List of regions of Albania
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The administrative divisions of
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 ...
comprise 12 counties, 61
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 ...
, and 373 administrative units. Since its 1912 Declaration of Independence, Albania has reorganized its administrative divisions 21 times. Its internal boundaries have been enlarged or subdivided into prefectures, counties,
districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
, subprefectures,
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 ...
, communes, neighborhoods or wards, villages, and localities. The most recent changes were made in 2014 and enacted in 2015.


Main administrative divisions


Counties

The first level of government is constituted by the 12 counties ( sq, / ), organized into their present form in the year 2000. They are run by a prefect () and a county council (). Prefects are appointed as representatives of the national
Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
.


Municipalities

The second level of government is constituted by the 61
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 ...
(). They are run by a mayor () and a municipal council (), elected every 4 years. Before 2015, a was an urban municipality and only covered the jurisdiction of such cities. After 2015, the jurisdiction of the was expanded to cover the nearby rural municipalities.


Administrative units

The third level of government is constituted by the 373 administrative units () or units of local administration (). Most of these were former rural municipalities or communes (), which functioned as second-level divisions of the country until 2015. Parts of the administrative units are still further divided into Albania's 2,972 villages ().


History


Ottoman Albania

At the beginning of the
20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...
, the territory which now forms Albania was divided among the four separate
vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...
s ( sq, / ) of Scutari,
Janina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
, Manastir, and
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. This helped mix
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 ...
with the surrounding
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 ...
,
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
, and other groups. The four vilayets were divided into the sanjaks () of Scutari, Durrës,
Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
, Ergiri,
Preveze Preveza ( el, Πρέβεζα, ) is a city in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the regional unit of Preveza, which is part of the region of Epiru ...
, Berat, Manastir, Serfiğe, Dibra, Elbasan, Görice, Üsküp, Priştine,
İpek Peja (Definiteness, Indefinite Albanian language, Albanian Albanian morphology#Nouns (declension), form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest List of cities and towns in Kosovo, city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipali ...
,
Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...
, and Novi Pazar. The sanjaks were in turn further divided into
kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...
s () at the town level and
nahiye A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
s () at the village level.


Revolutionary Albania

Following the successful
War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...
against the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in 1912, the first Albanian government led by
Ismail Qemali Ismail Qemal bey Vlora, mostly known as Ismail Qemali (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian diplomat, politician, rilindas, statesman and the Founding Father of modern Albania, and one of the most famous Southern Albanian person. Th ...
initially retained the former Turkish divisions and offices. This was revised by the " Canon of Albanian Civil Administration" on 22 November 1913, which created a new three tier system. The primary division was into the 8 prefectures () of Durrës, Berat, Dibër, Elbasan,
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 ...
, Korcë,
Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
, and
Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foothi ...
. Each of these was to be overseen by a prefect. The prefectures were divided into subprefectures (), which were divided into regions or provinces () for local administration. The authority of this provisional government was never recognized by the
Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
or the
Republic of Central Albania The Republic of Central Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë së Mesme) was a short-lived unrecognised state established on 16 October 1913, with its administrative centre in Durrës, today in Albania. History The government of the Republi ...
; never administered territory outside Vlorë, Berat, and Lushnjë; and was forced to dissolve after the discovery of its plot to restore some Turkish control to gain more territory and better resist
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
.


