Albania
Authors:Central Intelligence Agency, World Wildlife Fund, US State Department
Topic Editor:Peter Saundry
Topics:
Geography (main), Countries and Regions of the World Collection
Its major environmental issues include:
- deforestation;
- soil erosion;
- water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents.
It is susceptible to destructive Earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; and, drought.
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943.
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. Most of Albania's post-communist elections were marred by claims of electoral fraud; however, international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997.
Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and in June 2014 became a candidate for EU accession. Albania in November 2016 received a European Commission recommendation to open EU accession negotiations conditioned upon implementation of a judicial reform package passed the same year. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
Albabia has a strategic location along Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
Contents
Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north
Geographic Coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E
Area: 28,748 sq km (27,398 sq km land and 1,350 sq km water)
Land Boundaries: 717 km (Greece 282 km, Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Kosovo 112 km)
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime Claims:
- territorial sea to 12 nautical miles;
- continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Natural Hazards:
- destructive Earthquakes;
- tsunamis occur along southwestern coast;
- floods; and,
- drought.
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast. The highest point is Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m and lowest point is the Adriatic Sea 0 m.
Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land
Land Use:
- agricultural land: 43.8%
- arable land 22.7%; permanent crops 2.7%; permanent pasture 18.4%
- forest: 28.3%
- other: 27.9% (2011 est.)
Ecology and Biodiversity
- Illyrian deciduous forests encompass coastal areas on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. This ecoregion is actually comprised of three distinct forest types, two of which are broadleaf and one of which is a mixed conifer/broadleaf Plant community. The region has a relatively high floral endemism rate with many relict and narrow range species. Faunal diversity is high, and a number of IBAs (Important Bird Areas) and threatened SPECs (Species of European Concern) are found within the region. Illegal logging, illegal hunting, and uncontrolled plantharvesting have destroyed extensive forest areas that have been relatively intact until recently.
- Pindus Mountains mixed forests extend geographically in a north-south direction from the mountain ranges of the Peloponese to the central Greek Parnasos, Smolikas, and Olympus, to northern Albania and western Republic of Macedonia.
- Balkan mixed forests occur just in eastern of Albania
- Dinaric Mountains mixed forests encompass the northwest-southeast Balkan mountain ranges, from the eastern Alps to the northern Albania massifs. These forests are among the largest and most continuous tracts of forested habitat remaining for large carnivores in Europe. The flora has a relatively high endemism rate with many relict and restricted range species
See also:
- Status and distribution of reptiles and amphibians of the Mediterranean Basin
- Value of Mediterranean forests
People and Society
Population: 3,038,594 (July 2016 est.)
Ethnic groups: Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)
Languages: Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Roma, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)
Religions: Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% Note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice (2011 est.)
- 0-14 years: 18.37% (male 295,022/female 263,141)
- 15-24 years: 18.09% (male 284,201/female 265,530)
- 25-54 years: 40.73% (male 589,707/female 648,021)
- 55-64 years: 11.23% (male 168,500/female 172,587)
- 65 years and over: 11.58% (male 165,076/female 186,809) (2016 est.)
Median Age:
- total: 32.5 years
- male: 31.2 years
- female: 33.8 years (2016 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.31% (2016 est.) Birthrate: 13.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Death Rate: 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
Population Distribution: a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country.
- urban population: 57.4% of total population (2015)
- rate of urbanization: 2.21% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
- TIRANA (capital) 454,000 (2015)
Mother's mean age at first birth: 25 (2010 est.)
Maternal mortality rate: 29 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth:
- total population: 78.3 years
- male: 75.7 years
- female: 81.2 years (2016 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 1.51 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence: 69.3% (2008/09)
Health:
- Expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (2014)
- Physician density: 1.15 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
- Hospital bed density: 2.6 beds/1,000 population (2012)
- Adult obesity rate: 18.1% (2014)
Access to improved water sources:
- urban: 84.3% of population
- rural: 81.8% of population
- total: 83.6% of population
Access to improved sanitation facilities:
- urban: 95.5% of population
- rural: 90.2% of population
- total: 93.2% of population
Education:
- Literacy (age 15 and over and over can read and write): 97.6%
- Expenditures: 3.54% of GDP (2013)
- School life expectancy (primary to tertiary): 16 years (2014)
History
(through 2011)
Scholars believe the Albanian people are descended from a non-Slavic, non-Turkic group of tribes known as Illyrians, who arrived in the Balkans around 2000 BC. After falling under Roman authority in 165 BC, Albania was controlled nearly continuously by a succession of foreign powers until the mid-20th century, with only brief periods of self-rule.
The Ottoman Empire ruled Albania from 1385-1912. During this time, much of the population converted to the Islamic faith, and Albanians also emigrated to Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Turkey. Although its control was briefly disrupted during the 1443-78 revolt, led by Albania's national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu, the Ottomans eventually reasserted their dominance.
