Geography and Environment

Geography and Environment of Albania

Terrain, climate, natural resources, hazards, and environmental conditions of Albania.

Speed

Overview

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
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.
Weather Patterns: http://voap.weather.com/weather/oap/ALXX0002?template=TRVLH&par=1003114983&unit=0&key=5b85ae1d85877a1b34827fba743e2133
Highest Point: 2753 — Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
Lowest Point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

Area (Comparative): slightly smaller than Maryland
Border Countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km

Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, and hydropower. Albania holds significant deposits of chromium ore and has historically ranked among Europe's leading producers of chromite, with active mining operations continuing to attract regional interest. The country's extensive river systems, particularly in the mountainous northern and eastern regions, make hydropower the dominant source of domestic electricity generation, accounting for the vast majority of national power output and representing a major area of ongoing infrastructure investment. Timber and mineral extraction remain meaningful contributors to the national economy, while both onshore and offshore petroleum reserves — concentrated largely in the western lowlands and the Adriatic shelf — continue to draw foreign energy sector interest, with efforts underway to modernize exploration and production capacity. Albania's energy transition agenda also increasingly frames its hydropower wealth as a strategic export asset within the broader Western Balkans energy market.
Natural Hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

Current Environmental Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
International Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements