Albania

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

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

• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents;
• air pollution from industrial and power plants;
• loss of biodiversity due to lack of resources for sound environmental management

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:

1.08 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.11 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.09 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2020 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 derived from the Albanian word "Shqiponje" ("Eagle") and 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

etymology:

• the name Tirana first appears in a 1418 Venetian document;
• the origin of the name is unclear, but may derive from Tirkan Fortress, whose ruins survive on the slopes of Dajti mountain and which overlooks the city

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

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 Senida MESI (since 13 September 2017)

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 on 25 April 2021)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - PS 48.3%, PD 28.9%, LSI 14.3%, PDIU 4.8%, PSD 1%, other 2.7%;
• seats by party - PS 74, PD 43, LSI 19, PDIU 3, PSD 1;
• composition - men 108, women 32, percent of women 22.9%

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of 19 judges, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the chairman)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Judicial Council with the consent of the president to serve single 9-year terms;
• Supreme Court chairman is elected for a single 3-year term by the court members;
• appointments of Constitutional Court judges are rotated among the president, Parliament, and Supreme Court from a list of pre-qualified candidates (each institution selects 3 judges), to serve single 9-year terms;
• candidates are pre-qualified by a randomly selected body of experienced judges and prosecutors;
• Constitutional Court chairman is elected by the court members for a single, renewable 3-year term

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• Courts of First Instance;
• specialized courts: Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, Appeals Court for Corruption and Organized Crime (responsible for corruption, organized crime, and crimes of high officials)

• 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 [Paskal MILO]
• Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Monika KRYEMADHI]
• Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Yuri KIM (since 27 January 2020)

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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Leyla MOSES-ONES (since August 2018)

telephone:

[355] (4) 2247-285

embassy:

Rruga e Elbasanit, 103, Tirana

mailing address:

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

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 Georgi 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

Overall Ease of Doing Business score:

53.5 (2020)

Trading Across Borders score:

(2020)

• 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:

41.4%

industry:

18.3%

services:

40.3% (2017 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

• 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 (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

303,137 (2018)

total:

677 km (447 km of major railway lines and 230 km of secondary lines) (2015)

standard gauge:

677 km 1.435-m gauge (2015)

• the Albanian military was previously equipped with mostly Soviet-era weapons that were sold or destroyed;
• its inventory now includes a mix of mostly donated and second-hand European and US equipment;
• since 2010, it has received equipment from France, Germany, Italy, and the US (2019 est.)

• 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