The League of Prizren (1878) promoted the idea of an Albanian nation-state and established the modern Albanian alphabet, updating a language that survived the hundreds of years of Ottoman rule despite being outlawed. By the early 20th century, the weakened Ottoman Empire was no longer able to suppress Albanian nationalism. Following the conclusion of the First Balkan War, Albanians issued the Vlore Proclamation of November 28, 1912, declaring independence and the Great Powers established Albania's borders in 1913. Albania's territorial integrity was confirmed at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, after U.S. President Woodrow Wilson dismissed a plan by the European powers to divide Albania among its neighbors.
During the Second World War, Albania was occupied first by Italy (1939-43) and then by Germany (1943-44). After the war, Communist Party leader Enver Hoxha, through a combination of ruthlessness and strategic alliances, managed to preserve Albania's territorial integrity during the next 40 years, but exacted a terrible price from the population, which was subjected to purges, shortages, repression of civil and political rights, a total ban on religious observance, and increased isolation. Albania adhered to a strict Stalinist philosophy, eventually withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact in 1968 and alienating its final remaining ally, China, in 1978.
Following Hoxha's death in 1985 and the subsequent fall of communism in 1991, Albanian society struggled to overcome its historical isolation and underdevelopment. During the initial transition period, the Albanian Government sought closer ties with the West in order to improve economic conditions and introduced basic democratic reforms, including a multi-party system.
In 1992, after the sweeping electoral victory of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha became the first democratically elected President of Albania. Berisha began a more deliberate program of economic and democratic reform but progress on these issues stalled in the mid-1990s, due to political gridlock. At the same time, unscrupulous investment companies defrauded investors all over Albania using pyramid schemes. In early 1997, several of these pyramid schemes collapsed, leaving thousands of people bankrupt, disillusioned, and angry. Armed revolts broke out across the country, leading to the near-total collapse of government authority. During this time, Albania's already inadequate and antiquated infrastructure suffered tremendous damage, as people looted public works for building materials. Weapons depots all over the country were raided. The anarchy of early 1997 alarmed the world and prompted intensive international mediation.
A UN Multinational Protection Force restored order, and an interim national reconciliation government oversaw the general elections of June 1997, which returned the Socialists and their allies to power at the national level. President Berisha resigned, and the Socialists elected Rexhep Meidani as President of the Republic.
During the transitional period of 1997-2002, a series of short-lived Socialist-led governments succeeded one another as Albania's fragile democratic structures were strengthened. Additional political parties formed, media outlets expanded, non-governmental organizations and business associations developed. In 1998, Albanians ratified a new constitution via popular referendum, guaranteeing the rule of law and the protection of fundamental human rights and religious freedom. Fatos Nano, Chairman of the Socialist Party, emerged as Prime Minister in July 2002.
On July 24, 2002, Alfred Moisiu was sworn in as President of the Republic. A nonpartisan figure, he was elected as a consensus candidate of the ruling and opposition parties. The peaceful transfer of power from President Meidani to President Moisiu was the result of an agreement between the parties to engage each other within established parliamentary structures. This "truce" ushered in a new period of political stability in Albania, making possible significant progress in democratic and economic reforms, rule of law initiatives, and the development of Albania's relations with its neighbors and the United States.
The "truce" between party leaders began to fray in summer 2003 and progress on economic and political reforms suffered noticeably due to political infighting. The municipal elections of 2003 and national elections of 2005 were an improvement over past years, adding to the consolidation of democracy despite the continued presence of administrative errors and inaccuracies in voter lists.
In 2005, the Democratic Party and its allies returned to power, pledging to fight crime and corruption, decrease the size and scope of government, and promote economic growth. Their leader, Sali Berisha, was sworn in as Prime Minister on September 11, 2005. On July 20, 2007, President Bamir Topi was elected by Parliament for a 5-year mandate, succeeding Moisiu.
On June 28, 2009, Albania held parliamentary elections. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) described these elections as progress over past elections and found that the elections met most OSCE standards. However, ODIHR noted that they did not fully meet OSCE standards and observers noted problems, including misuse of national and municipal government resources by both sides for campaign purposes, shortcomings in electoral preparations for vote counting, and evidence of proxy voting, media bias, and pressure on public sector employees to participate in campaign events. The elections resulted in no single party gaining a majority of the 140 seats in Parliament, and the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) and the Democratic Party (DP) combined to form a coalition government, the first such in Albania's history.
