ALBANIA is a country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Greece to the south-east, Montenegro to the north, the disputed territory of Kosovo to the northeast, and the Republic of Macedonia to the east.

Albania has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km (45 miles) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.

The Island Hoppers crew will sail the coast of Albania from north to south on a race to the Greek island of Corfu.

BASIC FACTS

Official name

Republic of Albania

Capital

Tirana

Area 

28,748 sq km
11,100 sq mi

People

Population 3,619,778 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate 0.54 per cent (2008 estimate)
Population density 132 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
342 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanisation

Per cent urban 45 per cent (2005 estimate)
Per cent rural 55 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total 77.8 years (2008 estimate)
Female 80.7 years (2008 estimate)
Male 75.1 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

19 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total 84.7 per cent (2000 estimate)
Female 77 per cent (2000 estimate)
Male 92.1 per cent (2000 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Albanian 95 per cent
Greek 3 per cent
Other (Vlach, Romany [gypsy], Serb, and Bulgarian) 2 per cent

Languages

Tosk Albanian (official)
Gheg Albanian, Greek, Vlax Romani
Macedo Romanian, Macedonian, Serbian

Religions

Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic

Type of Government

Multi-party republic

Independence 

November 28, 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)

Constitution 

Came into force on November 28, 1998

Voting rights 

Universal and compulsory at age 18

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)9,098 million (2006)
GDP per capita (US$) 2,868 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 22.8 per cent (2005)
GDP, industry 21.5 per cent (2005)
GDP, services 55.7 per cent (2005)
National budget (US$)
Total revenue 1,636 million (2004)
Total expenditure 1,762 million (2004)

Monetary unit

1 lek (L), consisting of 100 quindarka

Exports

Asphalt, chrome and chrome products, copper, nickel, furs, bitumen, electricity, crude oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco


Imports

Machinery, consumer goods, grains, motor vehicles, industrial equipment, fertilizers

Major trading partners for exports

Italy, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary

Major trading partners for imports

Italy, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece

Industries

Food processing, textiles and clothing, timber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, metals, machinery and equipment, soap, furniture, bricks, footwear, cigarettes, electronic equipment

Agriculture

Wheat, corn, sugar beet, sunflower seeds, tobacco, fruit, potatoes

Natural resources

Petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, lignite, asphalt, gold, silver, bauxite, zinc

ANCIENT ALBANIA

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Durres is the second largest city of Albania. It is the most ancient and one of the most economically important cities of Albania. It is located on the central Albanian coast at, about 33 km (20 miles) west of the capital Tirana.

Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari (300 km away) and Brindisi (200 km away). It has a population of around 114,000 (2003 estimate). The city of Durrës is home to Albania's newest public university, the Aleksander Moisiu University.

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Vlore or Vlora (Ancient Greek: Αυλών, Aulón, meaning "Valley", or possibly from a Greek reinterpretation of an earlier archaic form), is the second largest port city of Albania, after Durres, with a population of about 124,000 (2006 estimate).

Vlore occupies an eminence near the Bay of Vlore, an inlet of the facing the Adriatic Sea, almost surrounded by mountains. The port of Vlore is the closest in proximity to the port of Bari, Italy and is just 70 nautical miles from Salento's coasts.

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Butrint (Albanian: Butrint or Butrinti) is an Ancient Greek city and an archeological site in Sarandë, Albania, close to the Greek border. It was known in antiquity as Bouthroton or Bouthrotios in Ancient Greek and Buthrotum in Latin. It is located on a hill overlooking the Vivari Channel.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of an Epirus city, a Roman colony and a bishopric.

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