrally-planned state, is a developing country with a modern open-market economy. Albania managed to weather the first waves of the global financial crisis but, the negative effects of the crisis caused a significant economic slowdown. Since 2014, Albania’s economy has steadily improved and economic growth reached 3.8% in 2017. However, close trade, remittance, and banking sector ties with Greece and Italy make Albania vulnerable to spillover effects of possible debt crises and weak growth in the euro zone. Remittances, a significant catalyst for economic growth, declined from 12-15% of GDP before the 2008 financial crisis to 5.8% of GDP in 2015, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy. The agricultural sector, which accounts for more than 40% of employment but less than one-quarter of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming, because of a lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Complex tax codes and licensing requirements, a weak judicial system, endemic corruption, poor enforcement of contracts and property issues, and antiquated infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment making attracting foreign investment difficult. Since 2015, Albania has launched an ambitious program to increase tax compliance and bring more businesses into the formal economy. In July 2016, Albania passed constitutional amendments reforming the judicial system in order to strengthen the rule of law and reduce deeply entrenched corruption. Albania’s electricity supply is uneven despite upgraded transmission capacities with neighboring countries. However, the government has recently taken steps to stem non-technical losses and has begun to upgrade the distribution grid. Better enforcement of electricity contracts has improved the financial viability of the sector, decreasing its reliance on budget support. Also, with help from international donors, the government is taking steps to improve the poor road and rail networks, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. Inward foreign direct investment has increased significantly in recent years as the government has embarked on an ambitious program to improve the business climate through fiscal and legislative reforms. The government is focused on the simplification of licensing requirements and tax codes, and it entered into a new arrangement with the IMF for additional financial and technical support. Albania’s three-year IMF program, an extended fund facility arrangement, was successfully concluded in February 2017. The Albanian Government has strengthened tax collection amid moderate public wage and pension increases in an effort to reduce its budget deficit. The country continues to face high public debt, exceeding its former statutory limit of 60% of GDP in 2013 and reaching 72% in 2016. |
Industries | Food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower |
Currency Name and Code | leke (ALL) |
Export Partners | Italy 53.4%, Kosovo 7.7%, Spain 5.6%, Greece 4.2% |
Import Partners | Italy 28.5%, Turkey 8.1%, Germany 8%, Greece 8%, China 7.9%, Serbia 4% |
What current events are happening in Albania?
Source: Google News
What makes Albania a unique country to travel to?