ALBANIA

Official name: Republic of Albania
Capital : Tirana
Population 3,544,808 (July 2004 est.)
Language: Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
Time Zone: Gmt + 1 hr in winter and GMT+2 in summer

Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
National Holiday: Independence Day, 28 November
Currency: lek (ALL)
Summer Temp: 23º C (Cooler in mountain region)
Winter Temp: º10 C/-20º C (mountain region)
Ethnic groups. Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, and Macedonian or 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

Location: South-eastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro

Area:
total: 28,750 sq km
land: 27,400 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
Total land boundaries: 720 km
bordering countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro)
Coastline: 362 km
Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis can occur along south-western coast

Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organised crime networks with links to high government officials, and disruptive political opponents. International observers judged parliamentary elections in 2001 and local elections in 2003 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but identified serious deficiencies. Many of these deficiencies have been addressed through bi-partisan changes to the electoral code in 2003 and 2005, but implementation of these changes will not be demonstrated until parliamentary elections in July 2005.

The economy is poor and backward by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to spur economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by remittances from abroad of $400-$600 million annually, mostly from Greece and Italy; this helps offset the sizable trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for one-half of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment and consolidate small plots of land. Severe energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The government plans to boost energy imports to relieve the shortages and is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth.

The distinct ethnic character of the Albanian people and their isolation within a generally definable area underscored their demands for independence in the early twentieth century. In some places, however, the mingling of different ethnic groups complicated the determination of national borders. Kosovo, across the north-eastern Albanian border, was a Serbian-governed province, although ethnic Albanians made up over 90 percent of its population. Many Albanians still regarded Kosovo's status as an issue. Greeks and Albanians lived in the mountains on both sides of the south-eastern Albanian boundary. Neither Greece nor Albania was satisfied with the division of nations effected by their common border.
With the exception of the coastline, all Albanian borders are artificial. They were established in principle at the 1912-13 conference of ambassadors in London. The country was occupied by Italian, Serbian, Greek, and French forces during World War I, but the 1913 boundaries were essentially reaffirmed by the victorious states in 1921. The original principle was to define the borders in accordance with the best interests of the Albanian people and the nationalities in adjacent areas. The northern and eastern borders were intended, insofar as possible, to separate the Albanians from the Serbs and Montenegrins; the southeast border was to separate Albanians and Greeks; the valuable western Macedonia lake district was to be divided among the three states- -Albania, Greece, and Yugoslavia--whose populations shared the area. When there was no compromise involving other factors, borderlines were chosen to make the best possible separation of national groups, connecting the best marked physical features available.
Allowance was made for local economic situations, for example, to prevent separation of a village from its animals' grazing areas or the markets for its produce. Political pressures also were a factor in the negotiations, but the outcome was subject to approval by powers having relatively abstract interests, most of which involved the balance of power rather than specific economic ambitions.
Division of the lake district among three states required that each of them have a share of the lowlands in the vicinity. Such an artificial distribution, once made, necessarily affected the borderlines to the north and south. The border that runs generally north from the lakes, although it follows the ridges of the eastern highlands, stays sixteen to thirty-two kilometers west of the watershed divide. Because negotiators at the London conference declined to use the watershed divide as the northeast boundary of the new state of Albania, a large Albanian population in Kosovo was incorporated into Serbia.
In Albania's far north and the northeast mountainous sections, the border connects high points and follows mountain ridges through the largely inaccessible North Albanian Alps, known locally as Bjeshkët e Namuna. For the most part, there is no natural boundary from the highlands to the Adriatic, although Lake Scutari and a portion of the Bunë River south of it were used to mark Albania's northwest border. From the lake district south and southwest to the Ionian Sea, the country's southeast border goes against the grain of the land, crossing a number of ridges instead of following them.

