By the mid-1980s, Alia recognized that in order to
ameliorate
Albania's serious economic problems, trade with the West
had to
be significantly expanded. The Federal Republic of Germany
(West
Germany) was on the top of the list of potential economic
partners. In 1987 Albania established diplomatic relations
with
West Germany, after first dropping claims for war
reparations.
Albania hoped to obtain advanced technology from West
Germany,
along with assistance in improving its agricultural sector
and
modernizing its transportation system. In November 1987,
Albania
signed an agreement with West Germany, which enabled it to
purchase West German goods at below market prices; and in
March
1989, West Germany granted Albania 20 million deutsche
marks in
nonrepayable funds for development projects.
Albania initiated discussions with many private Western
firms
concerning the acquisition of advanced technology and
purchase of
modern industrial plants. It also asked for technical
assistance
in locating and exploiting oil deposits off its coast. But
the
problems for Albania in pursuing these economic aims were
considerable. The main problem was Albania's critical
shortage of
foreign currency, a factor that caused Albania to resort
to
barter to pay for imported goods. Tied to this problem was
the
economy's centralized planning mechanism, which inhibited
the
production of export commodities because enterprises had
no
incentive to increase the country's foreign-exchange
earnings. An
even greater problem until the 1990s was the provision in
the
1976 Albanian constitution prohibiting the government from
accepting foreign aid.
In addition to paying more attention to Albania's close
neighbors and Western Europe, Alia advocated a
reassessment of
relations with other East European countries. A more
flexible
attitude was adopted, and relations with the German
Democratic
Republic (East Germany), Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria
significantly improved in the late 1980s. In June 1989,
the East
German foreign minister Oskar Fischer visited Albania; he
was the
first senior official from the Soviet bloc to visit the
country
since the early 1960s. Alia personally received Fischer,
and a
number of key agreements were signed that led to expanded
cooperation in industry and the training of specialists.
By 1990
long-term trade agreements had been signed with most East
European states. The Comecon countries were willing to
accept
Albania's shoddy manufactured goods and its low-quality
produce
for political reasons. After 1990, however, when these
countries
were converting to market economies, they no longer had
the same
willingness, which made it considerably more difficult for
Albania to obtain much-needed foreign currency. The
Albanian
media, nonetheless, greeted the revolutions in Eastern
Europe
with favor, covering events with an unusual amount of
objectivity. The government in Tiranë was among the first
to
attack Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and to
recognize the
new government in Romania. As far as the Soviet Union was
concerned, however, Albania continued to be highly
critical of
its former ally and denounced Gorbachev's policy of
perestroika.
Apparently Albania was also concerned about what it saw as
Soviet
support for Yugoslavia's handling of the Kosovo issue.
Nevertheless, the Soviet Union continued to call for
improved
relations with Albania.
Albania's attitude toward the United States
traditionally had
been very hostile. Relations with Washington were broken
in 1946,
when Albania's communist regime refused to adhere to
prewar
treaties and obligations. Alia showed a different
inclination,
however, after a visit to Tiranë in 1989 by some prominent
Albanian Americans, who impressed him with their desire to
promote the Albanian cause. In mid-February 1990, the
Albanian
government reversed its long-standing policy of having no
relations with the superpowers. A leading Albanian
government
official announced: "We will have relations with any state
that
responds to our friendship with friendship." No formal
contacts
between the United States and Albania existed until 1990,
when
diplomats began a series of meetings that led to a
resumption of
relations. On March 15, 1991, a memorandum of
understanding was
signed in Washington reestablishing diplomatic relations
between
the two countries. United States secretary of state James
Baker
visited Albania in June 1991, following the CSCE meeting
in
Berlin at which Albania was granted CSCE membership.
During his
visit, Baker informed the Albanian government that the
United
States was prepared to provide Albania with approximately
US$6
million worth of assistance. He announced that the United
States
welcomed the democratic changes that were taking place in
Albania
and promised that if Albania took concrete steps toward
political
and free-market reforms, the United States would be
prepared to
offer further assistance.
Alia's pragmatism was also reflected in Albania's
policy
toward China and the Soviet Union. The Albanian Deputy
Minister
of Foreign Affairs made an official visit to China in
March 1989,
and the visit was reciprocated in August 1990. On July 30,
1990,
Albania and the Soviet Union signed a protocol normalizing
relations, which had been suspended for the previous
twenty-nine
years. The Soviet-Albanian Friendship Society was
reactivated,
and Alia met with the Soviet foreign minister, Eduard
Shevardnadze, when they were both in New York to visit the
United
Nations in September 1990. No longer were the United
States and
the Soviet Union considered to be Albania's most dangerous
enemies.
Alia's trip to the United Nations was the first time
that an
Albanian head of state had attended an official meeting in
the
West. The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate to the
world
that Albania had a pragmatic and new foreign policy. While
at the
United Nations, Alia delivered a major foreign policy
address to
the General Assembly in which he described the changes
that had
taken place in Albania's foreign policy and emphasized
that his
country wanted to play a more active role in world events.
In his
address, Alia discussed the ongoing efforts of the
Albanian
leadership to adjust the external and internal politics of
Albania to the realities of the postcommunist world.
The internal politics of Albania, driven by a collapsed
economy, social instability, and democratic ferment,
portend
continued changes in the institutions of government in the
early
to mid-1990s and in the relationship between the country's
leaders and its citizens.
Materials on Albania are not as readily available as
those on
other countries in Eastern Europe. Nonetheless, a few
useful
monographs on Albanian politics and government have
appeared. The
Albanians: Europe's Forgotten Survivors, by Anton
Logoreci, and
Socialist Albania since 1944, by Peter R. Prifti, both of
which
were published during the 1970s provide useful accounts of
political developments in Albania since World War II.
Albania: A
Socialist Maverick, by Elez Biberaj, offers a more
up-to-date
picture of the political scene in Albania, pointing out
the
positive and negative aspects of the changes taking place
there.
Among the more useful articles on Albanian politics is
Biberaj's
"Albania at the Crossroads," which analyzes political
events in
1991 and offers a perspective on what might be expected
for
Albania's future. Also of value are the regular articles
on
Albanian politics by Louis Zanga, appearing in the Munich
weekly
Report on Eastern Europe, published by Radio Free
Europe/Radio
Liberty. (For further information and complete citations,
see
Bibliography.)
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
|
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
|
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)
|