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Albania Index
Like any country, Albania's national security was
largely
determined by its geography and neighbors. It shares a
282-
kilometer border with Greece to the south and southeast.
It has a
287-kilometer border with the Yugoslav republics of Serbia
and
Montenegro to the north and a 151-kilometer border with
the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the east.
Albania's
other closest neighbor and one-time invader, Italy, is
located
less than 100 kilometers across the Adriatic Sea to the
west.
Albania had longstanding and potentially dangerous
territorial
and ethnic disputes with Greece and Yugoslavia. It
traditionally
feared an accommodation between them in which they would
agree to
divide Albania. Greece had historical ties with a region
of
southern Albania that was called Northern Epirus by the
Greeks
and inhabited by ethnic Greeks, with estimates of their
number
ranging from less than 60,000 to 400,000. Moreover, there
was
serious potential for conflict with Yugoslavia, or
specifically
the Yugoslav Republic of Serbia, over Kosovo.
Nevertheless, for
many years, Albania perceived a seaborne attack by a
superpower
from the Adriatic Sea as a greater threat than a
large-scale
ground assault across the rugged terrain of eastern
Albania. Any
attack on Albania would have proved difficult because more
than
three-quarters of its territory is hilly or mountainous.
The
country's small size, however, provided little strategic
depth
for conventional defensive operations.
In the early years, Albania's national security policy
emphasized the internal security of the new communist
regime and
only secondarily external threats. Evaluated against this
priority, Albania's national security policy was largely
successful until 1990. Because its military forces,
however, were
incapable of deterring or repulsing external threats,
Albania
sought to obtain political or military guarantees from its
allies
or the international community.
Initially, Albania's national security policy focused
on
extending the authority of the Tosk-dominated communist
party
from Tiranë and southern Albania into Geg-inhabited
northern
regions where neither the party nor the NLA enjoyed strong
support from the population (see
Ethnicity, ch. 2). In
some
places, the party and NLA faced armed opposition. The
government
emphasized political indoctrination within the military in
an
attempt to make the armed forces a pillar of support for
the
communist system and a unifying force for the people of
Albania.
In general, however, there were few serious internal or
external
threats to communist control. In the early years of
communist
rule, the communist party relied on its close alliance
with
Yugoslavia for its external security. This alliance was an
unnatural one, however, given the history of mutual
suspicion and
tension between the two neighbors and Yugoslavia's effort
to
include Albania in an alliance of Balkan states under its
control. In 1948, Yugoslavia's expulsion from the
Soviet-led
communist world ended the alliance.
The Soviet Union assumed the role of Albania's
principal
benefactor from late 1948. Albania was a founder member of
the
Warsaw Pact in 1955, and its security was guaranteed
against
Yugoslav encroachment by its participation in the
Soviet-led
collective security system until 1961. However, the Soviet
Union
suspended its military cooperation and security guarantees
when
Albania supported China in the Sino-Soviet split
(see
Albania and China, Ch. 1).
Albania's military weakness and general ideological
compatibility with China led it to accept Chinese
sponsorship and
military assistance. It did not, however, formally
withdraw from
the Warsaw Pact until September 13, 1968, after the Soviet
Union-
led Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. After the
invasion,
Albania drew closer to China, seeking protection against a
possible attempt by the Soviet Union to retrieve Albania
into the
East European fold. China subsequently increased its
military
assistance to Albania. Despite Chinese guarantees of
support,
Albania apparently doubted the efficacy of a deterrent
provided
by a distant and relatively weak China against a proximate
Soviet
threat. Some knowledgeable Western observers believed
that, at
Chinese insistence, Albania had signed a mutual assistance
agreement with Yugoslavia and Romania to be implemented in
the
event of a Soviet attack on any one of them.
Following China's lead, Albania accused both the United
States and the Soviet Union of tacitly collaborating to
divide
the world into spheres of influence, becoming a vociferous
international opponent of the use of military force abroad
and
the establishment of foreign military bases, particularly
by the
United States or the Soviet Union. In particular, Albania
persistently called for a reduction of United States and
Soviet
naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea.
During the 1970s, Albania viewed improved relations
between
the United States and China as detrimental to its
interests. This
perception increased after the death of Mao Zedong in
1976. In
1978 China ceased its military and economic assistance to
Albania
as the Asian superpower adopted a less radical stance on
the
international scene and turned more attention to its
domestic
affairs. According to some analysts, however, China
continued to
supply Albania with spare parts for its Chinese-made
weapons and
equipment during the 1980s.
In the decade between Mao's death and Hoxha's death in
1985
Albania practiced self-reliance and international
isolation.
After succeeding Hoxha, President Ramiz Alia moved in a
new
direction, seeking improved relations with Yugoslavia,
Greece,
and Turkey and even participating in the Balkan Foreign
Ministers
Conference in 1988. He attempted to moderate the impact of
the
Kosovo issue on relations with Yugoslavia, and Greece
downplayed
its historical claims to the disputed territory of
Northern
Epirus during the 1980s, when the two countries improved
their
bilateral relations. Alia also encouraged Greece and
Turkey to
withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) and
Bulgaria and Romania to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact. In
addition, Alia improved relations with Italy and the
Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany), which may have
resulted in
some military sales to Albania, including missile and
military
communications systems.