Climate
With its coastline facing the Adriatic and Ionian seas, its highlands backed upon the elevated Balkan landmass, and the entire country lying at a latitude subject to a variety of weather patterns during the winter and summer seasons, Albania has a high number of climatic regions for so small an area. The coastal lowlands have typically Mediterranean weather; the highlands have a Mediterranean continental climate. In both the lowlands and the interior, the weather varies markedly from north to south.
The lowlands have mild winters, averaging about 7° C. Summer temperatures average 24° C, humidity is high, and the weather tends to be oppressively uncomfortable. In the southern lowlands, temperatures average about five degrees higher throughout the year. The difference is greater than five degrees during the summer and somewhat less during the winter.
Inland temperatures are affected more by differences in elevation than by latitude or any other factor. Low winter temperatures in the mountains are caused by the continental air mass that dominates the weather in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Northerly and north-easterly winds blow much of the time. Average summer temperatures are lower than in the coastal areas and much lower at higher elevations, but daily fluctuations are greater. Daytime maximum temperatures in the interior basins and river valleys are very high, but the nights are almost always cool.
Average rainfall is heavy, a result of the convergence of the prevailing airflow from the Mediterranean Sea and the continental air mass. Because they usually meet at the point where the terrain rises, the heaviest rain falls in the central uplands. Vertical currents initiated when the Mediterranean air is uplifted also cause frequent thunderstorms. These storms are usually accompanied by high local winds and torrential downpours.
Lowland rainfall averages from 1,000 millimetres to more than 1,500 millimetres annually, with the higher levels in the north. Nearly 95 percent of the rain falls in the winter.
Rainfall in the upland mountain ranges is heavier. Adequate records are not available, and estimates vary widely, but annual averages are probably about 1,800 millimetres and are as high as 2,550 millimetres in some northern areas. The seasonal variation is not quite as great in the coastal area.

Topography
70 percent of the country is mountainous and rugged and is often inaccessible. The remainder, an alluvial plain, receives precipitation seasonally, is poorly drained, and is alternately arid or flooded. Much of the plain's soil is of poor quality. Far from offering a relief from the difficult interior terrain, the alluvial plain is often as inhospitable as the mountains. Good soil and dependable precipitation, however, are found in river basins, in the lake district along the eastern frontier, and in a narrow band of slightly elevated land between the coastal plains and the interior mountains.
In the far north, the mountains are an extension of the Dinaric Alps and, more specifically, the Montenegrin limestone plateau. Albania's northern mountains are more folded and rugged, however, than most of the plateau. The rivers have deep valleys with steep sides and arable valley floors. Generally un-navigable, the rivers obstruct rather than encourage movement within the alpine region. There are few roads which are generally in poor condition. Lacking internal communications and external contacts, a tribal society flourished in this area for centuries. Only after World War II were serious efforts made to incorporate the people of the region into Albanian national life. A low coastal belt extends from the northern boundary southward to the vicinity of Vlorë. On average, it extends less than sixteen kilometres inland, but widens to about fifty kilometres in the Elbasan area in central Albania. In its natural state, the coastal belt is characterized by low scrub vegetation, varying from barren to dense. There are large areas of marshlands and other areas of bare, eroded badlands. Where elevations rise slightly and precipitation is regular--in the foothills of the central uplands, for example--the land is highly arable.
Just east of the lowlands, called Çermenikë by Albanians, are the central uplands, an area of generally moderate elevations, between 305 and 915 metres, with a few points reaching above 1,520 metres. Shifting along the fault line that roughly defines the western edge of the central uplands causes frequent, and occasionally severe, earthquakes.
Although rugged terrain and points of high elevation mark the central uplands, the first major mountain range inland from the Adriatic is an area of predominantly serpentine rock extending nearly the length of the country, from the North Albanian Alps to the Greek border south of Korçë.
The mountains east of the serpentine zone are the highest in Albania, exceeding 2,740 metres in the Mal Korab range. Together with the North Albanian Alps and the serpentine zone, the eastern highlands are the most rugged and inaccessible of any terrain on the Balkan Peninsula.
The three lakes of easternmost Albania, Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa, and Prespa e Vogël, are remote and picturesque. Much of the terrain in their vicinity is not overly steep, and it supports a larger population than any other inland portion of the country. Albania's eastern border passes through Lake Ohrid; all but a small tip of Prespa e Vogël is in Greece; and the point at which the boundaries of three states meet is in Lake Prespa. Each of the two larger lakes has a total surface areas of about 260 square kilometers, and Prespa e Vogël is about one-fifth as large. The surface elevation is about 695 metres for Lake Ohrid and 855 metres for the other two lakes.
The southern mountain ranges are more accessible than the serpentine zone, the eastern highlands, or the North Albanian Alps. The transition to the lowlands is less abrupt, and the arable valley floors are wider. Limestone, the predominant mineral, is responsible for the cliffs and clear water of the coastline southeast of Vlorë. Erosion of a blend of softer rocks has provided the sediment that has caused wider valleys to form in the southern mountain area. This terrain encouraged the development of larger landholding, influencing the social structure of southern Albania.

