The following

outline Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...

is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Albania: Republic of Albania –

sovereign country A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined terri ...

located on the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...

. It has a coast on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

to the west, and on the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

to the southwest. It is less than from

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, across the

Strait of Otranto The Strait of Otranto ( sq, Ngushtica e Otrantos; it, Canale d'Otranto; hr, Otrantska Vrata) connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and separates Italy from Albania. Its width at Punta Palascìa, east of Salento is less than . The st ...

. Albania is a

parliamentary democracy A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

that is transforming its economy into a market-oriented system. The Albanian capital,

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, is home to 350,000 of the country's 3.6 million population. 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.

General reference

* Pronunciation: * Common English country name:

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

* Official English country name: The Republic of Albania * Common

endonym An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...

(s):

List of countries and capitals in native languages The following chart lists countries and dependencies along with their capital cities, in English as well as any additional official language(s). * In bold: Internationally recognized sovereign states ** The 193 member states of the United Na ...

Shqipëria/Shqipëri, Shqipnia/Shqipni * Official endonym(s):

List of official endonyms of present-day nations and states The following chart lists countries and dependencies along with their capital cities, in English as well as any additional official language(s). * In bold: Internationally recognized sovereign states ** The 193 member states of the United Na ...

Republika e Shqipërisë * Adjectival(s):

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

Demonym A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...

(s): Albanian ( sq, Shqiptar) *

Etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

Name of Albania The toponym Albania may indicate several different geographical regions: a country in Southeast Europe; an ancient land in the Caucasus; as well as Scotland, ''Albania'' being a Latinization of a Gaelic name for Scotland, ''Alba''; and even a city ...

International rankings of Albania These are the international rankings of Albania. Demographics *Population 2016 ranked 137 out of 196 countries *Life expectancy 2016 ranked 37 out of 183 countries Economy Education * Education Index ranked 77 out of 181 countries. * Progra ...

* ISO country codes: AL, ALB, 008 * ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:AL *

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all t ...

.al .al is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Albania. It is administered by the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority of Albania (AKEP). AKEP recommends that .al domain registrations be performed with one of the AKEP ...

Geography of Albania

Geography of Albania * Albania is: a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

* Location: **

Eastern Hemisphere The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth which is east of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and west of the antimeridian (which crosses the Pacific Ocean and relatively little land from pole to pol ...

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

***

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

****

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

*****

******

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

(also known as "Southeastern Europe") **

Time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, Commerce, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between Country, countries and their Administrative division, subdivisions instead of ...

Central European Time Central European Time (CET) is a standard time which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET i ...

( UTC+01),

Central European Summer Time Central European Summer Time (CEST), sometimes referred to as Central European Daylight Time (CEDT), is the standard clock time observed during the period of summer daylight-saving in those European countries which observe Central European Time ...

(

UTC+02 UTC+02:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2020-11-08T23:41:45+02:00. This time is used in: As standard time (year-round) ''Principal cities: Cairo, Pretoria, Cape ...

) ** Extreme points of Albania *** High: Maja e Korabit *** Low:

0 m ** Land boundaries: 717 km :: 282 km :: 172 km :: 151 km :: 112 km :*Coastline: 362 km * Population of Albania: 3,600,523 people (2007

estimate Estimation (or estimating) is the process of finding an estimate or approximation, which is a value that is usable for some purpose even if input data may be incomplete, uncertain, or unstable. The value is nonetheless usable because it is der ...

) - 130th most populous country * Area of Albania: - 139th largest country * Atlas of Albania

Environment of Albania

Environment of Albania The environment of Albania is characterised by unique flora and fauna and a variety of landforms contained within a small nation. It also consists of different ecoregions, which represent the natural geographical ecosystem, water systems, weather, ...

Climate of Albania Albania has a variety of climate systems. With its coastline facing the Adriatic and Ionian seas in the Mediterranean sea, its highlands backed upon the elevated Balkan landmass, and the entire country lying at a latitude subject to a variety of ...

* Protected areas of Albania **

National parks of Albania This is a list of national parks in Albania which includes 14 national parks and a marine park. They cover a surface area of or roughly 6.7% of the overall territory. The national policy for governing and management of the national parks is imple ...

* Wildlife of Albania **

Fauna of Albania Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

*** Birds of Albania *** Mammals of Albania

Natural geographic features of Albania

Glaciers of Albania The Accursed Mountains ( sq, Bjeshkët e Nemuna; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Проклетије, Prokletije, ; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps ( sq, Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the B ...

Islands of Albania This is a complete list of the islands and islets of Albania. The majority of them are small in size with only two being larger than a square kilometer, Sazan and Kunë. List of islands and islets See also * Protected areas of Albania * ...

* Lakes of Albania * Mountains of Albania *

Rivers of Albania Albania has more than 152 rivers and streams, forming 8 large rivers flowing from southeast to northwest, mainly discharging towards the Adriatic coast. The rivers of Albania have a total annual flow rate of , or per year. A majority of the pre ...

World Heritage Sites in Albania The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heri ...

Regions of Albania

Regions of Albania The regions of Albaniaapart from the official present and historical administrative divisionsinclude the following: Divisions There are two major ethnographical regions of Albania, at each side of the Shkumbin river – North Albania or ''Ghege ...

Ecoregions of Albania

List of ecoregions in Albania * Ecoregions in Albania

Administrative divisions of Albania

Administrative divisions of Albania The administrative divisions of Albania comprise 12 Counties of Albania, counties, 61 Municipalities of Albania, municipalities, and 373 Administrative units of Albania, administrative units. Since Albanian Declaration of Independence, its 1912 De ...

Counties of Albania Counties ( sq, or ), also sometimes known as prefectures (), are the first-level Administrative divisions of Albania, administrative subdivisions of Albania, replacing the earlier districts of Albania, districts. Since 2000, there have been 12 ...

Municipalities of Albania Municipalities ( sq, or ) are the second-level administrative divisions of Albania, administrative divisions of Albania, below county (Albania), counties and above administrative unit (Albania), administrative units or communes of Albania, comm ...

= Counties of Albania

is divided into twelve counties ( sq, qarku, sing. ''qark'' (official term); but often ''prefektura'', sing. ''prefekturë'', sometimes translated as

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

). Each contains several

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 laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

= Municipalities of Albania

Since the 2015 local administration reform, there are 61 municipalities in Albania.

Government and politics of Albania

Politics of Albania Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government a ...

Form of government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

representative democratic Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

Capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of Albania:

Elections in Albania Regular elections in Albania are mandated by the Constitution and legislation enacted by Parliament. The Parliament (''Kuvendi'') has 140 members elected for four-year terms. The electoral system is closed list proportional representation. There ar ...

Political parties in Albania Albania has a multi-party system with two major political parties and few smaller ones that are electorally successful. According to official data from the Central Election Commission, there were a total of 124 political parties listed in the pa ...

* Political scandals of Albania *

Taxation in Albania In Albania, taxes are levied by both national and local governments. Most important revenue sources, include the income tax, social security, corporate tax and the value added tax, which are all applied on the national level. The Albanian Taxat ...

Branches of the government of Albania

Government of Albania Albania is a Unitary state, unitary Parliamentary system, parliamentary Republic, constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The e ...

Executive branch of the government of Albania

Head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

: President of Albania *

Head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

Prime Minister of Albania The Prime Minister of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Shqipërisë), officially styled Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of government of the Republic of Albania and the mos ...

List of prime ministers of Albania The Prime Minister of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Shqipërisë), officially styled Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Kryeministri i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of government of the Republic of Albania and the mos ...

Council of Ministers of Albania The Council of Ministers () is the executive branch that constitutes the Government of Albania. The Council is led by the Prime Minister of Albania. The prime minister is nominated by the President of Albania, President from among those candidates ...

