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

noun:

Albanian(s)

adjective:

Albanian

total:

35.8 years (2023 est.)

male:

34.3 years

female:

37.2 years

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.85 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

total:

10.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male:

11.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

9.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

79.7 years (2023 est.)

male:

77 years

female:

82.6 years

total:

4.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.75 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

1.43 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

22.4% (2020 est.)

male:

38.8% (2020 est.)

female:

6% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15:

1.4%

women married by age 18:

11.8%

men married by age 18:

1.2% (2018 est.)

• 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

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

urban population:

64.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.29% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

16.28 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

4.54 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

2.55 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

230 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

550 million cubic meters (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 2020

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 Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)

head of government:

Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Arben AHMETAJ (since 18 September 2021)

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 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022 (next election to be held in 2027);
• prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assembly

election results:

2022: Bajram BEGAJ elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 78-4, opposition parties boycotted; 2017: Ilir META elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 87-2

description:

unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open party-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 25 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

election results:

• percent of vote by party/coalition - PS 48.7%, PD-Alliance for Change 39.4%, LSI 6.8%, PSD 2.3%, other 2.8%;
• seats by party/coalition - PS 74, PD-Alliance for Change 59, LSI 4, PSD 3;
• composition as of August 2023 - men 90, women 50, percent of women 35.7%

highest court(s):

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)

• Alliance for Change (electoral coalition led by PD)
• Democratic Party or PD [Lulzim BASHA]
• Party for Justice, Integration and Unity pr PDIU [Shpetim IDRIZI] (part of the Alliance for Change))
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Tom DOSHI]
• Freedom Party of Albania or PL [Ilir META] (formerly the Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI)
• Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ervin BUSHATI (since 15 September 2023)

chancery:

2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 223-4942

FAX:

[1] (202) 628-7342

email address and website:

[email protected]; http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/usa/en

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David WISNER (since August 2023)

embassy:

Rruga Stavro Vinjau, No. 14, Tirana

mailing address:

9510 Tirana Place, Washington DC 20521-9510

telephone:

[355] 4 2247-285

FAX:

[355] 4 2232-222

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://al.usembassy.gov/

• 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

total World Heritage Sites:

4 (2 cultural, 1 natural, 1 mixed)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Butrint (c);
• Historic Berat and Gjirokastër (c);
• Primeval Beech Forests (n);
• Lake Ohrid Region (m)

• future hopeful EU member state;
• oil and gas exporter but investing toward a “blue economy”;
• COVID-19 and earthquake economic disruptions and declines;
• experiencing high debt and account balances;
• strengthening private sector growth and public sector trust

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

total:

27.8% (2021 est.)

male:

28%

female:

27.6%

lowest 10%:

4.1%

highest 10%:

19.6% (2015 est.)

production:

9,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

119,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

110,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

522 million metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

16,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

26,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

10,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

150 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

42.05 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

consumption:

42.05 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

5.692 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• Albania’s small telecom market has experienced some significant changes in recent years;
• upgrades were made to the fixed-line infrastructure to support broadband services;
• fixed-line telephony use and penetration in Albania is declining steadily as subscribers migrate to mobile solutions;
• the mobile sector is well provided with LTE networks, while operators have invested in 5G;
• some of these efforts have been made in conjunction with neighboring Kosovo, with the intention of a seamless 5G corridor along the highway connecting the two countries;
• the country has long sought accession to the European Union (EU) which has benefited its telecoms sector through closer scrutiny of its regulatory regime and through the injection of funding to help modernize infrastructure (2021)

domestic:

• fixed-line approximately 7 per 100, teledensity continues to decline due to heavy use of mobile-cellular telephone services;
• mobile-cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective, 92 per 100 for mobile-cellular (2021)

international:

• country code - 355;
• submarine cables for the Adria 1 and Italy-Albania provide connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece;
• 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 (2019)

• 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)

• the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF) are responsible for defending the country’s independence, sovereignty, and territory, assisting with internal security, providing disaster and humanitarian relief, and participating in international peacekeeping missions;
• the AAF has contributed small numbers of forces to several NATO missions since Albania joined NATO in 2009, including peacekeeping/stability missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Iraq, and multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria and Latvia;
• it has also contributed to EU and UN missions;
• the AAF is a small, lightly armed force that has been undergoing a modernization effort to improve its ability to fulfill NATO missions, including training and equipment purchases;
• the primary ground combat units include three light infantry battalions (or battle groups), including one trained and certified for NATO missions, and a special operations regiment;
• the Naval Force and Coast Guard operate a small force of patrol boats while the Air Force has a small inventory of helicopters (2023)

refugees (country of origin):

7,495 (Ukraine) (as of 7 November 2023)

stateless persons:

1,948 (2022)

note: 46,944 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-October 2023)