The opposition Socialist Party (SP) boycotted Parliament from September 2009 to February 2010, alleging electoral fraud. A series of international efforts aimed at resolving the stalemate have been unsuccessful. The Socialist Party continued a partial boycott of Parliament, voting on only a handful of laws in which the party had a specific interest, such as a December 2010 proposal to set up an investigative committee on the 2009 elections. (The measure was defeated.) This political deadlock has seriously hampered Albania's European Union (EU) aspirations. In November 2010, Albania was granted entry into the visa liberalization regime for the Schengen zone. However, at the same time the European Commission issued a negative opinion on Albania's application for EU candidate-country status and laid out a list of conditions still to be fulfilled.
Domestic political tensions came to head in January 2011, leading to concerns within the international community of broader government instability. In mid-January, the revelation of a video purportedly showing LSI Chairman Ilir Meta orchestrating corrupt deals with then-Minister of Economy and Finance Dritan Prifti further fueled SP complaints about government corruption and calls for anti-government protest. The SP vowed protest action to “bring down” the government and employed rhetoric suggesting a willingness to use violence, drawing parallels with pro-democracy movements gripping northern Africa and the Middle East at that time. An SP-organized rally of party supporters on January 21 quickly turned violent, with protesters attacking police and setting fire to cars in the vicinity, and eventually storming the Presidential Palace compound. Police responded with water cannon and Republican Guard forces opened fire, killing two protestors at the time and fatally wounding two more. The Prosecutor General immediately opened an investigation into the incident and issued a subpoena for Republican Guard officers. The U.S. Government, its European partners, and the OSCE urgently called for a return to calm and for the Prosecutor General to conduct a thorough and evenhanded investigation into the events. As of August 2011 the investigation had made little headway.
The May 2011 local elections drew intense international focus, as SP reluctance to fulfill pre-election preparations gave rise to fears it would boycott the election in favor of unspecified protest action. The elections took place as scheduled; the campaign was spirited and vigorously contested, with voter participation high for local elections. In a majority of the districts, voting and counting occurred technically well. However, the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) decision in the Tirana mayoral race to count contested ballots reversed preliminary results showing three-time mayor and Socialist Party leader Edi Rama ahead by 10 votes in favor of ruling Democrat Party candidate Luzim Basha. The process undermined public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the CEC as an institution.
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.
Government
Government Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Tirana (capital) - population 433,000 (2009)
Administrative Structure: 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark);
- Berat
- Diber
- Durre
- Elbasan
- Fier
- Gjirokaster
- Korce
- Kukes
- Lezhe
- Shkoder
- Tirane
- Vlore
Constitution: The latest approved by the Assembly 21 October 1998, adopted by referendum 22 November 1998, promulgated 28 November 1998; amended several times, last in 2012
amendments: proposed by at least one-fifth of Assembly members; approval required by at least two-thirds vote of members; referendum required only if approved by two-thirds of Assembly; amendments approved by referendum effective upon declaration by the president of the republic; amended several times, last in 2012 (2016)
Independence Date: 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)
Legal System: civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" prevails. Albania has not submitted an International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction declaration; accepts International Criminal Court (ICCt) jurisdiction.
Foreign Relations
Albania is currently pursuing a path of greater Euro-Atlantic integration. Its primary long-term goals are to gain EU membership and to promote closer bilateral ties with its neighbors and with the United States. Albania is a member of a number of international organizations, as well as multiple regional organizations and initiatives, including NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the UN, the Stability Pact, the Adriatic Charter, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). In June 2006, Albania and the EU signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the first step to EU membership, which focuses on implementing essential rule of law reforms and curbing corruption and organized crime. Albania filed its application for EU candidacy on April 28, 2009 but has not yet been granted candidate status. In November 2010, the European Commission issued a negative opinion of Albania’s EU accession efforts, listing conditions still to be met by Albania--first of which is a demonstration of political will to enact needed reform.Albania maintains good relations with its neighbors. It re-established diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia following the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, and maintains excellent relations with Montenegro, which gained its independence after the dissolution of the Serbia and Montenegro union in 2006. Albanian, Macedonian, and Italian law enforcement agencies are cooperating with increasing efficiency to crack down on the trafficking of arms, drugs, contraband, and human beings across their borders. Albania has also arrested and prosecuted several ethnic Albanian extremists on charges of inciting interethnic hatred in Macedonia and Kosovo. Tensions occasionally arise with Greece over the treatment of the Greek minority in Albania or the Albanian community in Greece, but overall relations are good.
International Environmental Agreements
Albania is party to international agreements on Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, and Wetlands.
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 41.7 cu km (2001)
Freshwater Withdrawal: 1.71 cu km/yr (27% domestic, 11% industrial, 62% agricultural)
Per capita: 546 cu m/yr (2000)
Access to improved water sources:
- urban: 84.3% of population
- rural: 81.8% of population
- total: 83.6% of population
Access to improved sanitation facilities:
- urban: 95.5% of population
- rural: 90.2% of population
- total: 93.2% of population
Agriculture
Agricultural products: wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products; sheep
Land Use:
- agricultural land: 43.8%
- arable land 22.7%; permanent crops 2.7%; permanent pasture 18.4%
- forest: 28.3%
- other: 27.9% (2011 est.)
