On succeeding to Hoxha's party leadership post in 1985,
Alia
reassessed Albania's foreign policy. He realized that it
was
imperative for Albania to expand its contacts with the
outside
world if it were to improve its economic situation. He was
eager
in particular to introduce Western technology, although
limited
foreign-currency reserves and constitutional bans on
foreign
loans and credits restricted Albania's ability to import
technology.
Alia's public statements indicated that in pursuing his
country's foreign policy objectives he would be less rigid
than
his predecessor and put political and economic concerns
ahead of
ideological ones. Thus, at the seventy-fifth anniversary
of
Albania's independence in 1987, Alia stated, "We do not
hesitate
to cooperate with others and we do not fear their power
and
wealth. On the contrary, we seek such cooperation because
we
consider it a factor that will contribute to our internal
development."
In February 1988, Albania participated in the Balkan
Foreign
Ministers Conference, held in Belgrade. The participation
was a
clear sign of a new flexibility in Albania's foreign
policy.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Albania had refused all
regional
attempts to engage in multilateral cooperation, but Alia
was
determined to end Albania's isolation and return his
country to
the mainstream of world politics. This new approach
entailed an
improvement of relations with Yugoslavia. Indeed, Alia
apparently
realized that Albania had nothing to gain from
confrontation with
Yugoslavia over the Kosovo issue, and he ceased endorsing
Kosovar
demands for republic status in his public statements. The
government's conciliatory approach to Yugoslavia was
expressed
fully in a declaration by Minister of Foreign Affairs Reis
Malile
at the conference. Malile said that the status of Kosovo
was an
internal Yugoslav problem.
Trade and economic cooperation between Albania and
Yugoslavia
increased greatly toward the end of the 1980s. But Kosovo
again
became a source of tension when the Yugoslav government
imposed
special security measures on the province and dispatched
army and
militia units in February and March 1989. These actions
resulted
in violent clashes between Yugoslav security forces and
the
Albanian inhabitants of Kosovo. Albania denounced
Yugoslavia's
"chauvinist policy" toward Kosovo and noted that if the
oppression continued, it would adversely affect relations
between
Albania and Yugoslavia. For its part, Yugoslavia
threatened to
close down Albania's only rail link to the outside world,
a move
that would have caused great hardship to Albania. In
December
1989, a Yugoslav newspaper reported alleged unrest in
northern
Albania; President Alia denounced this report and similar
ones as
a foreign "campaign of slander" against Albania. He denied
reports of unrest and said that Yugoslavia was trying to
stir up
trouble to divert attention from ethnic troubles in
Kosovo.
By the late 1980s, Albania began to strengthen further
its
relations with Greece. The substantial Greek minority in
Albania
motivated Greek concern for better communications with
Albania
(see
Ethnicity, ch. 2). It was especially important for
Greece
that Albanian nationals who were ethnically Greek should
be
allowed to practice the Greek Orthodox religion. Greece
offered
Albania hopes of economic and political ties that would
offset
the deterioration in relations with Yugoslavia. Albania
and
Greece had already signed a military protocol on the
maintenance
and repair of border markers in July 1985. In August 1987,
Greece
officially lifted its state of war with Albania, a state
that had
existed since World War II, when Italy had launched its
attack on
Greece from Albanian territory. In November 1987, the
Greek prime
minister visited Tiranë to sign a series of agreements
with
Albania, including a long-term agreement on economic,
industrial,
technical, and scientific cooperation. In April 1988, the
two
countries set up a ferry link between the Greek island of
Corfu
and the Albanian city of Sarandë. In late 1989, however,
their
relations began to worsen when some Greek politicians
began to
express concern about the fate of the Greek minority in
Albania,
and a war of words began. This hostility marked a sharp
departure
from the trend over the past decade.
Albania's relations with both Turkey and Italy improved
after
the death of Hoxha. In May 1985, Prime Minister Çarçani
sent a
message to the Italian prime minister, Bettino Craxi,
stating
that he hoped cooperation between the two countries could
be
increased. In late 1985, however, there was a slight
setback in
Italian-Albanian relations when six Albanian citizens
sought
refuge in the Italian Embassy in Tiranë and the two
countries
found it difficult to settle the dilemma. The six were
allowed to
remain in the embassy until Albania finally gave
assurances that
they would not be persecuted.
