Albania

Communist state (Stalinist)Independence 28 November 1912 (from Turkey)

Albania as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 71 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalTirane
Area28,750 km2
1990

Every edition of Albania

Populationas each edition published it
3.27 million July 1990 · 2.55m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 1.21% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 26.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 73 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3 children per woman 1990 · 1.09 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
52 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 10.8 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $760 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition -10% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Land useshare of 28,750 km2

arable land 21%permanent crops 4%meadows and pastures 15%forest and woodland 38%other 22%includes 1% irrigated
Total area
28,750km2
land area: 27,400 km2Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Coastline
362km
Territorial sea: 15 nm
Land boundaries
768km total
Greece 282 km, Yugoslavia 486 km

Continental shelf

not specified;

Disputes

Kosovo question with Yugoslavia; Northern Epirus question with Greece

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

Natural resources

crude oil, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel

Environment

  • subject to destructive earthquakes;
  • tsunami occur along southwestern coast;
  • deforestation seems to be slowing

Note

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

People

14 fields
Population
3,273,131
(July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
25Death
5Net migration
0

Ethnic divisions(1989 est.)

Albanian 90%Greeks 8%other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)
Labor force
1,500,000
(1987); about 60% agriculture, 40% industry and commerce (1986)

Infant mortality rate

52 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 78 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

3.0 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Albanian(s); adjective--Albanian

Religion

  • Albania claims to be the world's first atheist state;
  • all churches and mosques were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited;
  • pre-1967 estimates of religious affiliation--70% Muslim, 20% Albanian Orthodox, 10% Roman Catholic

Language

Albanian (Tosk is official dialect), Greek

Organized labor

Central Council of Albanian Trade Unions, 610,000 members

Government

Communist state (Stalinist)

17 fields

People's Assembly, 250 seats, elected 1 February 1987one dot, one seat

Albanian Workers Party 250

Long-form name

People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Type

Communist state (Stalinist)

Capital

Tirane

Administrative divisions

26 districts (rrethe, singular--rreth); Berat, Dibre, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Kolonje, Korce, Kruje, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Mat, Mirdite, Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar, Tepelene, Tirane, Tropoje, Vlore

Independence

28 November 1912 (from Turkey); People's Socialist Republic of Albania declared 11 January 1946

Constitution

27 December 1976

National holiday

Liberation Day, 29 November (1944)

Executive branch

  • president of the Presidium of the People's Assembly, three vice presidents, Presidium of the People's Assembly;
  • chairman of the Council of Ministers, three deputy chairmen, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court Chief of State--President of the Presidium of the People's Assembly Ramiz ALIA (since 22 November 1982);
  • Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adil CARCANI (since 14 January 1982)

Political parties and leaders

only party--Albanian Workers Party, Ramiz Alia, first secretary

Suffrage

  • universal and compulsory at age 18 President--last held 19 February 1987 (next to be held February 1991);
  • results--President Ramiz Alia was reelected without opposition;
  • People's Assembly--last held 1 February 1987 (next to be held February 1991);
  • results--Albanian Workers Party is the only party;
  • seats--(250 total) Albanian Workers Party 250

Communists

147,000 party members (November 1986)

Member of

CCC, CEMA (has not participated since rift with USSR in 1961), FAO, IAEA, IPU, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

  • none--the US does not recognize the Albanian Government and has no diplomatic or consular relations with Albania;
  • there is no third-power representation of Albanian interests in the US or of US interests in Albania

Flag

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center below a red five-pointed star outlined in yellow

Economy

As the poorest country in Europe, Albania's development lags behind even the least favored areas of the Yugoslav economy.

16 fields

Budget

Revenues
$2.3 billionExpenditures
$2.3 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of NA (1989)

Overview

As the poorest country in Europe, Albania's development lags behind even the least favored areas of the Yugoslav economy. The Stalinist-type economy operates on the principles of central planning and state ownership of the means of production. In recent years Albania has implemented limited economic reforms to stimulate its lagging economy, although they do not go nearly so far as current reforms in the USSR and Eastern Europe.

Attempts at self-reliance and a policy of not borrowing from international lenders--sometimes overlooked in recent years--have greatly hindered the development of a broad economic infrastructure. Albania, however, possesses considerable mineral resources and is largely self-sufficient in food.

Numerical estimates of Albanian economic activity are subject to an especially wide margin of error because the government is isolated and closemouthed.

GNP

$3.8 billion, per capita $1,200; real growth rate NA% (1989 est.)

Exports

  • $378 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.);
  • commodities--asphalt, bitumen, petroleum products, metals and metallic ores, electricity, oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco;
  • partners--Italy, Yugoslavia, FRG, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary

Imports

  • $255 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.);
  • commodities--machinery, machine tools, iron and steel products, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
  • partners--Italy, Yugoslavia, FRG, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, GDR

Industrial production

growth rate NA

Electricity

1,630,000 kW capacity; 4,725 million kWh produced, 1,440 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, basic metals, hydropower

Agriculture

  • arable land per capita among lowest in Europe;
  • one-half of work force engaged in farming;
  • produces wide range of temperate-zone crops and livestock;
  • claims self-sufficiency in grain output

Aid

none

Currency

lek (plural--leke); 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars

Exchange rates

leke (L) per US$1--8.00 (noncommercial fixed rate since 1986), 4.14 (commercial fixed rate since 1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Networkskm

Highways
16,700Railroads
543
Highways: ; 6,700 km highway and roads, 10,000 km forest and agricultural · Railroads: ; 509 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track and 34 km narrow gauge, single track (1988); line connecting Titograd (Yugoslavia) and Shkoder (Albania) completed August 1986

Railroads

  • 543 km total;
  • 509 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track and 34 km narrow gauge, single track (1988);
  • line connecting Titograd (Yugoslavia) and Shkoder (Albania) completed August 1986

Highways

16,700 km total; 6,700 km highway and roads, 10,000 km forest and agricultural

Inland waterways

43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa

Pipelines

crude oil, 145 km; refined products, 55 km; natural gas, 64 km (1988)

Ports

Durres, Sarande, Vlore

Merchant marine

11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,886 GRT/75,993 DWT; includes 11 cargo

Airports

  • 12 total, 10 usable;
  • more than 5 with permanent-surface runways;
  • more than 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
  • 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications

  • stations--17 AM, 5 FM, 9 TV;
  • 52,000 TV sets;
  • 210,000 radios

Defense Forces

Albanian People's Army, Frontier Troops, Interior Troops, Albanian Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Force

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49
882,965fit for military service
729,635reach military age (19) annually
33,598
Defense expenditures
1.1billion leks
11.3% of total budget (FY88); note--conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results

Branches

Albanian People's Army, Frontier Troops, Interior Troops, Albanian Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Force

Central Intelligence Agency. “Albania.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/albania/1990.

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