Albania

Republic of AlbaniaRepublika e Shqiperise

emerging democracyIndependence 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)

Albania as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 81 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 sq km

LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian

Populationas each edition published it

3.41 million July 1995 est. · 3.27m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.16% 1995 est. · 1.21% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 26.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

73.81 years 1995 est. · 73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.71 children per woman 1995 est. · 3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

28.1 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 52 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,110 1994 est. · $760 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

11% 1994 est. · -10% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian | Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro

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Land useshare of 28,750 sq km

arable land 21%permanent crops 4%meadows and pastures 15%forest and woodland 38%other 22%irrigated 4,230 sq km (1989)

Area

28,750sq km

land area: 27,400 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Coastline

362km

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

720km

total · Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro)

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro

International disputes

the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders;
Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbian Republic;
Albanians in Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to public sector jobs and representation in government;
Albania is involved in a bilaterlal dispute with Greece over border demarcation, the treatment of Albania's ethnic Greek minority, and migrant Albanian workers in 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

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel

Environment

current issues:: deforestation;
soil erosion;
water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
natural hazards:: destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern coast
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note

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

People

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Population

3,413,904

(July 1995 est.)note: IMF, working with Albanian government figures, estimates the population at 3,120,000 in 1993 and that the population has fallen since 1990growth rate: 1.16% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

21.7Death

5.22Net migration

-4.88

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years73.81

70.83 · 77.02

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy72%

80% · 63%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 9 and over can read and write (1955)

Ethnic divisions(1989 est.)

Albanian 95%Greeks 3%other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)

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

Labor force

1.5million

(1987)by occupation: agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 40% (1986)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 32% (female 520,186; male 563,953)
15-64 years:: 62% (female 1,026,321; male 1,104,371)
65 years and over:: 6% (female 112,252; male 86,821) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

28.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.71 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Albanian(s)
adjective:: Albanian

Languages

Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek

Government

Emerging democracy; President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April 1992); Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Aleksander Gabriel MEKSI (since 10 April 1992)

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Presidential electionpercent of vote

62.29%

DP 62.29%ASP 25.57%SDP 4.33%RP 3.15%UHP 2.92%other 1.74%

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Albania
conventional short form:: Albania
local long form:: Republika e Shqiperise
local short form:: Shqiperia
former:: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Digraph

Type

emerging democracy

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 Ottoman Empire)

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

Constitution

an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April 1991;
a draft constitution was rejected by popular referendum in the fall of 1994 and a new draft is pending

Legal system

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch

chief of state:: President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April 1992)
head of government:: Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Aleksander Gabriel MEKSI (since 10 April 1992)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch

unicameral

People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor):: elections last held 22 March 1992;
results - DP 62.29%, ASP 25.57%, SDP 4.33%, RP 3.15%, UHP 2.92%, other 1.74%;
seats - (140 total) DP 92, ASP 38, SDP 7, RP 1, UHP 2

note: 6 members of the Democratic Party defected making the present seating in the Assembly DP 86, ASP 38, SDP 7, DAP 6, RP 1, UHP 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

there are at least 28 political parties;
most prominent are the Albanian Socialist Party (ASP; formerly the Albania Workers Party), Fatos NANO, first secretary;
Democratic Party (DP);
Albanian Republican Party (RP), Sabri GODO;
Omonia (Greek minority party), Sotir QIRJAZATI, first secretary;
Social Democratic Party (SDP), Skender GJINUSHI;
Democratic Alliance Party (DAP), Neritan CEKA, chairman;
Unity for Human Rights Party (UHP), Vasil MELO, chairman;
Ecology Party (EP), Namik HOTI, chairman

Member of

BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Lublin Hasan DILJA
chancery:: Suite 1010, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:: [1] (202) 223-4942, 8187

FAX

[1] (202) 628-7342

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Joseph E. LAKE
embassy:: Rruga E. Elbansanit 103, Tirane
mailing address:: PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624
telephone:: [355] (42) 328-75, 335-20

FAX

[355] (42) 322-22

Flag

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Economy

An extremely poor country by European standards, Albania is | making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$1,110

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

11%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -10% (1993 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP (1993 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

16%

(1994)

Unemployment rate

18%

(1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.1 billionExpenditures

$1.4 billion (1991 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $70 million

Installed generating capacity, 770,000 kW

Electricity production

4 billionElectricity consumption per capita

1,200 (1994)

Overview

An extremely poor country by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The economy rebounded in 1993-94 after a severe depression accompanying the collapse of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991. Stabilization policies - including a strict monetary policy, public sector layoffs, and reduced social services - have improved the government's fiscal situation and reduced inflation.

The recovery was spurred by the remittances of some 20% of the population which works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Foreign assistance and humanitarian aid also supported the recovery. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant incomes.

Albania's limited industrial sector, now less than one-sixth of GDP, continued to decline in 1994. A sharp fall in chromium prices reduced hard currency receipts from the mining sector. Large segments of the population, especially those living in urban areas, continue to depend on humanitarian aid to meet basic food requirements.

Unemployment remains a severe problem accounting for approximately one-fifth of the work force. Growth is expected to continue in 1995, but could falter if Albania becomes involved in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, workers' remittances from Greece are reduced, or foreign assistance declines.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.8 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$112 million (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities:: asphalt, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco
partners:: Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary

Imports

$621 million (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities:: machinery, consumer goods, grains
partners:: Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece

External debt

$920 million (1994 est.)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 55% of GDP;
arable land per capita among lowest in Europe;
80% of arable land now in private hands;
60% of the work force engaged in farming;
produces wide range of temperate-zone crops and livestock

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium production

Economic aid

recipient: $303 million (1993)

Currency

1 lek (L) = 100 qintars

Exchange rates

leke (L) per US$1 - 100 (January 1995), 99 (January 1994), 97 (January 1993), 50 (January 1992), 25 (September 1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 11 in all

2,438 to 3,047 m

914 to 1,523 m

over 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

18,450Railroads

543

Highways: paved: 17,450 km · unpaved: earth 1,000 km (1991) · Railroads: (Serbia and Montenegro) and Shkoder completed August 1986 · standard gauge: 509 km 1.435-m gauge · narrow gauge: 34 km 0.950-m gauge (1990)

Railroads

total:: 543 km line connecting Podgorica (Serbia and Montenegro) and Shkoder completed August 1986
standard gauge:: 509 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:: 34 km 0.950-m gauge (1990)

Highways

total:: 18,450 km
paved:: 17,450 km
unpaved:: earth 1,000 km (1991)

Inland waterways

43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)

Pipelines

crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991)

Ports

Durres, Sarande, Shergjin, Vlore

Merchant marine

total: 11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,967 GRT/76,887 DWT

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

about 55,000 telephones; about 15 telephones/1,000 persons

local:: primitive; about 11,000 telephones in Tirane, the capital city
intercity:: obsolete wire system;
no longer provides a telephone for every village;
in 1992, following the fall of the communist government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it to build fences
international:: inadequate; carried through the Tirane exchange and transmitted through Italy on 240 microwave radio relay circuits and through Greece on 150 microwave radio relay circuits