Legislative branch of the government of Albania

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

of Albania: Assembly of the Republic of Albania (

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

)

Judicial branch of the government of Albania

Judicial system of Albania The Judiciary of Albania interprets and applies the law of Albania. Albania's judicial system is a civil law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts. Albanian law is codified and based ...

* Constitutional Court of Albania *

Supreme Court of Albania Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...

** Administrative Courts in Albania **

Appeals courts of Albania The Courts of Appeal in Albania () are Second Instance Courts that have the power to review cases adjudicated by the District Courts that have been appealed by the parties to such cases. The Courts of Appeal are presided by a panel of three judge ...

***

District courts in Albania The District Courts in Albania () are the Courts of First Instance, providing the first level of justice in the Judicial system of Albania. Courts At present there are 23 District Courts throughout Albania, which are composed of 251 Judges. Th ...

Foreign relations of Albania

Foreign relations of Albania * Albanian passport *

Diplomatic missions in Albania This article lists diplomatic missions resident in Albania. At present, the capital city of Tirana hosts 39 embassies and a Delegation of the European Commission. Several other countries have ambassadors accredited to Albania, with most being res ...

Diplomatic missions of Albania This is a list of diplomatic missions of Albania, excluding honorary consulates. Albania has diplomatic missions in 43 countries and 6 permanent missions accredited to various international organizations around the world. After the 2013 election ...

* Albania–Kosovo relations * Albanian-Greek relations

International organization membership

The Republic of Albania is a member of: * Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC) *

Central European Initiative The Central European Initiative (CEI) is a forum of regional cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe, counting 18 member states. It was formed in Budapest in 1989. The body was developed on the basis of earlier experiences with The Alps-Adriatic ...

(CEI) *

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

(CE) * Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) *

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...

(EBRD) *

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

(FAO) *

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

(IAEA) *

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, that is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers l ...

(IBRD) *

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...

(ICAO) *

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...

(ICCt) *

International Criminal Police Organization The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

(Interpol) *

International Development Association The International Development Association (IDA) (french: link=no, Association internationale de développement) is an international financial institution which offers concessional loans and grants to the world's poorest developing countries. Th ...

(IDA) *

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 192-member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...

(IFRCS) * International Finance Corporation (IFC) *

International Fund for Agricultural Development The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD; french: link=no, Fonds international de développement agricole (FIDA)) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address ...

(IFAD) *

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

(ILO) *

International Maritime Organization The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...

(IMO) *

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

(IMF) *

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

(IOC) *

International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM was ...

(IOM) *

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...

(ISO) (correspondent) *

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...

(ICRM) *

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

(ITU) * International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) *

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an inter-parliamentary institution, international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and coop ...

(IPU) * Islamic Development Bank (IDB) * Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) * North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) *''

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

'' (OIF) * Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) *

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

(OSCE) *

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...

(OPCW) *

Southeast European Cooperative Initiative The Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) is a multilateral regional initiative that has been initiated by the European Union, the United States of America and the countries of Southeast Europe within the framework of the Organization ...

(SECI) *

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

(UN) *

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

(UNCTAD) *

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(UNESCO) *

United Nations Industrial Development Organization The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in e ...

(UNIDO) *

United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia The United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 858 in August 1993 to verify compliance with a 27 July 1993 ceasefire agreement between the Republic of Georgia and forces in Abk ...

(UNOMIG) *

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to t ...

(UPU) * World Customs Organization (WCO) *

World Federation of Trade Unions The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International Federation of ...

(WFTU) *

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO) *

World Intellectual Property Organization The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, 15 specialized agencies of the United Nation ...

(WIPO) *

World Meteorological Organization The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics. The WMO originated from the Internati ...

(WMO) *

World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internati ...

(UNWTO) *

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

(WTO)

Law and order in Albania

Law of Albania The law of Albania is civil law. Constitution There have been constitutions of 1914, 1925, 1928, 1939, 1946, 1976 and 1998. Legislation The legislature is the Parliament of Albania. The gazette is the Fletorja Zyrtare. List of legislation *Cr ...

