Albania

Republic of AlbaniaRepublika e Shqiperise

emerging democracyIndependence 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)

Albania as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 100 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.

CapitalTirana

Position41 00 N, 20 00 E

Area28,750 sq km

LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian

Populationas each edition published it

3.33 million July 1998 est. · 3.27m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.97% 1998 est. · 1.21% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 26.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.64 years 1998 est. · 73 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.57 children per woman 1998 est. · 3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

45.01 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 52 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,370 1997 est. · $760 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

-8% 1997 est. · -10% in 1993

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 28,750 sq km

arable land 21%permanent crops 5%permanent pastures 15%forests and woodland 38%other 21% (1993 est.)irrigated 3,410 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

28,750sq km

land: 27,400 sq kmwater: 1,350 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

362km

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

Highest point

2,753m

Maja e Korabitlowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

720km

border countries: 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

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

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast

Environment-current issues

deforestation;
soil erosion;
water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

Environment-international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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)

People

15 fields

Population

3,330,754

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 0.97% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

21.35Death

7.45Net migration

-4.16

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)68.64

65.58 · 71.94

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1955 est.)72%

80% · 63%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 9 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(1989 est.)

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 33% (male 572,430; female 532,917)
15-64 years:: 61% (male 941,076; female 1,086,541)
65 years and over:: 6% (male 82,184; female 115,606) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

45.01 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.57 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Albanian(s)
adjective:: Albanian

Languages

Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek

Government

Emerging democracy; President of the Republic Rexhep MEIDANI (since 24 July 1997); Prime Minister Fatos NANO (since 24 July 1997)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

53.36%

PS 53.36%PD 25.33%PSD 2.5%PBDNJ 2.78%PBK 2.36%PAD 2.85%PR 2.25%PLL 3.09%PDK 1.00%PBSD 0.84%last held 29 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2000)

Legislature, 155 seats, elected 29 June 1997one dot, one seat

PS 101PD 27PSD 8PBDNJ 4PBK 3PAD 2PR 2PLL 2PDK 1PBSD 1PUK 1independents 3

Percent of vote

PS 53.36%PD 25.33%PSD 2.5%PBDNJ 2.78%PBK 2.36%PAD 2.85%PR 2.25%PLL 3.09%PDK 1.00%PBSD 0.84%

Country name

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

Data code

Government type

emerging democracy

National capital

Tirana

Administrative divisions

36 districts (rrethe, singular-rreth); Berat, Bulquize, Delvine, Devoll (Bilisht), Dibre (Peshkopi), Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Has (Krume), Kavaje, Kolonje (Erseke), Korce, Kruje, Kucove, Kukes, Lac, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Malesia e Madhe (Koplik), Mallakaster (Ballsh), Mat (Burrel), Mirdite (Rreshen), Peqin, Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar (Corovode), Tepelene, Tirane, Tropoje (Bajram Curri), Vlore; note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

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 Rexhep MEIDANI (since 24 July 1997)
head of government:: Prime Minister Fatos NANO (since 24 July 1997)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president
elections:: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term;
election last held 24 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2002);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results:: Rexhep MEIDANI elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 122, for 110, against 3, abstained 2, invalid 7

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (155 seats; most members are elected by direct popular vote and some by proportional vote for four-year terms)

elections:: last held 29 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results:: percent of vote by party-PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%, PSD 2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%, PDK 1.00%, PBSD 0.84%;
seats by party-PS 101, PD 27, PSD 8, PBDNJ 4, PBK 3, PAD 2, PR 2, PLL 2, PDK 1, PBSD 1, PUK 1, independents 3

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, chairman of the Supreme Court is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term

Political parties and leaders

Albanian Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albania Workers Party) [Fatos NANO, chairman];
Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA];
Albanian Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEHDIU];
Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI];
Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO, chairman];
National Front (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Hysen SELFO];
Movement of Legality Party or PLL [Guri DUROLLARI];
Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI];
Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Zef BUSHATI];
PBSD;
Democratic Party of the Right or PDD [Petrit KALAKULA];
Democratic Alliance or PAD [Neritan CEKA];
Social Democratic Union Party or USdS [Teodor LACO];
Albanian United Right or DBSH

International organization participation

BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Petrit BUSHATI
chancery:: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 223-4942

FAX

[1] (202) 628-7342

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Marisa R. LINO (15 July 1996)
embassy:: Rruga E. Labinoti 103, Tirana
mailing address:: PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624
telephone:: [355] (42) 328-75, 335-20

FAX

[355] (42) 322-22

Flag description

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.

28 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

-$4.5billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$1,370

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

-8%

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 6% (1995 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

40%

(1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector(1995)

agriculture 56%industry 21%services 23% (1995)

Budget

Revenues

$624 millionExpenditures

$996 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Fixed lines

55,000

Economy-overview

An extremely poor country by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The economy rebounded in 1993-95 after a severe depression accompanying the collapse of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991. However, a weakening of government resolve to maintain stabilization policies in the election year of 1996 contributed to renewal of inflationary pressures, spurred by the budget deficit which exceeded 12%. The collapse of financial pyramid schemes in early 1997-which had attracted deposits from a substantial portion of Albania's adult population - triggered severe social unrest which led to more than 1,500 deaths, widespread destruction of property, and an 8% drop in GDP. The new government installed in July 1997 has taken strong measures to restore public order and to revive economic activity and trade.

The economy continues to be bolstered by remittances of some 20% of the labor force which works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant incomes.

Labor force

total:: 1.692 million (1994 est.) (including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed)
by occupation:: agriculture (nearly all private) 49.5%, private sector 22.2%, state (nonfarm) sector 28.3% (including state-owned industry 7.8%);
note-includes only those domestically employed

Unemployment rate

14% (October 1997) officially, but likely to be as high as 28%

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

1.892 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production

4.435 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

1,314 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

wide range of temperate-zone crops and livestock

Exports

total value:: $228 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:: asphalt, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco
partners:: Italy, Greece, Germany, Belgium, US

Imports

total value:: $879 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:: machinery, consumer goods, grains
partners:: Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Debt-external

$645 million (1996)

Economic aid

recipient: $630 million pledged 1997

Currency

1 lek (L) = 100 qintars

Exchange rates

leke (L) per US$1-152.28 (January 1998), 148.93 (1997), 104.50 (1996), 92.70 (1995), 94.62 (1994), 102.06 (1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

domestic:: 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; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece

Radio broadcast stations

AM 17, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

577,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

300,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

10 fields

Networkskm

Highways

18,000Railways

670

Highways: paved: 5,400 km · unpaved: 12,600 km (1996 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 670 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)

Railways

total:: 670 km
standard gauge:: 670 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)

Highways

total:: 18,000 km
paved:: 5,400 km
unpaved:: 12,600 km (1996 est.)

total:: 4
over 3,047 m:: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1997 est.)

Heliports

1 (1997 est.)

Military

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior | Ministry Troops, Border Guards

7 fields

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

1.5%

to 2.0% (1996)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes-international

the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders but has downplayed them to further its primary foreign policy goal of regional cooperation;
Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbian Republic;
Albanians in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to public-sector jobs and representation in government

Illicit drugs

increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe;
limited opium and cannabis production;
ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active in Central and Eastern Europe ALGERIA

Central Intelligence Agency. “Albania.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/albania/1998.

How to cite ← 1997 edition 1999 edition →