An important step toward ending Albania's isolation and
improving its relationships with its neighbors was
Tiranë's offer
to host the Balkan Foreign Ministers Conference in October
1990.
The conference was a follow-up to the Belgrade conference
of 1988
and was the first international political gathering to
take place
in Albania since the communists came to power. The
conference
came at a good time for the Albanian leadership, which was
attempting to project a new image abroad in keeping with
the
democratic changes beginning to take place within the
country.
For Albania it was an opportunity to increase its prestige
and
boost its international image in the hopes of becoming a
fullfledged member of the CSCE. In fact, the latter aim was
not
achieved by the conference, and it was not until June
1991, after
a visit by CSCE staff members to observe Albania's first
multiparty elections, that Albania was accepted as a full
member
of the CSCE.
|
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
|
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
|
|
Geographic coordinates | | 41 00 N, 20 00 E
|
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 717 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Kosovo 112 km
|
|
Coastline(km) | | 362 km
|
|
Climate | | mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
|
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
|
|
Natural resources | | petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
|
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 20.1%
permanent crops: 4.21%
other: 75.69% (2005)
|
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 3,530 sq km (2003)
|
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 41.7 cu km (2001)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 1.71 cu km/yr (27%/11%/62%)
per capita: 546 cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
Natural hazards | | destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
|
|
Environment - current issues | | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
|
Geography - note | | strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
|
|
Population | | 3,639,453 (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 23.1% (male 440,528/female 400,816)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,251,001/female 1,190,841)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 165,557/female 190,710) (2009 est.)
|
|
Median age(years) | | total: 29.9 years
male: 29.3 years
female: 30.6 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 0.546% (2009 est.)
|
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 15.29 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 5.55 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -4.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 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 (2009 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 18.62 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 77.96 years
male: 75.28 years
female: 80.89 years (2009 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 2.01 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
|
Nationality | | noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian
|
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
|
|
Religions(%) | | Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
|
|
Languages(%) | | Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
|
|
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
|
|
Government type | | emerging democracy
|
|
Capital | | 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
|
|
Administrative divisions | | 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore
|
|
Constitution | | approved by parliament on 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998
|
|
Legal system | | has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens
|
|
Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
|
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President of the Republic Bamir TOPI (since 24 July 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament
elections: president elected by the Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); four election rounds held between 8 and 20 July 2007 (next election to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Bamir TOPI elected president; Assembly vote, fourth round (three-fifths majority (84 votes) required): Bamir TOPI 85 votes, Neritan CEKA 5 votes
|
|
Legislative branch | | unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 members elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 68, PS 64, LSI 4, other 4
note: Parliament in November 2008 approved an electoral reform package that transformed the electoral system from a majority system to a regional proportional system; the code also established an electoral threshold limiting smaller party representation
|
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Judicial branch | | Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) and multiple appeals and district courts
|
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]
|
|
International organization participation | | BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NATO, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|
|
Flag description | | red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Castriota SKANDERBERG, who led a successful uprising against the Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-1478)
|
|
Economy - overview | | Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. Macroeconomic growth has averaged around 5% over the last five years and inflation is low and stable. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad representing about 15% of GDP, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. The agricultural sector, which accounts for over half of employment but only about one-fifth of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming because of lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages because of a reliance on hydropower, and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment and lack of success in attracting new foreign investment. The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore has helped diversify generation capacity, and plans to upgrade transmission lines between Albania and Montenegro and Kosovo would help relieve the energy shortages. Also, with help from EU funds, the government is taking steps to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth.
|
|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $21.86 billion (2008 est.)
$20.61 billion (2007 est.)
$19.44 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
Albania has an informal, and unreported, sector that may be as large as 50% of official GDP
|
|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $12.96 billion (2008 est.)
|
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 6.1% (2008 est.)
6% (2007 est.)
5.5% (2006 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $6,000 (2008 est.)
$5,700 (2007 est.)
$5,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
|
GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 20.5%
industry: 19.8%
services: 59.7% (2008 est.)
|
|
Labor force | | 1.103 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2007 est.)
|
|
Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 58%
industry: 15%
services: 27% (September 2006 est.)
|
|
Unemployment rate(%) | | 12.5% (2008 est.)
