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Albania
Background :
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, 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; however, there have been claims of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-communist elections. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges to reduce crime and corruption, promote economic growth, and decrease the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. 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.
Location :
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north
Geographic Coordinates Center :
41 00 N, 20 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 19.29 |
| North | 42.67 |
| East | 21.07 |
| South | 39.65 |
Map references :
Europe
Area :
| total | 28 748 | square km |
| land | 27 398 | square km |
| water | 1 350 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 717 | km |
| Greece (gr) | 282 | km |
| Macedonia (mk) | 151 | km |
| Montenegro (me) | 172 | km |
| Kosovo | 112 | km |
Coastline :
362.00 km
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
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 2 764 | metres |
Natural resources :
| bauxite | chromite |
| coal | copper |
| hydropower | iron ore |
| natural gas | nickel |
| petroleum | salt |
| timber |
Land use :
| arable land | 20.10 | % |
| permanent crops | 4.21 | % |
| other | 75.69 | % |
Irrigated land :
3 530 square km
Total renewable water resources :
41 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| destructive earthquakes | floods |
| tsunamis |
current issues :
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
international agreements :
| Air Pollution | Biodiversity |
| Climate Change | Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Desertification | Endangered Species |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Wetlands |
Population :
3 639 453
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 0.55 | % |
| Birth rate | 15.29 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.01 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 5.55 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -4.28 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 23.10 | % |
| 15-64 years | 67.10 | % |
| 65 years and over | 9.80 | % |
Median age :
| total | 29.90 | years |
| male | 29.30 | years |
| female | 30.60 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.10 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.10 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.87 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.04 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 18.62 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 77.96 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 75.28 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 80.89 | years |
Religions :
| Muslim | 70.00 | % |
| Orthodox | 20.00 | % |
| Roman Catholic | 10.00 | % |
Languages :
| Albanian | |
| Greek | |
| Vlach | |
| Romani | |
| Slavic dialects |
Literacy :
| total population | 98.70 | % |
| male | 99.20 | % |
| female | 98.30 | % |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | AL |
| ISO Numeric | 8 |
| ISO3 | ALB |
| FIPS | AL |
| ccTLD | al |
| English | Albania |
Administrative divisions :
12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore
Capital :
| name | Tirana |
| geographic coordinates | 41 19 N, 19 49 E |
| time difference | 1.00 |
| daylight saving time | 1 |
International organization participation :
| BSEC | CE |
| CEI | EAPC |
| EBRD | FAO |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IDB | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IMO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO (correspondent) | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| MIGA | MINURCAT |
| NATO | OIC |
| OIF | OPCW |
| OSCE | SECI |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1912-11-28
National holiday :
Independence Day
1912-11-28
Executive branch :
| President Bamir TOPI | Prime Minister Sali BERISHA |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 22 590 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 11 730 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.10 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 6 200 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 20.60 | % |
| industry | 18.80 | % |
| services | 60.60 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 58.00 | % |
| industry | 15.00 | % |
| services | 27.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 1 103 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 12.00 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 25.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 26.70 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.10 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 23.70 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 1 195 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1 747 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 1 550 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.49 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 54.90 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 3.20 | % |
| highest 10% | 25.90 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 3 460 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 4 099 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| corn | dairy |
| fruits | grapes |
| meat | potatoes |
| sugar beets | vegetables |
| wheat |
Industries :
| basic metals | cement |
| chemicals | clothing |
| food processing | hydropower |
| mining | oil |
| textiles | timber |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 2 888 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 3 603 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 2 475 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 5 985 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 34 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 748 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 24 080 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 199 100 000 | bbl |
| Natural gas Production | 30 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Natural gas Consumption | 30 000 000 | cubic metres |
| Electricity Exports | 849 500 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
1 194 000 000 $
Partners :
| Italy (it) | 55.90 | % |
| Greece (gr) | 11.60 | % |
| China (cn) | 7.20 | % |
Commodities :
| asphalt | crude oil |
| fruits | metals and metallic ores |
| textiles and footwear | tobacco |
| vegetables |
Value :
3 602 000 000 $
Partners :
| Italy (it) | 32.10 | % |
| Greece (gr) | 13.10 | % |
| Turkey (tr) | 7.20 | % |
| Germany (de) | 6.60 | % |
| China (cn) | 4.50 | % |
| Russia (ru) | 4.20 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | foodstuffs |
| machinery and equipment | textiles |
Currency-code :
ALL
Currency-name :
lek
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 316 400 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 3 141 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 46 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 65 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | al | |
| Internet Hosts | 14 245 | |
| Internet Users | 471 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 4 | |
| Heliports | 1 | |
| Pipelines - gas | 339 | km |
| Pipelines - oil | 207 | km |
| Roadways - total | 18 000 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 7 020 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 10 980 | km |
| Railways | 896 | km |
| Waterways | 43 | km |
Flag
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