Albania

Republic of Albania Republika e Shqipërisë  (Albanian)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  "Ti, Shqipëri, më jep nder, më jep emrin Shqiptar" (Albanian) "You, Albania, give me honor, give me the name Albanian"
Anthem: Himni i Flamurit   (Albanian) "Hymn to the Flag"
Location of  Albania  (green) on the European continent  (dark grey)  —  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Tirana 41°20′N 19°48′E
Official language(s)		Albanian1
Ethnic groups		95% Albanians, 3-6% Greeks, 2% others
Demonym		Albanian
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President	Bamir Topi
-	Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Formation
-	Principality of Arbër	1190
-	League of Lezhë	2 March 1444
-	Independence from the Ottoman Empire	28 November 1912
-	Recognized by the Great Powers	2 December 1912
-	Current Constitution	28 November 1998
Area
-	Total	28,748 km2 (143rd) 11,100 sq mi
-	Water (%)	4.7
Population
-	2011 estimate	2,994,667 (136th)
-	2001 census	3,069,275
-	Density	111.1/km2 (63) 327.8/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$25.035 billion
-	Per capita	$7,780
GDP (nominal)		2011 estimate
-	Total	$13.292 billion
-	Per capita	$4,131
Gini (2005)		26.7 (low)
HDI (2011)		0.739 (high) (70th)
Currency		Lek (ALL)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.al
Calling code		355
1	Greek, Macedonian and other regional languages, are government-recognized minority languages.

Albania (officially called as Republic of Albania) (Albanian: Shqipëria) is an independent republic in Southeastern Europe, with an area of 28,748 square kilometres (11,100 sq mi). The capital is Tirana, and other important cities are Durrës, Elbasan and Vlora. Over 3 million people live in Albania. The most Albanians are Muslims with 55%, 23% Eastern Orthodox and 15% Roman Catholics.

Albania is next to Kosovo, Montenegro, Greece and Macedonia. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea in the west, and a coast on the Ionian Sea in the southwest. The official language is Albanian. The national anthem is Hymni i Flamurit.

History

Albania was the southern part of Illyria during the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages the Albanians were ruled by many foreign countries, including the Byzantine and Venetian Empires and during the 16th century resistance to the Ottoman Empire's rule was led by the Albanian national hero Skanderberg. After four centuries of Turkish domination, finally in the 20th century an independent Albania was created. In 1939 Albania was conquered by fascist Italy and was part of the Kingdom of Italy until 1943. After World War II Albania became independent again, under communist rule. In 1992 Albania returned to democracy, and now has friendly relations with the European Union.

Divisions

Albania is divided into 12 counties. These counties include 36 districts and 373 municipalities

	County	Capital	Districts	Municipalities	Cities	Villages
1	Berat	Berat	Berat Kuçovë Skrapar	10 2 8	2 1 2	122 18 105
2	Dibër	Peshkopi	Bulqizë Dibër Mat	7 14 10	1 1 2	63 141 76
3	Durrës	Durrës	Durrës Krujë	6 4	4 2	62 44
4	Elbasan	Elbasan	Elbasan Gramsh Librazhd Peqin	20 9 9 5	3 1 2 1	177 95 75 49
5	Fier	Fier	Fier Lushnjë Mallakastër	14 14 8	3 2 1	117 121 40
6	Gjirokastër	Gjirokastër	Gjirokastër Përmet Tepelenë	11 7 8	2 2 2	96 98 77
7	Korçë	Korçë	Devoll Kolonjë Korçë Pogradec	4 6 14 7	1 2 2 1	44 76 153 72
8	Kukës	Kukës	Has Kukës Tropojë	3 14 7	1 1 1	30 89 68
9	Lezhë	Lezhë	Kurbin Lezhë Mirditë	2 9 5	2 1 2	26 62 80
10	Shkodër	Shkodër	Malësi e Madhe Pukë Shkodër	5 8 15	1 2 2	56 75 141
11	Tirana	Tirana	Kavajë Tirana	8 16	2 3	66 167
12	Vlorë	Vlorë	Delvinë Sarandë Vlorë	3 7 9	1 2 4	38 62 99

Cities

This is a list of the largest cities in Albania.

Durrës

Rank	City	2001 Census	2011 census
1	Tirana	352,581	421,286
2	Durrës	113,465	115,550
3	Vlorë	85,180	79,948
4	Elbasan	95,554	79,810
5	Shkodër	85,798	74,876
6	Fier	56,297	57,198
7	Korçë	58,911	51,683
8	Berat	45,572	36,467
9	Lushnjë	38,336	31,424
10	Kavajë	28,149	20,312

Armed forces

The Albanian Armed Forces were first formed after independence in 1912. Albania reduced the number of active troops from 65,000 in 1988 to 14,500 in 2009. The military now is mostly a small fleet of aircraft and sea vessels.

Geography

Albania has a total area of 28,748 square kilometers. Albania's coastline length is 476 km (296 mi). It goes along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. On the coast there are mild, wet winters and warm, sunny, and rather dry summers.

70% of the country is mountains. The highest mountain is Korab.

Flora and fauna

The Lynx still survives in Albania.

Although a small country, Albania has a lot of variety in plants and animals. The total number of plants is over 3250 species. There are over 350 bird species, 330 freshwater and marine fish and 80 mammal species. The Golden Eagle is the national symbol of Albania.

Related pages

• Albania at the Olympics
• Albania national football team
• List of rivers of Albania

Other websites

• National Tourism Organization Albania's official website for travel & tourism information.