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Albania Index
Since classical times, people have exploited the
fossil-fuel
and mineral deposits present in the lands that now
constitute
Albania. Petroleum, natural gas, coal, and asphalt lie in
the
sedimentary rock formations of the country's southwestern
regions. The predominantly igneous formations of the
northern
mountains yield chromite, ferronickel, copper, and cobalt.
Albania also has deposits of phosphorite, bauxite, gold,
silver,
kaolin, clay, asbestos, magnesite, dolomite, and gypsum.
Salt is
abundant. About 70 percent of Albania's territory is about
300
meters above sea level, twice the average elevation of
Europe.
Jagged limestone peaks rise to over 2,700 meters. These
great
heights, combined with normally abundant highland
rainfall,
facilitate the production of hydroelectric power along
rivers.
With its significant petroleum and natural-gas
reserves, coal
deposits, and hydroelectric-power capacity, Albania has
the
potential to produce enough energy for domestic
consumption and
export fuels and electric power. Mismanagement led to
production
shortfalls in the early 1990s, however, and forced the
government
to import both petroleum and electric power. For years
after
production dropped in the late 1970s, Albania's government
considered statistics on the performance of its petroleum
industry a state secret; as a consequence, data on the oil
industry vary radically (see
table 10,
Appendix). Known petroleum
reserves
at existing Albanian drill sites totaled about 200 million
tons,
but in 1991 recoverable stocks amounted to only 25 million
tons.
Albania's petroleum reserves generally were located in the
tertiary layers in southwestern Albania, mainly in the
triangle-shaped region delimited by Vlorë, Berat, and
Durrës. The
principal petroleum reserves were in the valley of the
lower
Devoll; in the valley of the Gjanicë near Patos in the
southwest,
where they lay in sandy Middle or Upper Miocene layers;
and in
Marinëz, between Kuçovë and Fier. Petroleum was refined in
Ballsh, near Berat; Cërrik near Elbasan; and Kuçovë. The
three
refineries had a capacity of 2.5 million tons per year.
In the 1980s, the petroleum and bitumen enterprises
employed
10 percent of Albania's industrial work force, controlled
25
percent of the country's industrial capital, and received
almost
33 percent of its industrial investment funds.
Nevertheless, the
industry's share of the country's gross industrial
production
fell from 8.1 percent in 1980 to 6.6 percent in 1982 and
perhaps
as little as 5 percent in 1985. Albania only produced
between 2.1
million tons and 1.5 million tons of petroleum annually in
the
1970s, according to reliable estimates. Output sagged
further
during the 1980s when extraction became increasingly
difficult.
Albania's wells pumped only 1.2 million tons of petroleum
in
1990. At some sites, obsolete drilling equipment was
extracting
only 12 percent of the available petroleum in situations
where
modern drilling and pumping equipment would permit the
extraction
of as much as 40 percent.
Petroleum was the first industry to attract direct
foreign
investment after the communist economic system broke down.
In
1990 and 1991, the Albanian Petroleum and Gas Directorate
entered
into negotiations with foreign drilling and exploration
firms for
onshore and offshore prospecting. In March 1991, the
Albanian
government and a German company, Denimex, signed a US$500
million
contract for seismological studies, well drilling, and
production
preparation. Albania also negotiated exploration contracts
with
Agip of Italy and Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, and
Hamilton Oil
of the United States.
Albania's known natural-gas reserves have been
estimated at
22,400 million cubic meters and lie mainly in the Kuçovë
and
Patos areas. The country's wells pumped about 600,000
cubic
meters of natural gas annually during the late 1980s.
Fertilizer
plants consumed about 40 percent of Albania's annual
natural-gas
production; power stations consumed about another 15
percent.
Planners projected an increase in natural-gas production
to about
1.1 million cubic meters per year by 1995, but output
tumbled
during the first quarter of 1991.