Principality of Albania

Separately, the
International Control Commission The International Control Commission (ICC), or in French la Commission Internationale de Contrôle (CIC), was an international force established in 1954. More formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control, the organisati ...
drafted and enacted the Organic Statute ()Albania's first
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
on 10 April 1914.. Primarily functioning as a compromise among the Great Powers of the era, it established the Principality of Albania as a
constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...
to be headed by the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
prince Wilhelm Wied and his heirs in
primogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
. An entire chapter of the Organic Statute was devoted to the administrative division of Albania, explicitly preserving Ottoman names and terms. The primary division was into the 7 sanjaks of Durrës, Berat, Dibër, Elbasan,
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 ...
,
Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...
, and
Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...
.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §95. Each would be administered from its namesake city except Dibër.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §96. The former Ottoman sanjak of Dibra had been divided among other countries and the city of Debar remained outside the principality's borders. The Albanian sanjak of Dibër, however, expanded a bit with the inclusion of districts of the former
sanjak of Prizren The Sanjak of Prizren or Priştine ( tr, Prizren Sancağı, sq, Sanxhaku i Prizrenit, sr, Призренски санџак / ''Prizrenski sandžak'') was one of the sanjaks in the Ottoman Empire with Prizren as its administrative centre. It was ...
.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §98. Areas of Chameria that had been in the former
sanjak of Ioannina The Sanjak of Ioannina (variously also Janina or Yanina, ota, Sanjak-i Yanya) was a sanjak (second-level province) of the Ottoman Empire whose capital was Ioannina in Epirus. Administration The Sanjak of Ioannina consisted of the following kaz ...
were added to Gjirokastër and the kaza of
Leskovik Leskovik is a town and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Kolonjë. It is located right at the Greek-Albanian border. The population ...
was added to Korçë. Each sanjak was overseen by a
mutasarrif Mutasarrif or mutesarrif ( ota, متصرّف, tr, mutasarrıf) was the title used in the Ottoman Empire and places like post-Ottoman Iraq for the governor of an administrative district. The Ottoman rank of mutasarrif was established as part of a ...
() appointed by the central government''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §100. and a sanjak council () consisting of five members appointed by lawa secretary, a comptroller, a director of agriculture and trade, a director of public education, and a director of public worksand one member from each of the sanjak's kazas,''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §110. elected by the local councils and approved by the mutasarrif.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §111. The mutasarrif was personally responsible for maintaining public order,''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §106. controlling the local
gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
and
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
directly.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §101. He also controlled local budgets in consultation with the council,''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §103. providing for
public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §108. and inspecting each of the local kazas at least once a year.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §104. The sanjaks were again divided into
kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...
, each administered by a
kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained an ...
() and his council (),''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §119. consisting of three members appointed by lawa secretary, a comptroller, and a director of land taxesand four members appointed by the local councils and approved by the kaymakam.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §125. The kaymakam was responsible for the kaza's finances and public services, including issuing passports,''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §123. and was required to answer to the sanjak's mutasarrif for a number of issues. The kaza was named and administered from the chief town in its district, headquartered at a
city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
(). Each municipal council was obliged to hold meetings at the city hall at least once a week. The kaza were again divided into
nahiye A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
, which consisted of a group of villages together representing a population of 40007000 people.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §132. They were administered by a mudir () and the local council (),''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §133. consisting of the local secretary and 4 members chosen by public election by the mukhtars () of the local villages assembled before the mudir.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §134. The mudir was responsible for announcing and enacting the central government's laws, carrying out the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, and collecting taxes;''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §135. the council was charged with ensuring public hygiene, maintaining local water supplies and roads, and overseeing agricultural development and the use of public lands.''Statuti Organik'', Ch. VI, §136.


Kingdom of Albania

Under King Zog, Albania reformed its internal administration under the "Municipal Organic Law" of 1921 and the "Civil Code" of February 1928. The primary division was into 10 prefectures, each led by a prefect. The secondary division was into subprefectures, of which there were 39 in 1927 and 30 by 1934. The subprefects were nominated by the prefects. The subprefectures were initially divided into 69 provinces, which oversaw local administration through the chiefs of the 2351 villages. In 1928, urban centers were reorganized as municipalities governed by a mayor and municipal council popularly elected every three years and rural areas were organized as 160 communes.


Occupied Albania

Following the
Italian occupation of Albania Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, the country was organized into 10 prefectures, 30 subprefectures, 23 municipalities, 136 communes, and 2551 villages.


Communist Albania

Following the liberation of Albania in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Albania maintained its 10 prefectures and 61 subprefectures but abolished its municipalities and communes. A
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
was conducted in September 1945, and Law No. 284 (dated 22 August 1946) reformed the internal adminstration of the country once again. It maintained the 10 prefectures, reduced the number of subprefectures to 39, and organized local government as localities (). In 1947, the subprefectures were replaced by 2
districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
(), with local government divided between towns, villages, and localities. In 1953, Law No. 1707 replaced the prefectures with 10 counties divided into 49 districts and 30 localities. In July 1958, the counties were replaced with 26 districts, including a capital district for
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 ...
. These districts were divided into 203 localities, which oversaw 39 cities and 2655 villages. Larger cities were further divided into neighborhoods or wards (). In 1967, the localities were replaced by "unified villages" (). By 1968, the 26 districts were divided into 65 cities or urban municipalities (divided into 178 neighborhoods) and 437 unified villages or rural municipalities (divided into 2641 villages). This was largely maintained until the late 1980s. In 1990, the 26 districts were divided into 67 cities (divided into 306 neighborhoods) and 539 unified villages (divided into 2848 villages). The capital Tirana was divided into three regions, each of which was further divided into constituent neighborhoods.


See also

* Counties,
Districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
,
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 ...
, Communes, and
Villages of Albania Albania has 2,972 villages ( sq, or ) as of 2016. Albania has reformed its internal administrative divisions 21 times since its Declaration of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. Following the most recent reorganization, enacted in ...
*
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 ...
* ISO 3166 codes for Albania


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

*


External links


Administrative Reform official website

Ministry of Local Affairs official website
{{Europe topic, Subdivisions of Government of Albania Albania geography-related lists Subdivisions of Albania