Food
Albanian cuisine consists of local dishes from around the country of Albania. Many of these dishes are typical of the Balkans and indeed the Mediterranean, but some are local specialties. The main meal of the Albanians is lunch and it is usually accompanied by a salad of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, olives, olive oil, vinegar and salt.
Lunch also includes a main dish of vegetables and meat. Seafood specialties are also common in the coastal areas of Durrës, Vlorë and Sarandë.
Mineral water is among the most preferred non-alcoholic drinks in Albania along with carbonated beverages. Some of these are produced locally and some are imported from abroad.
Alcoholic beverages are vastly consumed in Albania. Most of these are produced locally, and even by private citizens.

Getting There
Flights to Albania are limited and generally rather expensive. Albatros Airways is a cheap local carrier with flights to and from 10 or so destinations in Italy. Flying on a budget airline to Italy and then catching an Albatros flight or a ferry across the Adriatic is probably going to be the cheapest way to reach Albania from beyond the immediate region. Land crossings are possible from Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Greece, and there are regular bus services to and from these countries. There's also a quick, short ferry from Corfu in Greece to Saranda in Albania.

Culture
Albania's distinctive culture also borrows from the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Turks, Slavs, and Italians, who conquered the Balkans. Despite the foreign influences, Albanian culture retains it’s original charm.
Under Ottoman rule (16th century to 20th century), Turkish and Greek Orthodox stories and myths played an important part in Albanian folklore. Tales were passed down through the generations in the form of heroic songs, legends, and epics. This oral tradition helped the native language and national identity survive until written texts emerged.
Painting in Albania was strongly influenced by Byzantine art in the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century), although by the end of the early Renaissance (15th century to 17th century) Italian influence was strong.
The oldest architectural monuments in Albania date from the 1st millennium BC and were constructed by the Illyrians. From the middle of the 1st millennium BC through the middle of the 1st millennium AD, the Greeks and Romans who occupied Albania built structures still visible in urban and rural landscapes. In the Middle Ages, Christian religious architecture emerged in Albania's Christian north while Islamic and Turkish-style architecture emerged in the south. Until the mid-20th century, most Albanian cities were dominated by two-story stone residences with tiled roofs. In wooded regions, houses were made of boards rather than stone; in coastal regions, they were clay, adobe, or reed with coatings of clay. Today, mass-produced Soviet-style housing predominates in urban and suburban settings while traditional architecture predominates in rural and mountainous regions.
Like the literature native to Albania, Albanian folk music often contains themes of honor, loyalty, and courage. Styles range from the heroic songs of the mountains to the more musically complex lieder (a type of ballad), which is accompanied by instruments and common in the south. The most common traditional instrument is the lahute (lute), which is similar to the Slavic gusle. Also in the south, saze (small orchestras) composed of four or five instruments play music for folk dancing on special occasions. Traditional dance is still widely practiced, especially in more remote villages. Because of Islamic influences, especially in the south, women and men often do not dance together in public.
Theatre was neither popular nor widespread in Albania before World War I (1914-1918). In the mid-1990s theatre continued to lag behind Albanian literature in its development. Cinema is also undeveloped. During the Communist period, films, like plays, focused on heroics. Popular themes included the anti-Turk struggles of folk hero Scanderbeg, Albanian resistance to assimilation by foreigners, and the clash between tradition and change. Although there are fewer political restrictions on film today than in the Communist era, a lack of money and technical resources continues to hamper the growth of Albanian film.
Albania is home to many museums of archaeology; local, military, and natural history; ethnography (the study of cultures); and religious and secular (nonreligious) art. Notable museums in Tiranë include the National Museum of Archaeology (founded in 1948). Throughout the 20th century the holdings of Albania's libraries have grown dramatically. The country's largest library, the National Library (1922) in Tiranë, acquired many of its one million books through Communist confiscation of private libraries. The library system at the University of Tiranë (1957) also features a large collection.
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by about 6,400,000 inhabitants of the eastern Adriatic coast in Albania and also in neighbouring Yugoslavia, principally in Kosova and Macedonia, west of a line from near Leskovac to Lake Ohri. There are perhaps 300,000 more speakers in isolated villages in southern Italy (Abruzzi, Molise, Basilicata, Puglia, and Calabria), and Sicily, and southern Greece (in Voiot’a, Attica, ƒvvoia, çndros, and the Pelop—nnesos) The two principal dialects, Gheg in the north and Tosk in the south, are separated roughly by the Shkumbin River. Gheg and Tosk have been diverging for at least a millennium, and their less extreme forms are mutually intelligible.
Lezhe
One of the oldest towns in Albania, Lezha is attractive for the Cathedral of St.NICHOLAS, where solemnly on January 1468 Sscanderbeg, our national hero, was buried.
The Scanderbeg 's tomb is situated in the interior of the Cathedrale, with his sword and helmet, and 25 emblems hanging on the walls of the cathedral representing the battles waged by Scanderbeg.

