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Republic of AlbaniaRepublika e Shqipërisë
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Ti Shqipëri më jep nder, më jep emrin shqipëtar (You Albania give me honor, you give me the name Albanian.)
Anthem: Rreth flamurit të përbashkuar ("United Around the Flag")
Location of Albania (orange) in Europe (white)  –  [Legend]
Capital	Tirana
Largest city	Tirana
Official languages	Albanian
Demonym(s)	Albanian
Government	Parliamentary republic
• President	Bamir Topi
• Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Independence from the Ottoman Empire
• Date	November 28 1912
Area
• Total	28,748 km (11,100 sq mi) (139th)
• Water (%)	4.7
Population
• 2025 estimate	3,600,523 (130th)
• Density	134/km (347.1/sq mi) (63)
GDP (PPP)	2008 estimate
• Total	$21.160 billion (112th)
• Per capita	$6,649 (100th)
Gini (2005)	26.7 low inequality
HDI (2007)	0.801 Error: Invalid HDI value (68th)
Currency	Lek (ALL)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	355
ISO 3166 code	AL
Internet TLD	.al
Greek, Macedonian and other regional languages are government-recognized minority languages.

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë IPA: [ɾɛˈpublika ɛ ʃcipəˈɾiːs], or simply Shqipëria), is a country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Greece to the south-east, Montenegro to the north, partially-recognized Kosovo to the northeast, and the Republic of Macedonia to the east. It 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 country is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation,Organisation of the Islamic Conference, and Union for the Mediterranean. It is also a potential candidate for membership in the European Union and received a NATO membership invitation on 3 April 2008. Albania is expected to formally join the 26-nation pact next April on NATO's 60th birthday,and has provided support and troops for security and peacekeeping missions in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Albania is a parliamentary democracy that is transforming its economy into a market-oriented system. The Albanian capital, Tirana, is home to 600,000 of the country's 3.6 million people. As a result of the opening of the country in the post-communist era, Albania is now undergoing a development boom as its telecommunications, transport and utilities infrastructure is being revamped.

Etymology

Albania is the Medieval Latin name of the country which is called Shqipëri by its inhabitants. In Medieval Greek, the country's name is Albania besides variants Albaētia, Arbanētia. The ultimate origin of the root Alb- has been traced to an Illyrian *alb "hill" cognate to the root *alp "mountain pasture" found in the Alpine region. In the 2nd century BC, Polybius's History of the World mentions a tribe named Arbon in present-day central Albania. The people who lived there were called Albanoí and Arbanitai.

Another suggestion is derivation from the Illyrian tribe of the Albani recorded by Ptolemy, the geographer and astronomer from Alexandria who drafted a map of remarkable significance for the history of Illyria. This map shows the city of Albanopolis (located Northeast of Durrës) which was later called Albanon and Arbanon.

In his History written in 1079-1080, Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates was the first to refer to Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople in 1043 and to the Arbanitai as subjects of the duke of Dyrrachium. During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arbër or Arbën and referred to themselves as Arbëresh or Arbnesh. As early as the 16th century, a new name for their home evolved among Albanian people: Shqipëria, "Land of the Eagles", hence the two-headed bird on the national flag. However, another theory suggests that Skanderbeg used the Byzantine double-headed eagle on his seals, hence the modern flag. The name probably has its origins in the Skanderbeg family crest.

History

Much of the area comprising present-day Albania was settled by the ancient Illyrians, possible ancestors of modern Albanians. Throughout most of it's recorded history, the land of Albania was part of empires or kingdoms formed by neighboring people as Greeks, Romans, Venetians and Ottomans swept through, leaving their cultural mark as well as ruins.

