Albania

• mild temperate;
• cool, cloudy, wet winters;
• hot, clear, dry summers;
• interior is cooler and wetter

agricultural land:

42.86%;

• arable land 52.42%;
• permanent crops 6.84%;
• permanent pasture 40.73%

forest:

28.19%

other:

28.95% (2014 est.)

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

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

party to:

Air Pollution, 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

noun:

Albanian(s)

adjective:

Albanian

at birth:

1.1 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.12 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.91 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.89 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

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

etymology:

• the English-language country name seems to be derived from the ancient Illyrian tribe of the Albani;
• the native name "Shqiperia" is popularly interpreted to mean "Land of the Eagles"

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

history:

several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998

amendments:

• proposed by at least one-fifth of the Assembly membership;
• passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly;
• referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of the Assembly;
• amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic;
• amended several times, last in 2016 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Albania

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President of the Republic Ilir META (since 24 July 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Niko PELESHI

cabinet:

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• a candidate needs three-fifths majority vote of the Assembly in 1 of 3 rounds or a simple majority in 2 additional rounds to become president;
• election last held in 4 rounds on 19, 20, 27, and 28 April 2017 (next election to be held in 2022);
• prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly

election results:

Ilir META elected president; Assembly vote - 87 - 2 in fourth round

description:

unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 25 June 2017 (next to be held in 2021)

election results:

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 74, PD 43, LSI 19, PDIU 3, PSD 1

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of 17 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges, including the chairman, appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly to serve single 9-year terms;
• Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly to serve single 9-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years;
• chairman elected by the People's Assembly for a single 3-year term

subordinate courts:

Courts of Appeal; Courts of First Instance

• Democratic Party or PD [Lulzim BASHA]
• Party for Justice, Integration and Unity or PDIU [Shpetim IDRIZI] (formerly part of APMI)
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]
• Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Monika KRYEMADHI]
• Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]

• Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kol NIKOLLAJ]
• Omonia [Leonidha PAPA]
• Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Floreta FABER (since 18 May 2015)

chancery:

2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 223-4942

FAX:

[1] (202) 628-7342

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Donald LU (since 13 January 2015)

embassy:

Rruga e Elbasanit, 103, Tirana

mailing address:

US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510

telephone:

[355] (4) 2247-285

FAX:

[355] (4) 2232-222

• red with a black two-headed eagle in the center;
• the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Ottoman Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78);
• an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle;
• they refer to themselves as "Shqiptare," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

name:

"Hymni i Flamurit" (Hymn to the Flag)

lyrics/music:

Aleksander Stavre DRENOVA/Ciprian PORUMBESCU

note: adopted 1912

• wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, olives and olive oil, grapes;
• meat, dairy products;
• sheep and goats

• food;
• footwear, apparel and clothing;
• lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

agriculture:

41.8%

industry:

11.4%

services:

46.8% (December 2014 est)

lowest 10%:

4.1%

highest 10%:

19.6% (2015 est.)

• apparel and clothing, footwear;
• asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil;
• cement and construction materials, vegetables, fruits, tobacco

general assessment:

• fixed line, teledensity continues to decline due to heavy use of mobile-cellular telephone services;
• mobile-cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective;
• of 3.4 million active mobile telephone users, 1.3 million use mobile broadband services (3G/4G)

domestic:

• offsetting the shortage of fixed-line capacity, mobile-cellular phone service has been available since 1996;
• by 2015, four companies were providing mobile services and mobile teledensity had reached 110 per 100 persons;
• Internet broadband services initiated in 2005, and the penetration rate rose to over 65% by 2016;
• Internet cafes are popular in major urban areas

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 (2016)

• Albania has more than 65 TV stations, including several that broadcast nationally;
• Albanian TV broadcasts are also available to Albanian-speaking populations in neighboring countries;
• many viewers have access to Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception;
• Albania's TV stations have begun a government-mandated conversion from analog to digital broadcast;
• the government has pledged to provide analog-to-digital converters to low-income families affected by this decision;
• cable TV service is available;
• 2 public radio networks and roughly 78 private radio stations;
• several international broadcasters are available (2017)

number of registered air carriers:

1; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

151,632

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

0 mt-km (2015)

total:

677 km (447 km of major railway lines and 230 km of secondary lines)

standard gauge:

677 km 1.435-m gauge (2015)

country comparison to the world: 104

total:

18,000 km

paved:

7,020 km

unpaved:

10,980 km (2002)

country comparison to the world: 116

• 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;
• significant source country for 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