Albania's unprofitable coal mines produced about 2.1
million
tons in 1987. The coal, mainly lignite with a low
calorific
value, was being mined mainly in central Albania near
Valias,
Manëz, and Krrabë; near Korçë at Mborje and Drenovë; in
northern
Tepelenë at Memaliaj; and in Alarup to the south of Lake
Ohrid.
Coal washeries were located at Valias and Memaliaj.
Albania
imported about 200,000 tons of coke per year from Poland
for its
metalworks. Conditions inside Albania's coal mines were
deplorable, with much of the work done by manual labor.
Albania
used most of its coal to generate electric power.
About 80 percent of Albania's electric power came from
a
system of hydroelectric dams built after 1947 and driven
by
several rivers that normally carried abundant rainfall.
Electric-
power output was estimated by Albanian officials at
3,984,000
megawatt hours in 1988. Outfitted with French-built
turbines,
Albania's largest power station, the Koman hydroelectric
plant on
the Drin River, had a capacity of about 600 megawatts. The
hydroelectric stations at Fierzë and Dejas, also on the
Drin
River, had capacities of 500 megawatts and 250 megawatts,
respectively, and used Chinese-built turbines. Albania had
no
capacity to generate nuclear power, but in the early 1990s
a
research nuclear reactor was reportedly under construction
with
United Nations funds. In 1972 high-tension transmission
lines
linked Albania's power grid with Yugoslavia's distribution
system. Albania's first 400-kilovolt high-tension line
carried
power from Elbasan over the mountains to Korçë, where a
220-
kilovolt line carried it to Greece.
Droughts in the late 1980s and in 1990 brought an
energy
crisis and a sharp drop in earnings from electric-power
exports.
In 1991 heavy rainfall allowed Albania to resume
electric-power
exports to Yugoslavia and Greece. In the early 1990s,
labor
strikes and transformer burnouts--caused by the
overloading of
circuits when many Albanians turned to electricity to heat
apartments after other fuel supplies ran out--regularly
resulted
in blackouts in towns across the country, and even
sections of
Tiranë, producing disruption months at a time. Although
the
electrical grid reached rural areas by 1970, the amount of
power
per household in farm areas was limited to 200 watts, only
enough
to power light bulbs. The chaos caused by economic
collapse led
to the destruction of about 25 percent of Albania's 30,000
kilometer power-distribution network.
Albania's mineral resources are located primarily in
the
mountainous northern half of the country. Albanian miners
extract
mainly chromium ore, ferronickel, copper, bitumen, and
salt.
Obsolete equipment and mining techniques have hampered
Albania's
attempts to capitalize on its mineral wealth. High
extraction and
smelting costs, as well as Albania's overall economic
collapse,
have forced mine and plant closures. The government
repeatedly
has promised to take steps to reopen mines.
Some production estimates placed Albania just behind
South
Africa and the former Soviet Union in the output of
chromite, or
chromium ore, which is vital to the production of
stainless
steel. Foreign studies estimated that Albania had more
than 20
million tons of chromite reserves, located mainly near the
towns
of Korçë, Mat, Elbasan, and Kukës. Export of chrome and
chromium
products provided one of Albania's most important sources
of
hard-currency income. Albania's chromite industry,
however,
consistently failed to meet plan targets and came under
severe
criticism in the waning years of the communist regime.
Estimates
for chromite output during 1989 ranged from 500,000 to
900,000
tons. The drought-related power cuts in 1990 and economic
chaos
in 1991 forced the closing of ferrochrome enterprises at
Burrel
and Elbasan, and the government desperately sought sources
of
foreign capital to invest in technological improvements.
Albania's high-grade chromite reserves had been largely
exhausted by the 1990. The poor quality of the remaining
ore
accounted for the country's worsening position in world
markets.
Impurities present in Albania's highest-grade chrome were
largely
the by-product of poor mining and smelting techniques and
the use
of antiquated Chinese equipment. The country's chromium
industry
also suffered because of inadequate transportation
facilities. In
the late 1980s, construction was under way on a rail link
connecting the main chromium-ore production center at
Bulqizë, in
central Albania with the port of Durrës and the main line
to
Yugoslavia. In the late 1980s, Albania exported its chrome
products mainly to Sweden, the United States, the Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany), Yugoslavia, and other
East
European countries. In 1980 Albanian chrome sales to the
United
States accounted for about 75 percent of the approximately
US$20
million in trade between the two countries. Despite its
reported
profitability, the chromium industry suffered from a lack
of
worker incentive because miners frequently went unpaid. In
1991
one of Albania's top economists revealed that the country
had
never earned more than US$60 million a year from chrome
exports.
Albania also produced copper, iron, and nickel. The
main
copper deposits, estimated at about 5 million tons, were
located
near the northern towns of Pukë, Kukës, and Shkodër.
During the
1980s, although the quality of copper ores was generally
low,
copper was the most successful industry in Albania's
mineral-
extraction sector. Copper production rose from about
11,500
metric tons in 1980 to 17,000 metric tons in 1988. The
government
aimed to export copper in a processed form and built
smelters at
Rubik, Kukës, and Laç. The industry's product mix included
blister copper, copper wire, copper sulfate, and alloys.
Albania's principal iron ore deposits, estimated at 20
million
tons in the 1930s, were located near Pogradec, Kukës,
Shkodër,
and Peshkopi. The Elbasan Steel Combine was Albania's
largest
industrial complex. In operation since 1966, the
steelworks had
obsolete Chinese equipment. Annual nickel output ranged
from
7,200 to 9,000 tons in the 1980s.
Albanian bitumen and asphalt deposits were located near
the
town of Selenicë and in the Vjosë River valley. Bitumen
and
asphalt production rose significantly after World War II,
and
most of the output was used for paving and waterproofing
materials and in the manufacturing of insulators and
roofing
shingles. Miners had worked the Selenicë deposits
continuously
for centuries before a lack of soap, boots, and basic
equipment
forced operations to cease when the centrally planned
economy
stalled. Geologists estimated that the Selenicë deposits
would
not be exhausted until several decades into the
twenty-first
century at normal production rates. Albania also possessed
abundant deposits of salt, found near Kavajë and Vlorë.
Limestone, a principal raw material for Albania's
construction
industry, was quarried throughout the country.
Data as of April 1992
- Albania-Tourism
- Albania-Council of Ministers and People's Councils
- Albania -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Albania
- Albania-ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Albania-Women in the Work Force
- Albania-ECONOMY
- Albania-Imposition of the Stalinist System
- Albania-Education under Communist Rule
- Albania-Construction
- Albania-Currency and Monetary Policy
- Albania-THE ANCIENT ILLYRIANS
- Albania-Domestic Repression under Hoxha and Alia
- Albania-Structure and Marketing of Agricultural Output
- Albania-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Albania-Union of Albanian Women
- Albania-The Rise of Albanian Nationalism
- Albania-The Precommunist Albanian Economy
- Albania-Foreign Trade Balance and Balance of Payments
- Albania-Political Control
- Albania-TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- Albania-Drainage
- Albania-Food Processing
- Albania-Albania after World War II
- Albania-Albanians in Kosovo
- Albania-The Communist Takeover of Albania
- Albania-World War II
- Albania-Albanians under Ottoman Rule
- Albania-The Cultural and Ideological Revolution
- Albania-RETAIL TRADE, SERVICES, AND TOURISM
- Albania-Mechanization
- Albania-Human Rights
- Albania-Foreign Assistance
- Albania-Before 1944 RELIGION
- Albania-Air Transportation
- Albania-THE GOVERNMENT APPARATUS
- Albania-Government Revenues and Expenditures
- Albania-Albania and the Soviet Union
- Albania-REFORM POLITICS
- Albania-Consolidation of Power and Initial Reforms
- Albania-Trade Partners
- Albania-Medical Care and Nutrition HEALTH AND WELFARE
