GEOGRAPHY

Surface : 28.748 km2

  Population : 3,5 million inhabitants

  Capital city :  Tirana

Albania situated on a border with Montenegro and Kosovo to the North and North East, FYR Macedonia to the East and Greece to the South. It is washed by the Adriatic and Ionian seas to the West and separated from Italy through the straight of Otranto, of 82 km.

Albania surprises the tourists with the diversity of its landscapes, which change quickly and dramatically. Albania is a Mediterranean country, but having special geographical and geological features different landscapes are found interwoven with one another.

Landscapes range from typical Mediterranean in West and South West, to mixed landscapes in central area, to steep mountains in the inner part of country. On the coast beautiful, virgin and fine sandy and pebble beaches are toi be found. The country is jewelled with plenty of beautiful inland lakes, natural lagoons, reserves, hunting grounds and SPA-s..  

Albania is located in the area GMT+1 (From March 28 GMT+2)

In the western part of the country lie the Western Lowlands, with a mainly plain relief and rich vegetation of this type. Along the whole coastline, in the lowland area from Shkodra to Vlora, there are numerous beaches with healthy Mediterranean climate.

Along the Adriatic coastline, the Western Lowland area forms numerous bays with clear water and fine sand, which are very suitable sites for coastal tourism.

Albania has a coronal of mountains that are located to the North, East and South-East. The highest peak of the country (Mount Korab 2751 m) is in the Eastern and South-Eastern region.The highland region has mainly an Alpine relief characterized by a cold climate. The Alps of Albania resemble a big cupola. The abundant snow falls during winter create very favorable natural terrain for the development of white tourism, for those who love skiing and other winter sports.

Albania is also rich with lakes and the largest of them in the Balkan Peninsula is the Shkodra Lake, which is located in the North-Western part of the country.In the North-Eastern part, there is the Fierza lake in the South-Eastern part, there is the Ohrid lake, a bit southward there are two other lakes: Bigger and smaller Prespa lakes.Other small lakes have dotted Albania as well. Whereas  in Lura area 1600 m above  sea level, there are several glacial lakes, which are located in groups, thus providing a magnificent view and leaving deep impressions in you.

The main rivers permeating the territory of our country are: Drini (285 km), Semani (281 km), Vjosa (272 km), Shkumbini (182 km), Mat (115 km), Buna (44 km), Ishmi and Erzen.

Albania has a Mediterranean climate. Because of its mountains character and broken relief, the climate varies throughout the country. Albania is characterized by hot dry summers, with bright sunny days and generally mild winters with abundant rainfalls. In Albanian Alps in the northern part the winters are cold and summers chilly.Normally the period from June-September period is characterized by hot and sunny whether, while from October-May the weather is cool and wet.Notwithstanding that Albania beauty can be appreciated around the year the best months to visit Albania are April, May and June as well as the period from mid-October.

Albanian flora is rather rich beginning with evergreen Mediterranean plants and ending with Alpine fir. It consists of 3220 kinds of plants (in addition to sub- species and varieties). They constitute 29% of the species of European flora and 47% of the kinds of the flora of the Balkan peninsula.

Albania claims distinction for a rich and varied fauna(also aquatic fauna), which is linked with the diversity of geographical landscape and its location on the roads of emigration of birds.

  BRIEF HISTORY

 The territories of present-day Albania have been inhabited as early back as 100.000 yaears ago. It was at the turn of the third millennium that an Indo-European population settled there. As the result of the mixture, a population incorporating the unique cultural and linguistic characteristics of the whole Balkan Peninsula (pellazgs) was created. Based on this ancient population, the Illyrian people developed through the second millennium and the first century B.G. After its fall in the year 30 B.G.

Illyria came under the control of Roman Empire. With the division of the Roman Empire (395 A.D.), Illyria became a part of the Byzantine Empire. The country has sufferd continuous invasions over the last 1000 years and by the end of the 15^th century Albania was occupied by the Ottoman Empire after the dead of National Hero “Scanderbeg”. The subsequent efforts and insurrections for independence eventually brought about the proclamation of the independence of Albania in 1912. After 1912 till the end of the First World war, the country was attacked by neighboring countries. After eleven years of monarchy the country was occupied by Italy in 1939, putting the end of monarchy. In 1943 the german armies occupies the country.

The resistance against foreign invasion was known as the Anti-Fascist National Liberation front. The communist party took power in November 1944, when the foreign armies were expelled. Shortly thereafter, a totalitarian regime was established under the communist leader Enver Hoxha. For about 50 years, the regime applied the policy of self-isolation, leaving the country in great economic poverty when it finally emerged from isolation in 1991. the principle of self-reliance applied by the Communist regime prohibited foreign loans, credits and investiment. From 1992 until 1997 the Democratic Party lead the country. After the unrests of 1997 due to the failure of pyramidal schemes the Socialist Party with its coalition is in power.

  CULTURAL AND POLITICAL INFORMATION

    Albanian is the official language, a branch of the Indo-European family. It is linguistically a distinct language not deriving or related to other Indo-European languages. It is an individual branch of eastern languages 9Satem0, along with Indo-Iranian, Balto-Slavonic and Armenian.

Deriving from the Illyrian, the Albanian languagehas preserved its originality and through the centuries has remained uninfluenced by other languages. Firs written in 15-th century the Albanian language distinguishes two main dialects, gegerishte spoken in the north and Toskerishte spoken in the south river Shkumbin being the bordline between the two dialects. Albania is also spoken in Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Southern Serbia. It is known too in the northwestern part of Greece (Thesprotia). Many Albanians are proficient in Italian, English, French and some German.

     There are three official religions in Albania: Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic. Under the Roman Empire the practiced religion was Catholicism. After the fourth century, Orthodoxy replaced Catholicism, which survived only in the Northern and Northwestern part of Albania. Under the occupation of the Ottoman Empire, Islam was introduced and soon became predominant.

After the Communist Era during which atheism was enforced by the Constitution of 1967 the religion life has experienced a full revival.

State organization.

The superior legislative body is the People's Assembly (the Parliament). 

The People's Assembly elects the President of the Republic. 

The President appoints the Prime minister.

The Prime minister forms the Cabinet which is approved  by the Parliament.

The Council of Ministers is the supreme executive organ.