Tirana
Founded in 1614 and proclaimed capital of Albania in 1920, today it is the most important political, economic, educational and cultural centre of the country.

Visit the National Historic Museum, the mosque of Haxhi Ethem Bey constructed from 1789 till 1821. Next to the mosque stands the Clock Tower, 35 m high, built in 1830.

On the main boulevard is the Opera House, the bronze equestrian statue of Gjergj Kastriot Scanderbeg, their national hero, unveiled in 1968, important Government Buildings, the International Culture Centre, the palace of Congresses, the Gallery of Arts and further on is the Archaeological Museum.

Visit the National Park, with its artificial lake, open theatre, and the botanical Garden.
One of the most interesting places to see round Tirana is Petrela village with its ancient fortress, known as a residential place of one of the Illyrian Kings.

BERATI
Located in the southern region, is one of the most ancient towns in Albania, found as an ancient Illyrian settlement in the 4th and 5th century B.C.

The city of One Thousand Windows, is famous for his fortress, the numerous churches, mostly built during the 13th century, and especially for the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, nowadays a Museum dedicated to Onufri, the greatest painter of 16th

GJIROKASTER
Situated in the southern part of Albania, The Stone Town, with its typical houses richly ornamented, gives you a complete impression of the tradition and culture of the district whose first traces are found in the 1st century. It is known for its Fortress, the biggest castle in Albania, built in the 4th century.
And the story of Albanian weapons through the ages is presented by the National Museum of Weapons, located at the main entrance of the fortress. The ancient church in Varosh quarter was built in 1776, the church in the old Bazaar built in 1784,and the Bazaar mosque built in 1757 with a circled stony roof and a tall minaret.

KRUJE
This historical town has been inhabited since the 3rd century B.C. and is located 32 km from Tirana.
This city is related with the name of Gjergj Kastriot Scanderbeg, their national hero.
Of great interest, the Scanderbeg Castle and its museum designed as an ancient fortress. Buy souvenirs and locally made handicrafts in the famous old Bazaar of Kruja.

SHKODER
The capital of the Illyrian Kingdom of the Ardians, is one of the oldest towns in Europe It was founded in the 3rd century B.C. and is known for the “Rozafa” castle, built by the Venetians in the 15th century.
In the museum of the castle is the famous statue of Rozafa feeding her baby.

DURRES
It is one of the biggest towns and sea ports in Albania and is famous for the fortress of the city, the remains of the ancient walls, the Amphitheatre, one of the most beautiful and largest monument in the Balkan Peninsula, built in the 2nd century A.D. ,the Archaeological Museum rich in excavated objects, and its sandy beach.

FIER
The most interesting archaeological centre in the country is situated 12 km from the city of Fier , Apollonia is known for its Museum rich of objects testifying to the ancient history of this city, for the Odeon theatre used to give musical shows and held oratorical discussions. Visit the church St. Mary with its Byzantine style, built in the 14th century and the excavated House with Mosaics of all types where the main decorative motives are mythological figures.

BUTRINT
Located 15 km south from Saranda , the ancient city of Butrint is one of the best attractions of Albanian Riviera. The two principal parts of the site are: the acropolis and the lower city. The acropolis is a long, saddle-backed and circled by a wall built of huge stone blocks. The lower city occupies the lower- lying contours of the hill reaching down to the edge of the Vivari channel. The amphitheatre dating from the 3rd century B.C., bears witness to the cultural riches of the city.
The theatre is situated at the foot of the Acropolis; close by two temples, one of which is dedicated to Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine.