Albania

Republic of AlbaniaRepublika e Shqiperise

emerging democracyIndependence 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Albania as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 128 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 (Tirane), UTC+1
Position41 00 N, 20 00 E
Area28,748 sq km
LocationSoutheastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Serbia to the north
2007

Every edition of Albania

Populationas each edition published it
3.6 million July 2007 est. · 3.27m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.529% 2007 est. · 1.21% in 1993
Median ageyears
29.2 years 2007 est. · 26.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
77.6 years 2007 est. · 73 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.03 children per woman 2007 est. · 3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
20.02 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 52 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$5,700 2006 est. · $760 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5% 2006 est. · -10% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain.

International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward.

Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism.

Geography

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Serbia to the north

18 fields

Land useshare of 28,748 sq km

arable land 20.1%permanent crops 4.21%other 75.69% (2005)irrigated 3,530 sq km (2003)
Area
28,748sq km
land: 27,398 sq kmwater: 1,350 sq kmslightly smaller than Maryland
Coastline
362km
territorial sea: 12 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Highest point
2,764m
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab)lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Land boundaries
720km
border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Serbia 115 km

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Serbia to the north

Geographic coordinates

41 00 N, 20 00 E

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, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

Natural hazards

  • destructive earthquakes;
  • tsunamis occur along southwestern coast;
  • floods;
  • drought

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:
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

Geography - note

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

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

154,352
65 and over9.3%
178,865
1,228,497
15-6466.6%
1,170,489
454,622
0-1424.1%
413,698
MaleFemale
Population
3,600,523
(July 2007 est.)growth rate: 0.529% (2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth
15.16Death
5.33Net migration
-4.54

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)77.6
74.95 · 80.53Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)20.02
20.46 · 19.54
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2001 census)98.7%
99.2% · 98.3%Median age years (2007 est.)29.2
28.6 · 29.8
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 9 and over can read and write

Religions

Muslim 70%Albanian Orthodox 20%Roman Catholic 10%note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.099 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.863 male(s)/female
total population:
1.042 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.03 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Albanian(s)
adjective:
Albanian

Ethnic groups

Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.) note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Languages

Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects

Government

Emerging democracy; President of the Republic Bamir TOPI (since 24 July 2007); Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005)

18 fields

Assembly or Kuvendi, 140 seats, elected 3 July 2005one dot, one seat

PD 56PS 42PR 11PSD 7LSI 5other 19

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

Government type

emerging democracy

Capital

name:
Tirana (Tirane)
geographic coordinates:
41 19 N, 19 49 E
time difference:
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore

Independence

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

Constitution

adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President of the Republic Bamir TOPI (since 24 July 2007)
head of government:
Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament
elections:
  • president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
  • four election rounds held between 8 and 20 July 2007 (next election to be held in 2012);
  • prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
Bamir TOPI elected president; People's Assembly vote, fourth round (three-fifths majority (84 votes) required): Bamir TOPI 85 votes, Neritan CEKA 5 votes

Legislative branch

unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 members are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts

Political parties and leaders

  • Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI];
  • Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nard NDOKA];
  • Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI];
  • Democratic Alliance Party or AD [Neritan CEKA];
  • Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA];
  • Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU];
  • Liberal Union Party or BLD [Arjan STAROVA];
  • National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Adriatik ALIMADHI];
  • New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO];
  • Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI];
  • Renewed Democratic Party or PDRN [Dashamir SHEHI];
  • Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU];
  • Social Democracy Party of Albania or PDSSh [Paskal MILO];
  • Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI];
  • Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META];
  • Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA];
  • Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE]

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU];
  • Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO];
  • Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI];
  • Mjaft Movement [Erion VELIAJ];
  • Omonia [Jani JANI];
  • Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

International organization participation

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA
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 Dr. John L. WITHERS, II
embassy:
Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana
mailing address:
US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510
telephone:
[355] (4) 247285
FAX:
[355] (4) 232222

Flag description

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Economy

Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy.

46 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$20.46billion
note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP (2006 est.)official exchange rate: $9.306 billion (2006 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$5,700
(2006 est.)
Real growth rate
5%
(2006 est.)industrial production growth: 3.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)

agriculture 22.3%industry 20.9%services 56.9% (2006 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

67.7%
Italy
32.1%
5.4%
Greece
17.7%
Turkey
8.1%
5.8%
Serbia and Montenegro
Germany
5.7%
Exports $792.9 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)Imports $2.916 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)(2006)

Budget

Revenues
$2.608 billionExpenditures
$3.1 billion (2007 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production
5.385 billion (2005)Electricity consumption
3.323 billion (2005)Electricity exports
300 million (2005)Electricity imports
371 million (2005)

Economy - overview

Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and reduce the large gray economy. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy;

this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for about one-quarter of GDP, is held back because of lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment.

The planned construction of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and distribution facilities eventually will help relieve the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side, growth was strong in 2003-06 and inflation is low and stable.

Labor force

1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (September 2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
58%
industry:
15%
services:
27% (September 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

13.8% official rate, but may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%:
NA% (2004)

Investment (gross fixed)

23.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products

Industries

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

Oil - production

3,600 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports

1,240 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - imports

21,600 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

165 million bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

28.77 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

28.77 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

814.7 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance

$-670.8 million (2006 est.)

Exports

$792.9 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

  • textiles and footwear;
  • asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil;
  • vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Imports

$2.916 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals

Economic aid - recipient

ODA: $318.7 million note: top donors were Italy, EU, Germany (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.813 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$1.55 billion (2004)

Currency (code)

lek (ALL) note: the plural of lek is leke

Exchange rates

leke per US dollar - 98.384 (2006), 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004), 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
1.53 million
(2005)
Fixed lines
353,600
(2005) · country code .al

Telephone system

general assessment:
  • despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100 people;
  • however, cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective;
  • combined fixed line and mobile telephone density is approximately 60 telephones per 100 persons
domestic:
  • offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996;
  • by 2003 two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's Balkan neighbors;
  • Internet broadband services initiated in 2005;
  • internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread outside the capital
international:
  • country code - 355;
  • submarine cable provides connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece;
  • the Trans-Balkan Line, a combination submarine cable and land fiber optic system, provides additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey;
  • international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 13, FM 46, shortwave 1 (2005)

Television broadcast stations

65 (3 national, 62 local); 2 cable networks (2005)

Internet users

471,200 (2006)

Transportation

10 fields

Merchant marine, 24 ships by typeone square, one ship · ships (1000 GRT or over) 56,550 GRT/85,521 DWT

cargo 23roll on/roll off 1foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1) · registered in other countries: 3 (Georgia 2, Panama 1) (2007)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

2,438 to 3,047 m
3

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

over 3,047 m
11,524 to 2,437 m
2914 to 1,523 m
1under 914 m
4

Networkskm

Roadways
18,000Railways
447Waterways
43 (2007)
Roadways: paved: 7,020 km · unpaved: 10,980 km (2002) · Railways: standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Airports

11 (2007)

Heliports

1 (2007)

Pipelines

gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2006)

Railways

total:
447 km
standard gauge:
447 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total:
18,000 km
paved:
7,020 km
unpaved:
10,980 km (2002)

Ports and terminals

Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Military

Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense Command, General Staff Headquarters (includes Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command) (2007)

6 fields

Military branches

Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense Command, General Staff Headquarters (includes Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command) (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 19-49:
809,524
females age 19-49:
784,199 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 19-49:
668,526
females age 19-49:
648,334 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49:
37,407
females age 19-49:
34,587 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

  • the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes;
  • some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals;
  • the mass emigration of unemployed Albanians remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

Illicit drugs

  • increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe;
  • limited opium and growing cannabis production;
  • ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe;
  • vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens

Central Intelligence Agency. “Albania.” The World Factbook 2007. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/albania/2007.

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