13.2% (2007 est.)
note: these are official rates, but actual rates may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming
|
|
Population below poverty line(%) | | 25% (2004 est.)
|
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25.9% (2005)
|
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 26.7 (2005)
|
|
Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 23.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
|
|
Budget | | revenues: $3.458 billion
expenditures: $4.175 billion (2008 est.)
|
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 3.4% (2008 est.)
2.9% (2007 est.)
|
|
Stock of money | | $3.028 billion (31 December 2008)
$2.707 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Stock of quasi money | | $6.251 billion (31 December 2008)
$6.433 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Stock of domestic credit | | $8.176 billion (31 December 2008)
$7.247 billion (31 December 2007)
|
|
Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
|
|
Economic aid - recipient | | ODA: $318.7 million
note: top donors were Italy, EU, Germany (2005 est.)
|
|
Public debt(% of GDP) | | 51.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
51.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
|
|
Agriculture - products | | wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products
|
|
Industries | | food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
|
|
Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 3% (2008 est.)
|
|
Current account balance | | -$1.906 billion (2008 est.)
-$1.202 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports | | $1.345 billion (2008 est.)
$1.076 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Exports - commodities(%) | | textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
|
|
Exports - partners(%) | | Italy 55.9%, Greece 11.6%, China 7.2% (2008)
|
|
Imports | | $4.898 billion (2008 est.)
$3.999 billion (2007 est.)
|
|
Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
|
|
Imports - partners(%) | | Italy 32.2%, Greece 13.1%, Turkey 7.2%, Germany 6.6%, China 4.5%, Russia 4.4% (2008)
|
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $2.364 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$2.162 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
|
|
Debt - external | | $1.55 billion (2004)
|
|
Exchange rates | | leke (ALL) per US dollar - 79.546 (2008 est.), 92.668 (2007), 98.384 (2006), 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004)
|
|
Currency (code) | | lek (ALL)
note: the plural of lek is leke
|
|
Telephones - main lines in use | | 316,400 (2008)
|
|
Telephones - mobile cellular | | 3.141 million (2008)
|
|
Telephone system | | general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100 people; cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density is approaching 100 telephones per 100 persons
domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003, two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's neighbors; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005; Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread outside the capital
international: country code - 355; submarine cable provides connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; the Trans-Balkan Line, 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 (2008)
|
|
Internet country code | | .al
|
|
Internet users | | 471,000 (2008)
|
|
Airports | | 5 (2009)
|
|
Pipelines(km) | | gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2008)
|
|
Roadways(km) | | total: 18,000 km
paved: 7,020 km
unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)
|
|
Ports and terminals | | Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
|
|
Military branches | | Joint Force Command (includes Land, Naval, and Aviation Brigade Commands), Joint Support Command (includes Logistic Command), Training and Doctrine Command (2009)
|
|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 19 years of age (2004)
|
|
Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 944,592
females age 16-49: 908,527 (2008 est.)
|
|
Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 800,665
females age 16-49: 768,536 (2009 est.)
|
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 34,778
female: 31,673 (2009 est.)
|
|
Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)
|
|
Disputes - international | | the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; the mass emigration of unemployed Albanians remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy
|
|
Trafficking in persons | | current situation: Albania is a source country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; it is no longer considered a major country of transit; Albanian victims are trafficked to Greece, Italy, Macedonia, and Kosovo, with many trafficked onward to Western European countries; children were also trafficked to Greece for begging and other forms of child labor; approximately half of all Albanian trafficking victims are under age 18; internal sex trafficking of women and children is on the rise
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Albania is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of victim protection; the government did not appropriately identify trafficking victims during 2007, and has not demonstrated that it is vigorously investigating or prosecuting complicit officials (2008)
|
|
Electricity - production(kWh) | | 2.888 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 2.9%
hydro: 97.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
|
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 3.603 billion kWh (2007 est.)
|
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 2.475 billion kWh (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 5,985 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 34,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 748.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)
|
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 24,080 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 199.1 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 849.5 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | NA
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | NA
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths | | NA
|
|
Literacy(%) | | definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 98.7%
male: 99.2%
female: 98.3% (2001 census)
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2004)
|
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 2.9% of GDP (2002)
|