Capital punishment in Albania The last execution of a civilian carried out in Albania was a hanging on 29 June 1995. While capital punishment was abolished for murder on 1 October 2000, it was still retained for treason and military offences. The reason for the abolition of the ...

Constitution of Albania The present Constitution of the Republic of Albania ( sq, Kushtetuta e Republikës së Shqipërisë) was adopted by the Parliament of Albania on 21 October 1998 and certified by presidential decree on 28 November 1998, following a failed referendu ...

* Crime in Albania ** Albanian mafia * Human rights in Albania **

LGBT rights in Albania Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Albania face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, due in part to the lack of legal recognition for same-sex couples in the country and prevailing negative attitudes about ...

** Freedom of religion in Albania *

Law enforcement in Albania Law enforcement in Albania is the responsibility of several agencies. The responsibility for most tasks lies with the Albanian State Police, a national police agency, which is under the authority of Ministry of Internal Affairs. Examples of other a ...

Albanian Police The Albanian State Police ( sq, Policia e Shtetit) is the national police and law enforcement agency which operates throughout the Republic of Albania. The collapse of the Communist system and the establishment of political pluralism post-1991 ...

Military of Albania

Military of Albania * Command ** Commander-in-chief: *** Ministry of Defence of Albania **** Albanian Joint Forces Command ***** Rapid Reaction Brigade ***** Commando Regiment ***** Albanian Air Brigade ***** Albanian Navy Brigade ***** Area Support Brigade **** Albanian Support Command * Forces ** Army of Albania ** Navy of Albania ** Air Force of Albania ** Special forces of Albania ** Weapons of mass destruction in Albania - None *

Military history of Albania The Albanian Armed Forces ( sq, Forcat e Armatosura të Republikës së Shqipërisë (FARSH)) are the military of Albania and were formed after the declaration of independence in 1912. Today, it consists of the General Staff, the Albanian Land ...

Military ranks of Albania The Military ranks of Albania are the military insignia used by the Albanian Armed Forces. Current ranks (since 2011) Commissioned officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers. Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned off ...

Local government in Albania

Local government in 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 ...

History of Albania

By period

* Origin of the Albanians * Prehistory **

Prehistoric Balkans The prehistory of Southeastern Europe, defined roughly as the territory of the wider Southeast Europe (including the territories of the modern countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Monte ...

***

Illyria In classical antiquity, Illyria (; grc, Ἰλλυρία, ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; la, Illyria, ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyr ...

and

Illyrians The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo ...

Ancient Albania Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

Illyricum (Roman province) Illyricum was a Roman province that existed from 27 BC to sometime during the reign of Vespasian (69–79 AD). The province comprised Illyria/Dalmatia in the south and Pannonia in the north. Illyria included the area along the east coast of t ...

(229 B.C.) * Albania in the Middle Ages (4th - 12th century) ** Barbarian invasions of Albania and the Early Middle Ages ** Albania in the Early Middle Ages ** Albania in the Late Middle Ages * Ottoman era **

History of Ottoman Albania Albania under the Ottoman Empire refers to a period in Albanian history from the Ottoman conquest in the late 15th century to the Albanian declaration of Independence and official secession from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The Ottomans first ent ...

(1385 - 1912) **

Albania Veneta Venetian Albania ( vec, Albania vèneta, it, Albania Veneta, Serbian and Montenegrin: Млетачка Албанија / ''Mletačka Albanija'', ) was the official term for several possessions of the Republic of Venice in the southeastern Adria ...

* Albanian nationalism and independence (1912) * History of Albania (1919–1939) (World War I, and the Great Depression era) ** Principality of Albania (1914–1925) ** Albanian Republic (1925–1928) **

Kingdom of Albania (1928–39) Kingdom of Albania may refer to: *Kingdom of Albania (medieval) — from the Capetian House of Anjou *Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939) — from the House of Zogu *Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943) — from the House of Savoy during the Italian occupati ...