In 1986 the first deputy minister of people's defense
and
chief of the general staff summarized Albania's approach
to
national security when he stated that Albania's security
depended
on a careful study of the international situation and
taking
corresponding action. Better ties with its neighbors
promised to
give Albania time to generate support in the international
arena
and bring international opprobrium to bear on any
potential
aggressor while its forces mounted a conventional defense
and,
then, guerrilla warfare against enemy occupation forces.
In early 1992, the outlook for Albanian national
security was
mixed. There were important positive developments but also
some
negative trends. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces
in
Europe--usually referred to as the Conventional Forces in
Europe,
or CFE, Treaty--was signed in 1990 and promised reductions
in the
ground and air forces of nearby NATO members Greece and
Italy and
former Warsaw Pact member Bulgaria. It therefore placed
predictable limits on the future size of the military
threat to
Albania from most of its neighbors. But the CFE Treaty did
not
affect nonaligned states such as Yugoslavia, and Albania
remained
militarily, economically, and technologically weak.
In June 1990, seeking to develop closer ties to the
rest of
Europe, Albania began to participate in the Conference on
Security and Cooperation in Europe
(CSCE--see
Glossary) as an
observer state. It received full membership one year
later. Until
joining, Albania had been the only state in Europe that
was not a
member of CSCE. Membership afforded Albania a degree of
protection against external aggression that it probably
had not
enjoyed previously. It also committed Albania to respect
existing
international boundaries in Europe and basic human rights
and
political freedoms at home.
In the early 1990s, Albania sought a broader range of
diplomatic relations, reestablishing official ties with
the
Soviet Union in 1990 and the United States in 1991. It
also
sought to join the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, a
NATO-
associated organization in which other former Warsaw Pact
countries were already participating.
On the negative side of Albania's national security
balance
sheet, the improved European security environment
undermined the
communist regime's ability to mobilize the population by
propagandizing external threats. In the early 1990s, the
military
press cited problems in convincing Albania's youth of the
importance of military service and training, given the
fact that
the Soviet Union was withdrawing its forces from Eastern
Europe,
the CFE Treaty promised major reductions in conventional
forces,
and most conceivable threats seemed to be receding. The
accounts
cited instances of "individual and group excesses,"
unexcused
absences, and the failure to perform assigned duties.
These
problems were ascribed to political liberalization and
democratization in the People's Army, which supposedly
weakened
military order and discipline, led to breaches of
regulations,
and interfered with military training and readiness.
Albania's most sensitive security problem centered on
ethnic
Albanians living outside the country's borders, including
the
nearly 2 million living in Kosovo, a province of
Yugoslavia's
Serbian Republic. The area recognized as Albania by the
Great
powers in 1913 was such that more ethnic Albanians were
left
outside the new state than included within it. Tension in
Kosovo
between ethnic Albanians, who made up 90 percent of its
approximately 2 million residents, and the dwindling
number of
Serbians living there was a constant source of potential
conflict
between Albania and Serbia.
Yugoslavia's Serbian Republic ruled Kosovo harshly
until the
1970s when it became an autonomous province, theoretically
with
almost the same rights as the Serbian Republic itself. In
1981,
however, one-quarter of the Yugoslav People's Army (YPA)
was
deployed in Kosovo in response to unrest, which began with
riots
in Pristina. Yugoslavia asserted more direct control over
Kosovo
in the late 1980s in response to alleged Albanian
separatism,
which aimed to push Serbians out of an area they
considered to be
their ancestral home. In 1989, relying on scarcely veiled
threats
and actual demonstrations of force, Serbia forced Kosovo
to
accept legislation that substantially reduced its autonomy
and
then suspended Kosovo's parliament and government in 1990.
Sporadic skirmishes erupted between armed Albanian and
Serbian
civilians, who were backed by the Serb-dominated YPA.
Meanwhile,
the Serbs accused Albania of interference in Kosovo and of
inciting its Albanian population against Yugoslavian rule.
For their part, Kosovars claimed that they were the
victims
of Serbian nationalism, repression, and discrimination. In
1991
they voted in a referendum to become an independent
republic of
Yugoslavia, and Albania immediately recognized Kosovo as
such.
Although President Alia criticized Yugoslav policy in
Kosovo, he
carefully avoided making claims on its territory.
Nevertheless,
Serbs believed the vote for republic status was a
precursor to
demands for complete independence from Yugoslavia and
eventual
unification with Albania. As Yugoslavia collapsed into a
civil
war that pitted intensely nationalist Serbia against other
ethnic
groups of the formerly multinational state, Albania
remained
circumspect in its pronouncements on and relations with
Kosovo in
order to avoid a conflict. However, a series of border
incidents,
involving Serbian forces killing ten Albanians along the
Albanian-Yugoslav border, occurred in late 1991 and early
1992.
Albanians and Europeans were seriously concerned that
Serbian
forces would direct military operations against ethnic
Albanians
in Kosovo and spark an international conflict with
Albania.
Albania's armed forces were poorly prepared to fight the
larger,
better equipped, and combat-experienced Serbian
forces.
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
|
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.)
|
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.)
|
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
|
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
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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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