Archaeological research shows that Albania has been populated since the Paleolithic Age. The earliest discovered settlements can be found around Shkodra, Konispol, Mount Dajti, and Saranda. Fragments of Cyclopean structures, are evident nearby Gjirokastra. During that period Greeks founded the colonies of Butrint, Apollonia and Durrës which survive till today . The kingdom of Illyria grew from the general area of modern-day Northern Albania and eventually controlled much of the eastern Adriatic coastline. Scodra was its capital, and the city's importance survives till nowadays as it's the biggest urban center of northern Albania. The kingdom, however, reached the zenith of its expansion and development in the 4th century BC when it united under King Bardyllis.Its downfall began when it came under the eye of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great who incorporated much of it to his own empire.

Being part of the Roman Empire and later Byzantine Empire for the biggest part of the next 14 centuries Albanian during the dissolution years of the latter up to the emergence of the Ottoman power in Balkans enjoyed a relative freedom albeit under the pressure of nearby kingdoms and principalities formed by Croats and Serbs. During the 15th century Albanian legendary hero, Skanderbeg successfully resisted Ottoman attacks for more than 20 years until his death. From 1478 since 1912 Albania was part of the Ottoman empire and Islam was introduced to the local population leaving it's mark on a nowadays diverse but nonetheless secular mixed population of Muslims, Orthodox and Catholic Christians in the country. Many Albanians occupied important posts during this period reaching as high as the positions of Grand Vizier while other excelled in as military and political leaders like Muhammad Ali of Egypt and Ali Pasha of Tepelen. After the states of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro allied to throw the Ottomans out of Balkans during the Balkan wars an independent state of Albania, the first in history was proclaimed in 1912. The country, at first under the protection of Austria-Hungary empire adopted William, Prince of Albania as a king but WW 1 brought an end to his era. On January 31 1925 a republic was declared.

An Albanian nobleman, later known as King Zog of Albania begun to progressively gain power and eventually on 1 September 1928 he proclaimed himself a king. Even when he held the post of the president of the country as back as 1926 Zog progressively started to cede parts of the sovereignty of his state to Benito Mussolini as Italy was gradually turning Albania to it's vassal. On April 7th of 1939 Italy invaded and occupied the country. Six months later Mussolini declared war to Greece though the Greco-Albanian borders thus making the country a WW 2 battleground. For much of the late 1940 mid 1941 the south part of the country was controlled by Greece as Italian troops withdrew further deep into Albania. During the Italian occupation which lasted up to late 1943, the population was subject to a policy of forced Italianization in which the use of the Albanian language was discouraged in schools in favor of the Italian while the colonization of Albania by Italians was encouraged. By October 1944 Germans evacuated the Balkans and thus Albanian gained it's independence again. After liberation the French-educated, Joseph Stalin's admirer, leader of the Albanian Party of Labour , Enver Hoxha became head of the state installing absolute communist rule. Collectivization was issued and an the population was ruled with an iron fist.

In 1960 Enver Hoxha extremely disillusioned by the process of de-Stalinization in USSR he broke the alliance with communist super-power and became rather aligned with Mao Zedong's China. The latter sent several billion dollars in aid, but it stopped in 1978 when Albania criticized its policies after the death of Mao Zedong. This brought economic hardship, shortages in many basic products and purges towards highly ranking officials, while it isolated the country even more, that in 70ies and 80ies Albania was tagged as the most isolated country in the world. Hoxha's dictatorship ended with his death on April 11, 1985. The new leadership introduced liberalization, including measures in 1990 providing for freedom to travel abroad. Efforts were begun to improve ties with the outside world. In March 1991 elections left the former Communists in power, but a general strike and urban opposition led to the formation of a coalition cabinet including non-Communists. The Communists were routed in elections March 1992, amid economic collapse and social unrest. Sali Berisha was elected as the first non-Communist president since World War II.

At the same time an unprecedented flow of immigration started following the normalization of ties with the rest of the world and especially Greece, towards the latter and in a smaller scale towards Italy, Germany and USA. As the market collapsed in 1997 riots ravaged the country. Since then steps have been made towards tackling corruption, bureaucracy and normalizing political life with much needed to be done nevertheless. During NATO's air war against Yugoslavia, March-June 1999, Albania hosted some 465,000 Kosovar refugees. Victory by a pro-Berisha coalition in elections July 3, 2005, ended 8 years of Socialist Party rule. Crowds in Tirana, June 10, 2007, welcomed George W. Bush, the first U.S. president to visit Albania while in office. Albania in April 2008 became a member of NATO while it's leaderships is targeting EU membership in the future.

Government and politics

The Albanian republic is a parliamentary democracy established under a constitution renewed in 1998. Elections are now held every four years to a unicameral 140-seat chamber, the People's Assembly.In June 2002, a compromise candidate, Alfred Moisiu, former Army General, was elected to succeed President Rexhep Meidani. Parliamentary elections in July 2005 brought Sali Berisha, as leader of the Democratic Party, back to power. The Euro-Atlantic integration of Albania has been the ultimate goal of the post-communist governments. Albania's EU membership bid has been set as a priority by the European Commission.

Albania, along with Croatia, received in 3 April 2008 an invitation to join NATO. Full member status is expected to be achieved in 2009.

The workforce of Albania has continued to migrate to Greece, Italy, Germany, other parts of Europe, and North America. However, the migration flux is slowly decreasing, as more and more opportunities are emerging in Albania itself as its economy steadily develops. Albanian emigrants have achieved great success in multiple geographies and disciplines abroad.

International Rankings

Demographic

• Population ranked 133 out of 221 countries
• CIA World Factbook: Life expectancy ranked 50 out of 221 countries
• CIA World Factbook 2008: infant mortality rate ranked 112 highest infant mortality rate out of 222 countries
• United Nations Development Programme: literacy rate ranked 45 out of 177 countries

Environmnental

• Yale University: Environmental Sustainability Index 2005, ranked 24 out of 146 countries

Economic

• The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation: Index of Economic Freedom 2006, ranked 52 out of 157 countries

• International Monetary Fund: GDP (nominal) per capita 2006, ranked 95 out of 182 countries

• International Monetary Fund: GDP (nominal) 2006, ranked 111 out of 181 countries

• World Economic Forum: Global Competitiveness Index 2006-2007, ranked 98 out of 125 countries

• World Bank: Ease of Doing Business Index 2008 report, ranked 136 out of 178 countries

• United Nations: Human Development Index 2006, ranked 73 out of 177 countries

• Foreign exchange reserves as of December 2007 ranked 112 out of 156 countries

Administrative division

Albania is divided into 12 administrative divisions called (Albanian: official qark/qarku, but often prefekturë/prefektura) Counties, 36 districts and 351 municipalities. Each region has its Regional Council and is composed of a number of Municipalities and Communes, which are the first level of local governance responsible for local needs and law enforcement.

Geography

Albania has a total area of 28,750 square kilometers. Its coastline is 362 kilometres long and extends along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The lowlands of the west face the Adriatic Sea. The 70% of the country that is mountainous is rugged and often inaccessible from the outside. The highest mountain is Korab situated in the district of Dibra, reaching up to 2,753 metres (9,032 ft). The country has a continental climate at its high altitude regions with cold winters and hot summers. Besides the capital city of Tirana, which has 800,000 inhabitants, the principal cities are Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër, Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Korçë and Kukës. In Albanian grammar, a word can have indefinite and definite forms, and this also applies to city names: both Tiranë and Tirana, Shkodër and Shkodra are used.

The three largest and deepest tectonic lakes of the Balkan Peninsula are located in Albania. Lake Scutari in the country's northwest has a surface of 368 km², out of which 149 km² belong to Albania. The Albanian shoreline of the lake is 57 km. Ohrid Lake is situated in the country's southeast and is shared between Albania and Macedonia. It has a maximal depth of 289 meters and it is so old that a unique flora and fauna can be found there, including “living fossils” and many endemic species. Because of its natural and historical value, Ohrid Lake is under the protection of UNESCO.