(1928–1939) *

Military history of Albania during World War II In Albania, World War II began with its invasion by Italy in April 1939. Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy set up Albania as its protectorate or puppet state. The resistance was largely carried out by Communist groups against the Kingdo ...

** Italian invasion of Albania (1939) ** Albania under Italy (1939–1943) **

Albania under Nazi Germany The German occupation of Albania occurred between 1943 and 1944 during World War II. Before the armistice between Italy and the Allied armed forces on 8 September 1943, Albania had been in a de jure personal union with and was de facto under t ...

(1943–1944) **

Albanian Resistance of World War II In Albania, World War II began with its invasion by Italy in April 1939. Fascist Italy set up Albania as its protectorate or puppet state. The resistance was largely carried out by Communist groups against the Italian (until 1943) and then Germ ...

* History of Communist Albania (1944–1992) ** Socialist People's Republic of Albania (1944–1992) *

History of post-Communist Albania In 1991, the Socialist Party of Albania, with specific social democratic ideology took control of the country through democratic elections. One year later the Democratic Party of Albania won the new elections. After 1990, Albania has been seeki ...

(since 1992) **

Accession of Albania to the European Union Albania is on the current agenda for future enlargement of the European Union (EU). It applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009, and has since June 2014 been an official candidate for accession. The Council of the European Union decided in M ...

By field

Albanian sworn virgins Balkan sworn virgins ( al, burrnesha, label=in Albanian) are women who take a vow of chastity and live as men in patriarchal northern Albanian society, Kosovo and Montenegro. To a lesser extent, the practice exists, or has existed, in other parts ...

** Albania and weapons of mass destruction

Culture of Albania

Culture of Albania Albanian culture or the culture of Albanians ( ) is a term that embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Albanians. Albanian culture has been considerably shaped by the geography ...

Architecture of Albania The architecture of Albania ( sq, arkitektura e Shqipërisë ) is a reflection of Albania's historical and cultural heritage. The country's architecture was influenced by its location within the Mediterranean Basin and progressed over the course ...

* Cuisine of Albania *

Languages of Albania Albania is an ethnically homogeneous country, where the overwhelming majority of the population speaks Albanian, which is also the official language. It has two distinct dialects: Tosk, spoken in the south, and Gheg, spoken in the north. However ...

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...

* Media in Albania * National symbols of Albania ** Coat of arms of Albania ** Flag of Albania ** National anthem of Albania * People of Albania * Prostitution in Albania *

Public holidays in Albania Below is a list of public holidays in Albania. If a non-working public holiday happens during the weekend, then the Monday after would be non-working. Official Holidays Not official Holidays References {{Public holidays in Europe Alb ...

* Religion in Albania ** Christianity in Albania ** Islam in Albania **

Judaism in Albania The history of the Jews in Albania dates back about 2,000 years. According to historian Apostol Kotani (''Albania and the Jews''): "Jews may have first arrived in Albania as early as 70 C.E. as captives on Roman ships that washed up on the coun ...

Art in Albania

* Art in Albania *

Cinema of Albania The film industry in Albania comprises the art of films and movies made within the country or by Albanian directors abroad. Albania has had an active cinema industry since 1897 and began strong activities in 1940 after the foundation of both the ...

* Literature of Albania *

Music of Albania The music of Albania ( sq, Muzika Shqiptare) is associated with the country of Albania and Albanian communities. Music has a long tradition in the country and is known for its regional diversity, from the Ghegs in the North to the Tosks in the S ...

Television in Albania Television in Albania was first Timeline of the introduction of television in countries, introduced in 1960. RTSH dominated the Albanian broadcasting field up to the mid-1990s, a period when privately owned radio and Television, TV stations start ...

* Theatre in Albania

Sports in Albania

Sports in Albania Sport in Albania revolves mostly around team sports, such as football, basketball, volleyball and handball. Other sports includes boxing, weightlifting, tennis, swimming, judo, karate, athletics, table tennis, and chess. Football in particular ...

