Albania

Location

• Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north
• strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Tirana	418,495	Capital
Durrës	195,920
Vlorë	115,261
Elbasan	100,903
Shkodër	95,553
Lushnjë	63,135
Berat	62,232
Fier-Çifçi	60,995
Korçë	58,259
Fier	56,297

Size

• 11,100 square miles
• 28,748 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than Maryland

History

After declaring independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, Albania experienced a period of political upheaval that led to a short-lived monarchy, which ended in 1939 when Italy conquered the country. Germany then occupied Albania in 1943, and communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960) and then with China (until 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended communist rule and established a multiparty democracy.  Government-endorsed pyramid schemes in 1997 led to economic collapse and civil disorder, which only ended when UN peacekeeping troops intervened. In 1999, some 450,000 ethnic Albanians fled from Kosovo to Albania to escape the war with the Serbs. Albania joined NATO in 2009 and became an official candidate for EU membership in 2014. 

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

Languages

Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)major-language sample(s): Libri i fakteve boterore, burimi i pazevendesueshem per informacione elementare (Albanian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% (2011 est.)note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998amendment process: 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
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Bajram BEGAJ (since 24 July 2022)head of government: Prime Minister Edi RAMA (since 10 September 2013)cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by the Assemblyelection/appointment process: 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; prime minister appointed by the president on the proposal of the majority party or coalition of parties in the Assemblymost recent election date: held in 4 rounds on 16, 23, and 30 May and 4 June 2022election results: 2022: Bajram BEGAJ elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 78-4, opposition parties boycotted2017: Ilir META elected president in the fourth round; Assembly vote - 87-2expected date of next election: 2027
• Judicial Branch: 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 termsubordinate 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)
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Albanian Parliamentlegislative structure: unicameralchamber name: Parliament (Kuvendi)number of seats: 140 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 5/11/2025percentage of women in chamber: 35.7%expected date of next election: May 2029

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper-middle-income Balkan economy; EU accession candidate; growth bolstered by tourism, agriculture, mining, construction, and private consumption; fiscal consolidation through revenue collection and tax compliance enhancements to address public debt; challenges include weak governance, corruption, and high emigration rates
• Budget: revenues: $6.636 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $6.966 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land
• Industries: food; footwear, apparel and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
• Agricultural Products: milk, maize, tomatoes, watermelons, potatoes, wheat, grapes, onions, cucumbers/gherkins, olives (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 41.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 21.8% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 3.2% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 16.4% (2022 est.)forest: 28.8% (2022 est.)other: 29.8% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, refined petroleum, garments, packaged medicine, iron bars (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Italy 22%, China 11%, Turkey 9%, Germany 7%, Greece 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: garments, footwear, electricity, crude petroleum, iron alloys (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Italy 41%, Greece 10%, Germany 5%, Spain 5%, Serbia 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports