Albania flag
Basic Facts of AlbaniaOfficial name: Republic of Albania
Capital: Tirana
Area: 28,748 sq km, 11,100 sq mi
Population: 3,619,778
Population growth rate: 0.54 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 132 persons per sq km, 342 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) Urban/rural distribution :
Share urban 45 percent
Share rural 55 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Tirana ,Durres, Elbasan , Shkoder ,Vlore
Languages: Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect; Gheg is spoken primarily in the north), Greek
Religious affiliations:
Muslim 70 percent
Orthodox Christian 20 percent
Roman Catholic 10 percent
Life expectancy :
Total 77.8 years
Female 80.7 years
Male 75.1 years (2008 estimate)
Literacy rate:
Total 84.7 percent
Female 77 percent
Male 92.1 percent (2000 estimate)
Form of government: Multiparty republic
Total number of military personnel: 21,500 (2004)
Introduction:
Albania (Country of the Eagle), republic in southeastern Europe, officially known as the Republic of Albania. It lies along the northwestern edge of the Balkan Peninsula.Separated from Italy by only 76 km (47 mi) of the Adriatic Sea, Albania, throughout its history, has been occupied by Italian powers expanding eastward into the Balkans or by Balkan powers expanding westward. In the 1500s AlbaniaTurkey), and did not gain its independence until 1912. From 1944 to 1990 Albania was a staunchly Communist state, and in 1991 Albania began its transition to a democratic state and market economy. The capital and largest city is Tirana.
Tirana, Albania
Founded in the early 1600s, Tirana became the capital of Albania in 1920. The largest city in Albania, Tirana serves as the nation’s industrial, commercial, and cultural center. The city’s downtown district boasts wide thoroughfares and intersperses old stone buildings with more modern structures.
Mosque in Vlore
Religious institutions in Albania were closed during the Communist regime. In 1990 mosques like this one in Vlorë began to reopen. Albania is one of the few European countries where most of the people are Muslim. About 70 percent of Albanians are Muslim, while Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians together make up only about 30 percent of the population.