- Albania-Italian Penetration
- Albania-The Ottoman Conquest of Albania
- Albania-FOREIGN POLICY
- Albania-Water Transportation
- Albania-Postwar Development
- Albania-WORK FORCE AND STANDARD OF LIVING
- Albania-THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS AND THE MIDDLE AGES
- Albania-The Break with China and Self-Reliance
- Albania-Forests
- Albania-Ownership and Private Property
- Albania-World War I and Its Effects on Albania
- Albania-Conscript Training
- Albania-Trade Unions
- Albania-Albania's Reemergence after World War I
- Albania-Further Moves Toward Democracy
- Albania-WORLD WAR II AND THE RISE OF COMMUNISM, 1941-44
- Albania-Retail Trade and Services
- Albania-Albania and China
- Albania-Finance and Banking
- Albania-POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
- Albania-The Land
- Albania-Languages and Dialects
- Albania-INTERWAR ALBANIA, 1918-41
- Albania-MASS ORGANIZATIONS
- Albania-Dependence on the Soviet Union, 1948-60
- Albania-Manufacturing
- Albania-Land Distribution and Agricultural Organization
- Albania-Population THE ALBANIAN PEOPLE
- Albania-TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- Albania-INDUSTRY
- Albania-Enterprises and Firms
- Albania-Fisheries
- Albania-Government and Politics
- Albania-People's Army
- Albania-Topography
- Albania-Local Albanian Leaders in the Early Nineteenth Century
- Albania-Settlement Patterns
- Albania-DEFENSE ORGANIZATION
- Albania-Paramilitary Training
- Albania-Military Schools
- Albania-People's Assembly
- Albania-Energy and Natural Resources
- Albania-The Coalition Government of 1991
- Albania-Union of Albanian Working Youth
- Albania-ECONOMIC SYSTEM
- Albania-DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARMED FORCES
- Albania-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Albania-Black Market
- Albania-Social and Economic Conditions after World War I
- Albania-Italian Occupation
- Albania-Democratic Front
- Albania-Road Transportation
- Albania-Albanian-Yugoslav Tensions
- Albania-Light Industry
- Albania-Frontier Guards
- Albania-Fertilizers, Pesticides, and Seeds
- Albania-THE ALBANIAN LANDS UNDER OTTOMAN DOMINATION, 1385-1876
- Albania-Governmental Bodies and Control
- Albania-Traditional Social Patterns and Values SOCIAL SYSTEM
- Albania-Railroads
- Albania-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Albania-Population and Work Force
- Albania-Military Manpower
- Albania
- Albania-Greeks and Other Minorities
- Albania-Directorate of State Security
- Albania-United Trade Unions of Albania
- Albania-INTERNAL SECURITY
- Albania-SOCIETY
- Albania-Naval Forces
- Albania-Environmental Problems
- Albania
- Albania-Courts
- Albania-INTRODUCTION
- Albania
- Albania-Alia Takes Over
- Albania
- Albania-Shifting Alliances
- Albania-Climate
- Albania
- Albania-ALBANIA
- Albania-Dependence on Yugoslavia, 1945-48
- Albania-Social Insurance
- Albania-ECONOMIC POLICY AND PERFORMANCE
- Albania-Social Structure under Communist Rule
- Albania-PreCommunist Era EDUCATION
- Albania
- Albania-Foreign Trade Organization
- Albania-Military Budget and the Economy
- Albania-GEOGRAPHY
- Albania-Alia's Pragmatism
- Albania-Auxiliary Police
- Albania-Multiparty System
- Albania-AGRICULTURE
- Albania-Savings
- Albania
- Albania-Housing
- Albania-EVOLUTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY
- Albania
- Albania-Ground Forces
- Albania
- Albania-FOREWARD
- Albania-Telecommunications
- Albania-Livestock and Pasturelands
- Albania-ORIGINS OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
- Albania-MASS MEDIA
- Albania
- Albania-Standard of Living
- Albania-COMMUNIST ALBANIA
- Albania
- Albania-The Communist and Nationalist Resistance
- Albania-Dependence on China, 1961-78
- Albania-Chapter 2 - The Society and its Environment
- Albania
- Albania-Hoxha's Antireligious Campaign
- Albania
- Albania-Prices and Wages
- Albania-NATIONAL AWAKENING AND THE BIRTH OF ALBANIA, 1876-1918
- Albania-Penal Code
- Albania-Domestic Consumption
- Albania-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Albania-People's Police
- Albania
- Albania-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Albania-Zog's Kingdom
- Albania-FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS
- Albania-Security Forces
- Albania-Activities of Foreign Companies in Albania
- Albania-The Revival of Religion
- Albania
- Albania-PROSPECTS FOR REFORM
- Albania-ALBANIA'S COMMUNIST PARTY
- Albania-The Hoxha Regime
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.