Over a third of the territory of Albania – about a million hectares (2.5 million acres) – is forested and the country is very rich in flora. About 3.000 different species of plants grow in Albania, many of which are used for medicinal purposes. Phytogeographically, Albania belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and is shared between the Adriatic and East Mediterranean provinces of the Mediterranean Region and the Illyrian province of the Circumboreal Region. According to the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency, the territory of Albania can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Illyrian deciduous forests, Pindus Mountains mixed forests and Dinaric Mountains mixed forests. The forests are home to a wide range of mammals, including wolves, bears, wild boars, and chamois. Lynx, wildcats, pine martens and polecats are rare, but survive in some parts of the country.

Entertainment

Radio Telivizioni Shqiptar, (RTSH), is Albania's leading television network. RTSH runs a national television station TVSH, (standing for Televizioni Publik Shqiptar), and two national radio stations, using the name Radio Tirana. An international service broadcasts radio programmes in Albanian and seven other languages via medium wave (AM) and short wave (SW). The international service has used the theme from the song "Keputa një gjethe dafine" as its signature tune. Since 1999, RTSH has been a member of the European Broadcasting Union. Since 1993, RTSH has also run an international television service via satellite, aimed at Albanian language communities in Kosovo, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece, plus the Albanian diaspora in the rest of Europe.

Demographics

In July 2007, Albania's population was 3,600,523, with an annual growth rate of 0.73%. Albania is a largely ethnically homogeneous country with only small minorities. A large majority of the population is ethnically Albanian. Minorities include Greeks, Aromanians (Vlachs), Torbesh, Gorani, Macedonians, Roma, Montenegrins, Bulgarians, Balkan Egyptians and Jews. The dominant language is Albanian, with two main dialects, Gheg and Tosk. Many Albanians are also fluent in English, Italian and Greek.

Economy

The democratically elected government that won the elections on April 1992 launched an ambitious economic reform programme to halt economic deterioration and forced the country on the path of a market economy. This included a comprehensive package of structural reforms, including privatization, enterprise, and financial sector reform, and the creation of the legal framework for a market economy and private sector activity. After severe economic contraction following 1989, the economy slowly rebounded, finally surpassing its 1989 levels by the end of the 1990s. Since prices have also risen, however, economic hardship has continued for much of the population. In 1995, Albania began privatizing large state enterprises.

Following the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in June/July 2006, EU ministers urged Albania to push ahead with reforms, focusing on freedom of press, property rights, institution building, respect for ethnic minorities and observing international standards in municipal elections. Albania has made an impressive recovery, building a modern and diversified economy. Recent administrations have also improved the country's infrastructure and opened competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution and airports.

Tourism in Albania is a large industry and is growing rapidly. The most notable tourist attractions are the ancient sites of Apollonia, Butrinti, and Krujë. Albania's coastline is becoming increasingly popular with tourists due to its relatively unspoiled nature and its beaches.

Religion

Christianity was adopted in the region now known as Albania during Roman rule by the middle of the first century. At first the new religion had to compete with Oriental cults, such as the worship of Mithra, known in the region due to Rome's growing interaction with eastern regions of the Roman Empire. For a long time it also competed with Illyrian pagan religions. The steady growth of the Christian community in Dyrrhachium (the Roman name for Epidamnus) led to the creation of a local bishopric in 58 AD. Later, episcopal seats were established in Apollonia, Buthrotum (modern Butrint), and Scodra (modern Shkodra).

After the division of the Roman Empire in 395, Albania fell under the umbrella of the Eastern Roman Empire, but remained ecclesiastically dependent on Rome. During the final schism on 1054 between the Western and Eastern churches, the Christians in southern Albania came under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople, and those in the north under the purview of the Papacy in Rome. The arrangement prevailed until Albania passed to Ottoman control in 14th century, and Islam gradually became the dominant religion. The Hoxha regime, which took control of Albania after World War II, suppressed religious observance and institutions, to the point where Albania was officially declared to be the world's first atheist state. Although religious freedom has returned to Albania since Hoxha's death in 1985, the vast majority of Albanians today do not practice any religion whatsoever.

Albanian language

Albanian was proven to be an Indo-European language in 1854 by the German philologist Franz Bopp. The Albanian language comprises its own branch of the Indo-European language family.

Some scholars believe that Albanian derives from Illyrian while others, claim that it derives from Daco-Thracian. (Illyrian and Daco-Thracian, however, might have been closely related languages; see Thraco-Illyrian.)

Establishing longer relations, Albanian is often compared to Balto-Slavic on the one hand and Germanic on the other, both of which share a number of isoglosses with Albanian. Moreover, Albanian has undergone a vowel shift in which stressed, long o has fallen to a, much like in the former and opposite the latter. Likewise, Albanian has taken the old relative jos and innovatively used it exclusively to qualify adjectives, much in the way Balto-Slavic has used this word to provide the definite ending of adjectives.

Literature

The cultural resistance was first of all expressed through the elaboration of the Albanian language in the area of church texts and publications, mainly of the Catholic confessional region in the North, but also of the Orthodox in the South. The Protestant reforms invigorated hopes for the development of the local language and literary tradition when cleric Gjon Buzuku brought into the Albanian language the Catholic liturgy, trying to do for the Albanian language what Luther did for German.

Meshari (The Missal) by Gjon Buzuku, published by him in 1555, is considered to date as the first literary work of written Albanian. The refined level of the language and the stabilised orthography must be a result of an earlier tradition of writing Albanian, a tradition that is not known. But there are some fragmented evidence, dating earlier than Buzuku, which indicate that Albanian was written at least since 14th century AD. The first known evidence dates from 1332 AD and deals with the French Dominican Guillelmus Adae, Archbishop of Antivari, who in a report in Latin writes that Albanians use Latin letters in their books although their language is quite different from Latin. Of special importance in supporting this are: a baptizing formula (Unte paghesont premenit Atit et Birit et spertit senit) of 1462, written in Albanian within a text in Latin by the bishop of Durrës, Pal Engjëlli; a glossary with Albanian words of 1497 by Arnold von Harff, a German who had travelled through Albania, and a 15th century fragment from the Bible from the Gospel of Matthew, also in Albanian, but in Greek letters.

Albanian writings of these centuries must not have been religious texts only, but historical chronicles too. They are mentioned by the humanist Marin Barleti, who, in his book Rrethimi i Shkodrës (The Siege of Shkodër) (1504), confirms that he leafed through such chronicles written in the language of the people (in vernacula lingua). Despite the obstacles generated by the Counter-Reformation which was opposed to the development of national languages in Christian liturgy, this process went on uninterrupted. During the 16th to 17th centuries, the catechism E mbësuame krishterë (Christian Teachings) (1592) by Lekë Matrënga, Doktrina e krishterë (The Christian Doctrine) (1618) and Rituale romanum (1621) by Pjetër Budi, the first writer of original Albanian prose and poetry, an apology for George Castriot (1636) by Frang Bardhi, who also published a dictionary and folklore creations, the theological-philosophical treaty Cuneus Prophetarum (The Band of Prophets) (1685) by Pjetër Bogdani, the most universal personality of Albanian Middle Ages, were published in Albanian.

Health

Albania has free health care for all. Major hospitals are in Tirana and Durrës. The medical school, Faculty of Medicine at Tirana University, is in Tirana. Nursing schools are in many other cities.

Cuisine

The cuisine of Albania, as with most Mediterranean and Balkan nations, is strongly influenced by its long history. At different times, the territory of Albania has been occupied by Greece, Italy and the Ottoman Turks, and each group has left its mark on Albanian cuisine. 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, and olives with 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.

Gallery

See also

v t e Albania articles
History	Illyrians Ardiaei Albanoi Amantes Amantini Balaites Bylliones Dassaretii Enchele Labeatae Parthini Taulantii Middle Ages (1190–1385) Principality of Arbanon Kingdom of Albania Despotate of Arta House of Kastrioti Ottoman period (1385–1912) Skanderbeg's rebellion League of Lezhë Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini Arbëni Council Islamization of Albania Albanian Pashaliks Massacre of the Albanian Beys Revolts of 1833–1839 Uprising of Dervish Cara Albanian National Awakening League of Prizren Congress of Manastir Revolt of 1910 Malissori uprising Taksim meeting Revolt of 1912 Kimza Government Independence (1912–present) Declaration of Independence Anthem Provisional Government of Albania Albania during the Balkan Wars Republic of Central Albania Principality of Albania (1914–25) World War I in Albania Autonomous Province of Korçë Italian protectorate Vlora War Republic of Mirdita Albanian Republic (1925–1928) Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939) Union with Italian kingdom Italian invasion of Albania German Nazi occupation The Holocaust in Albania Albanian resistance during World War II Communist Albania (1946–91) Orthography Congress (1972) Post-Communist Albania 1997 Civil Unrest NATO membership EU Accession See also Origins Timeline Archives
Geography	Landscape Mountains Rivers Lakes Islands Environment Climate Biodiversity Habitat Protected areas
Politics	Executive Government (agencies) Head of state (list) Prime Minister Foreign relations Political parties Treaties Visa policy Judiciary Vetting Institutions KPA IKP ONM KPK Constitution Corruption EURALIUS SPAK Prosecutor General Subdivisions NUTS Counties Municipalities Cities and towns Communes Villages Maps Legislature Elections Assembly (speakers) Members Opposition Human rights Abortion Capital punishment Assassinations LGBT Ombudsman Security Military Police Organized crime Prisons Border crossings
Economy	Finance Banking Lek (currency) Taxation Trade unions State Supreme Audit Retail Shopping centers Supermarkets Industry Agriculture Healthcare Companies Energy Operators KESH OST OSHEE ERE Hydropower plants Natural resources Oil and gas Mining Infrastructure Highways Aviation Ports Railways Bridges Tunnels Highrises (structures) Telecommunications Posta Shqiptare Squatting Tourism Monuments Archaeological sites Castles Mosques Tekkes Churches Lighthouses Adriatic Sea Coast Ionian Sea Coast (riviera) Beaches Images of Albania
Society	People Demographics Census Tribes Noble families Diaspora Women Culture Art (galleries) Architecture Photography Museums Theatres Education Alphabet scripts Abetare Language Literature Research institutes Libraries Universities Publishers Proverbs Albanology Tradition Folk beliefs Besa Oda Secularism Religion Nevruz Sworn virgins Costumes Qeleshe Fustanella Xhubleta Brez Opinga Xhamadan Cuisine Gjellë Tavë kosi Kabuni Raki Beer Wine Cognac Skënderbeu Sports Football National team Clubs Players Stadiums Other sports Weightlifting Athletics Cycling Basketball Volleyball Swimming Olympics Indoor arenas Entertainment Music Television Radio Cinema Symbols Heraldry Flag (list) Coat of arms (armorial) Epitaph of Gllavenica Sign language Orders, decorations and medals Passport .al Other Public holidays Smoking Copyright law
Outline Index Bibliography Category