Albania at the Olympics Albania first participated at the Summer Olympic Games in 1972. They missed the next four games, three of them for political reasons due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, 1984 Summer Olympics boycott and 1988 boycotts, but returned for the Barc ...

* Football in Albania ** Albanian Football Association ** Albania national football team **

Albania national under-21 football team The Albania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Albania and is controlled by the Football Association of Albania. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, which is held every two ye ...

Albanian Superliga The Kategoria Superiore, officially known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's primary football compet ...

Economy and infrastructure of Albania

Economy of Albania * Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 112th (one-hundred twelfth) *

Agriculture in Albania Agriculture in Albania is still a significant sector of the economy of Albania, which contributes to 22.5% of the country's GDP. The country spans of which 24% is agricultural land, 36% forest land, 15% pasture and meadow and 25% urban areas ...

Banking in Albania Banking in Albania, in its present form dating from 1992, consists of the nation's central bank - the Bank of Albania - and an expanding network of secondary banks. The Bank of Albania has the task of supervising the financial system, which current ...

National Bank of Albania The Bank of Albania ( sq, Banka e Shqipërisë) is the central bank of Albania. Its main headquarters are in Tirana, and the bank also has five other branches located in Shkodër, Elbasan, Gjirokastër, Korçë, and Lushnjë, while its Research and ...

** Banks in Albania *

Communications in Albania Telecommunications in Albania include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet. History Until 1990, Albania was extremely isolated and controlled, and installation and maintenance of a modern system of international and do ...

** Internet in Albania **

News in Albania Albania's news industry covers the press, television and radio. The Albanian national news agency is the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), which uses the English language, as well as the Albanian language. The press Newspapers The following new ...

* Companies of Albania * Currency of Albania:

Lek Lek or LEK may refer to: * Lek mating, mating in a lek, a type of animal territory in which males of a species gather * Albanian lek, the currency of Albania * Lek (magazine), a Norwegian softcore pornographic magazine * Lek (pharmaceutical comp ...

ISO 4217 ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that defines alpha codes and numeric codes for the representation of currencies and provides information about the relationships between individual cu ...

: ALL * Energy in Albania ** Energy in Albania ** Energy policy of Albania ** Oil industry in Albania * Health care in Albania *

Mining in Albania Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic vi ...

Tirana Stock Exchange The Tirana Stock Exchange ( sq, Bursa e Tiranës) is the principal stock exchange in Albania. It is located in the capital city, Tirana. Its name is abbreviated as TSE. The general manager of the stock exchange is Anila Fureraj. History The TSE b ...

Tourism in Albania Tourism in Albania has been a key element to the country's economic activity and is constantly developing. It is characterized by its rich archaeological and cultural heritage dating back to the classical period when Illyrians and Ancient Gre ...

* Visa policy of Albania *

Transport in Albania Transport in Albania consists of transport by land, water and air, which are predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Albania. The development and improvement of the transport in the country remains among the mos ...

Airports in Albania This is a list of airports in Albania, grouped by type and sorted by location. A number of regional airports have been renovated but cannot become functional for civil flights because of the 20 year monopoly held by Tirana International Airport's ...

** Rail transport in Albania ** Vehicular transport ***

Roads in Albania Transport in Albania consists of transport by land, water and air, which are predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Albania. The development and improvement of the transport in the country remains among the mos ...

*** Vehicle registration plates of Albania

Education in Albania

Education in Albania Education in Albania for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels are mostly supported by the state. The academic year is much similar to that as in the United States, classes starts almost in September or October and end in June or July. Alba ...

Academic grading in Albania An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

Schools in Albania A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

* Universities in Albania

References

External links

; Government
Presidency of Albania

The Albanian Parliament
; Country Data
Albanian Institute of Statistics

Albania
''

The World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is available ...

''.

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

. ; Other
National Tourism Organization
Albania's official website for travel & tourism information.
Tourism, Krujë
*

Treasure of the national library of Albania
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