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Location | | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north
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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
|
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.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 47% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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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.)
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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.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 77.96 years male: 75.28 years female: 80.89 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 2.01 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian
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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)
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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
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Languages(%) | | Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
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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
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Government type | | emerging democracy
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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
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Administrative divisions | | 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore
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Constitution | | approved by parliament on 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998
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Legal system | | has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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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
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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
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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]
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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
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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)
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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.
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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
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $12.96 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 6.1% (2008 est.) 6% (2007 est.) 5.5% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $6,000 (2008 est.) $5,700 (2007 est.) $5,400 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 20.5% industry: 19.8% services: 59.7% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 1.103 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2007 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 58% industry: 15% services: 27% (September 2006 est.)
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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
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 25% (2004 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 25.9% (2005)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 26.7 (2005)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 23.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $3.458 billion expenditures: $4.175 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 3.4% (2008 est.) 2.9% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $3.028 billion (31 December 2008) $2.707 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $6.251 billion (31 December 2008) $6.433 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $8.176 billion (31 December 2008) $7.247 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
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Economic aid - recipient | | ODA: $318.7 million note: top donors were Italy, EU, Germany (2005 est.)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 51.9% of GDP (2008 est.) 51.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products
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Industries | | food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 3% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | -$1.906 billion (2008 est.) -$1.202 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $1.345 billion (2008 est.) $1.076 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
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Exports - partners(%) | | Italy 55.9%, Greece 11.6%, China 7.2% (2008)
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Imports | | $4.898 billion (2008 est.) $3.999 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
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Imports - partners(%) | | Italy 32.2%, Greece 13.1%, Turkey 7.2%, Germany 6.6%, China 4.5%, Russia 4.4% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $2.364 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $2.162 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $1.55 billion (2004)
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Exchange rates | | leke (ALL) per US dollar - 79.546 (2008 est.), 92.668 (2007), 98.384 (2006), 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | lek (ALL) note: the plural of lek is leke
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 316,400 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 3.141 million (2008)
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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)
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Internet country code | | .al
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Internet users | | 471,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 5 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 18,000 km paved: 7,020 km unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)
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Ports and terminals | | Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
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Military branches | | Joint Force Command (includes Land, Naval, and Aviation Brigade Commands), Joint Support Command (includes Logistic Command), Training and Doctrine Command (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 19 years of age (2004)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 944,592 females age 16-49: 908,527 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 800,665 females age 16-49: 768,536 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 34,778 female: 31,673 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)
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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
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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)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 2.888 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 2.9% hydro: 97.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 3.603 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 2.475 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 5,985 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 34,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 748.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 24,080 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 199.1 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 30 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 849.5 million cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | NA
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 98.7% male: 99.2% female: 98.3% (2001 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 2.9% of GDP (2002)
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