Irrigated Land: 3,310 sq km (2012)
Resources
Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
Economy
Albania, a formerly closed, centrally-planned state, is a developing country with a modern open-market economy. Albania managed to weather the first waves of the global financial crisis but, more recently, the negative effects of the crisis have caused a significant economic slowdown. Close trade, remittance, and banking sector ties with Greece and Italy make Albania vulnerable to spillover effects of debt crises and weak growth in the euro zone.
Remittances, a significant catalyst for economic growth, declined from 12-15% of GDP before the 2008 financial crisis to 5.7% of GDP in 2014, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy. The agricultural sector, which accounts for almost half of employment but only about one-fifth of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming, because of a lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Complex tax codes and licensing requirements, a weak judicial system, endemic corruption, poor enforcement of contracts and property issues, and antiquated infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment making attracting foreign investment difficult.
Albania’s electricity supply is uneven despite upgraded transmission capacities with neighboring countries. Technical and non-technical losses in electricity - including theft and non-payment - continue to undermine the financial viability of the entire system, although the government has taken steps to stem non-technical losses and has begun to upgrade the distribution grid. Also, with help from international donors, the government is taking steps to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long standing barrier to sustained economic growth.
Inward FDI has increased significantly in recent years as the government has embarked on an ambitious program to improve the business climate through fiscal and legislative reforms. The government is focused on the simplification of licensing requirements and tax codes, and it entered into a new arrangement with the IMF for additional financial and technical support. Albania’s IMF program may be at risk, however, because the government has not collected sufficient tax revenue needed to reduce the budget deficit. The country continues to face increasing public debt, exceeding its former statutory limit of 60% of GDP in 2013 and reaching 73% in 2015.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
- $32.65 billion (2015 est.)
- $31.81 billion (2014 est.)
- $31.18 billion (2013 est.)
- note: data are in 2015 US dollars
- unreported output may be as large as 50% of official GDP
GDP (official exchange rate): $11.54 billion (2015 est.)
GDP (real growth rate):
- 2.6% (2015 est.)
- 2% (2014 est.)
- 1.1% (2013 est.)
GDP (per capita):
- $11,900 (2015 est.)
- $11,400 (2014 est.)
- $11,000 (2013 est.)
- data are in 2015 US dollars
Gross National Savings:
- 18.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
- 14% of GDP (2014 est.)
- 17.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
GDP Composition by end use:(2015 est.)
- household consumption: 85.8%
- government consumption: 10.6%
- investment in fixed capital: 27.7%
- investment in inventories: 1.7%
- exports of goods and services: 36.7%
- imports of goods and services: -62.5%
GDP Composition by sector of origin: (2015 est.)
- agriculture: 21.9%
- industry: 14.9%
- services: 63.3%
Industries: food and tobacco products; textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Industrial growth rate: 2.3% (2015 est.)
Labor Force: 1.122 million (2015 est.)
Labor force by occupation: (December 2014 est)
- agriculture: 41.8%
- industry: 11.4%
- services: 46.8%
Population below the poverty line: 14.3% (2012 est.)
Public debt:
- 71.4% of GDP (2015 est.)
- 69.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
- 1.9% (2015 est.)
- 1.6% (2014 est.)
Export commodities: textiles, footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Export partners: Italy 43.4%, Kosovo 9.8%, US 7.7%, China 6.2%, Greece 5.3%, Spain 4.8% (2015)
Imports commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Imports partners: Italy 33.5%, China 10.1%, Greece 9%, Turkey 6.7%, Germany 5.2% (2015)
Currency: Leke (ALL)
Energy
Electricity:
- Access: 100% (2016)
- Production: 4.7 billion kWh (2014 est.)
- Consumption: 7.793 billion kWh (2014 est.)
- Exports: 288.5 million kWh (2014 est.)
- Imports: 3.355 billion kWh (2014 est.)
- Installed capacity: 1.9 million kW (2014 est.)
Electricity sources:
- Fossil fuels: 5.2% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
- Nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
- Hydroelectricity: 94.8% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
- Other renewables: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Crude Oil:
- Production: 20,160 bbl/day (2015 est.)
- Exports: 23,320 bbl/day (2014 est.)
- Imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
- Proved reserves: 200 million bbl (1 January 2016 est)
Natural gas:
- Production: 32 million cu m (2014 est.)
- Consumption: 32 million cu m (2014 est.)
- Exports: 0 cu m (2013 est.)
- Imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
- Proved reserves: 821.2 million cu m (1 January 2016 est)
Illicit Drugs
Albania is an increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe;
There is limited opium and expanding cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations are active and expanding in Europe;
Albania is vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens
