Gjirokastër County ( sq, Qarku i Gjirokastrës) is one of the 12

counties of Albania Counties ( sq, or ), also sometimes known as prefectures (), are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Albania, replacing the earlier districts. Since 2000, there have been 12 counties. Since 2015, they have been divided into 61 munic ...

. The total population in 2021 was 58,031, in an area of 2884 km². Its capital is the city

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...

Administrative divisions

Until 2000, Gjirokastër County was subdivided into three districts:

Përmet Përmet (; sq-definite, Permeti) is a city and municipality in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. The municipality of Përmet consists of the administrative units of Çarçovë, Frashër, Petran, Qendër Piskovë and Përmet. The total popul ...

, and

Tepelenë Tepelenë ( sq-definite, Tepelena) is a city and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in the south of Albania. The town is located on the left bank of the Vjosa River, about three kilometres downstream from its union with the Drino. Until the a ...

. Since the 2015 local government reform, the county consists of the following 7 municipalities:

Dropull Dropull ( sq-definite, Dropulli; el, Δρόπολη or Δερόπολη ''Dropoli'' or ''Deropoli'') is a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. The region stretches from south of the city of Gjirokastër to the Greek–Albani ...

Këlcyrë Këlcyrë ( sq-definite, Këlcyra) is a town and a municipality in southern Albania, located on the bank of the river Vjosë. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Ballaban, Dishnicë, Këlcyr ...

Libohovë Libohovë ( sq-definite, Libohova) is a town and a municipality in southern Albania. It is overlooked by Libohovë Castle and has a main street with views across the Drino valley. Libohovë is at the foot of the Bureto Mountain. The region forms ...

Memaliaj Memaliaj is a town and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Buz, Krahës, Luftinjë, Memaliaj, Memaliaj Fshat and Qesarat Qesarat i ...

and

. Before 2015, it consisted of the following 32 municipalities: *

Antigonë Antigonë is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Gjirokastër. The population at the 2011 census was 998. The municipal unit is known f ...

Ballaban Ballaban is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Këlcyrë Këlcyrë ( sq-definite, Këlcyra) is a town and a municipalit ...

* Buz * Çarshovë * Cepo *

Dishnicë Dishnicë is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Këlcyrë Këlcyrë ( sq-definite, Këlcyra) is a town and a municipality in southern ...

Dropull i Poshtëm Dropull i Poshtëm ( el, Κάτω Δρόπολη, ''Kato Dropoli'') is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at th ...

Dropull i Sipërm Dropull i Sipërm ( el, Άνω Δρόπολη, ''Ano Dropoli'') is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dropull. The population at the 2 ...

Frashër Frashër (; sq-definite, Frashëri; rup, Farshar) is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Përmet. The population at the ...

* Fshat Memaliaj *

Kordhocë Kordhocë is a village in the Gjirokastër County in Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Gjirokastër. It is known for the Kordhocë bridge. Geography Kordhocë is a village just outside Gjirokastër, ...

Krahës Krahës is a village in Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. It formerly functioned as a municipality, but at the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality Memaliaj Memaliaj is a town and a municipality in Gjirok ...

* Kurvelesh *

Lazarat Lazarat ( sq-definite, Lazarati) is a village in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. It is located in the Dropull valley. Formerly functioning as a municipality, as part of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the mun ...

* Lopës *

Luftinjë Luftinjë is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Memaliaj Memaliaj is a town and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, ...

* Lunxhëri *

* Odrie *

Petran Petran is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Përmet. The population at the 2011 census was 1,622.< ...

Picar Picar is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Gjirokastër. The population at the 2011 census was 937.

* Pogon *

Qendër Libohovë Qendër Libohovë is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Libohovë. The population at the 2011 census was 1,264.< ...

Qendër Piskovë Qendër Piskovë is a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Përmet Përmet (; sq-definite, Permeti) is a city and municipality in Gjiro ...

* Qendër Tepelenë *

Qesarat Qesarat is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Memaliaj Memaliaj is a town and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, ...

Sukë Sukë is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Këlcyrë Këlcyrë ( sq-definite, Këlcyra) is a town and a municipality in ...

Zagori Zagori ( el, Ζαγόρι; rup, Zagori), is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some and contains 46 villages known as ...

The municipalities consist of about 270 towns and villages in total. See

Villages of Gjirokastër County The Gjirokastër County in southern Albania is subdivided into 7 municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional ...

for a structured list.

Demographics

Its population includes a substantial Greek minority which in several places becomes a majority. According to the last national census from 2011 this county has 72,176 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the county include

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

Aromanians The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Alba ...

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

, &

Balkan Egyptians The Ashkali ( sr, Ашкалије, Aškalije), also Hashkali ( sr, Хашкалије, Haškalije), and Balkan Egyptians ( sr, Балкански Египћани, Balkanski Egipćani; sq, Komuniteti i Egjiptianëve të Ballkanit; mk, Ѓуп� ...

. According to the results of the 2011 census, 38.54% of the total population (27,815 people) declared themselves Muslim. There are also some

Bektashi The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...

Muslims with 8.48% (6,118 people), 7.15% percent consisting of believers without a denomination (22,186 people) and

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

forming 19.65% of the county's population (

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

(17.43%) (15,295 people),

Evangelists Evangelists may refer to: * Evangelists (Christianity), Christians who specialize in evangelism * Four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament * ''The Evangelists ''The Evangelists'' (''Evangheliştii'' in Roma ...

(0.08% (59 people) (and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

s) (2.07%) (1,493 people), while 10,094 (15,16%) did not answer at all.

Demographics history of Permet district

*1904: According to German state archives, in 1904, the district of Premeti had 8,000 inhabitants, all Albanians, divided by 5,000 Muslims and 3,000 Christians. *1913: According to Mary Edith Durham, writing on 3 September 1913, the district of "Premeti" was "purely Albanian". *1918–19: According to ''Greece Before the Conference'' (1919), the ''kaza'' (Ottoman district) of Premeti had 15,138 Muslims, 10,823 Greeks, 888 Others; a total of 26,849. *1921: A 1921 document has the population divided by 12,780 Orthodox and 12,173 Muslims, a total of 25,043. Greek was spoken as a first language in few parts of the district. The northern part of the kaza was inhabited by Muslims.Kondis 1994, p. 42

Notable people

Ali Pasha of Tepelenë Ali Pasha of Ioannina (1740 – 24 January 1822), was an Albanian ruler who served as pasha of a large part of western Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territories, which was referred to as the Pashalik of Yanina. His court was in Ioanni ...

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...

Ismail Kadare Ismail Kadare (; spelled Ismaïl Kadaré in French; born on 28 January 1936) is an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He is a leading international literary figure and intellectual. He focused on poetry until the pu ...

Stath Melani Stath Melani (18 September 1858–24 December 1917) was an Albanian Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Orthodox priest who participated in the Congress of Manastir and helped spread awareness of the Albanian language, Albanian written language in south ...

Evangelos Zappas Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas ( el, Ευάγγελος or ; ro, Evanghelie Zappa; 23 August 1800 – 19 June 1865) was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as one of the ...

References

External links