Part of a series on the
History of Albania
Early History Origin of the Albanians Illyria Illyrians Macedonia Illyricum
Medieval Byzantine rule Bulgarian rule Principality of Arbanon Angevin Kingdom of Albania Principality of Albania Serbian rule Principalities League of Lezhë Venetian Albania
Early modern Principality of Mirdita Ottoman Albania Islamization of Albania Sanjak of Albania Sanjak of Scutari Sanjak of Dibra Scutari Vilayet Janina Vilayet Manastir Vilayet Kosovo Vilayet Pashaliks Massacre of the beys National Awakening Revolts of 1833–1839 Revolt of 1843–1844 Revolt of 1845 Revolt of 1847 League of Prizren League of Peja Revolt of 1910 Revolt of 1911 Battle of Deçiq Revolt of 1912 Albanian Vilayet Declaration of Independence
Late modern Independent Albania Provisional Government Congress of Trieste International Commission of Control Balkan Wars Principality Peasant Revolt World War I in Albania Republic of Central Albania Republic of Korçë Republic of Mirdita Italian protectorate (southern) Congress of Durrës Vlora War Congress of Lushnjë Italian protectorate June Revolution Principality (Regency) Albanian Republic Albanian Kingdom Albania under Italy German occupation of Albania World War II in Albania Second League of Prizren Liberation Day Socialist Albania
Contemporary Post-communism 1997 Albanian civil unrest Republic of Albania
Topics Art Constitution Economy Monarchs Military Names
Timeline
v t e

Lists

• List of Albania-related articles
• List of Albanians
• List of Albanian writers
• List of Albanian-Americans
• International rankings of Albania

References

1. International Monetary Fund - Albania (GDP)
2. http://www.albanian.com/information/countries/albania/general/factbook.html
3. "Albania membership Nato". NATO.
4. "Croatia, Albania sign NATO membership accords". USA Today.
5. "U.S. Supports Albania,for NATO Membership". America.gov - Telling America's Story.
6. Population stats from tirana.gov.al (in Albanian)
7. OED
8. Johann Georg Von Hann. Albanische Studien. Wien, 1853.
9. Constantine A. Chekrezi. Albania Past and Present. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1919. p. 116.
10. Constantine A. Chekrezi. Albania Past and Present. New York: The Macmillan Company 1919, p. 116.
11. Robert Elsei. The Albanian lexion of Arnold von Harff, Earliest reference to the existence of the Albanian language, p. 113-122.
12. http://www.pinocacozza.it/ http://www.radio-arberesh.eu/
13. Kristo Frasheri. History of Albania (A Brief Overview). Tirana, 1964.
14. Flags Of The World, Albania
15. "Albania". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2005-09-30.
16. An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis by Mogens Herman,ISBN 0198140991,2004,page 343,"Bouthroton (Bouthrotios)"
17. Young, Antonia (1997). Albania. Clio Press. ISBN 1851092609.
18. The Balkans by Misha Glenny page 418
19. Albania. World Almanac & Book of Facts, 2008, p467-545, (AN 28820955)
20. Radio Netherlands - NATO chief welcomes Albania and Croatia for 2009 (April 3, 2008)
21. radiotirana.org website
22. CIA - The World Factbook - Albania
23. GDP per capita
24. Of the Albanian Language - William Martin Leake, London, 1814.
25. ANCIENT ALBANIA INHABITED BY ILLYRIANS-Chapter 36 : Turmoil In The Balkans - Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece Part Three - Albania
26. "The Thracian language". The Linguist List. Retrieved 2008-01-27. An ancient language of Southern Balkans, belonging to the Satem group of Indo-European. This language is the most likely ancestor of modern Albanian (which is also a Satem language), though the evidence is scanty. 1st Millennium BC - 500 AD.

External links

Wikimedia Atlas of Albania

Government

• Presidency of Albania
• The Albanian Parliament

Country Data

• Albanian Institute of Statistics
• "Albania". The World Factbook (2025 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.

Other

• National Tourism Organization Albania's official website for travel & tourism information.
• Tourism, Krujë
• Template:Wikitravel
• VIVAlbania, hospitality and ecotourism in Albania
• Treasure of the national library of Albania

Geographic locale

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• Albania