Albania




                                 Geography


Location:
     Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula between
     Serbia and Montenegro and Greece
Map references:
     Africa, Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones
     of the World
Area:
total area:
     28,750 sq km
land area:
     27,400 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
     total 720 km, Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
     151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with
     Montenegro)
Coastline:
     362 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
     not specified
territorial sea:
     12 nm
International disputes:
     Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbia and
     Montenegro, and the Albanian Government supports the Kosovo position
     politically
Climate:
     mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers;
     interior is cooler and wetter
Terrain:
     mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Natural resources:
     petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel
Land use:
arable land:
     21%
permanent crops:
     4%
meadows and pastures:
     15%
forest and woodland:
     38%
other:
     22%
Irrigated land:
     4,230 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation




natural hazards:
     subject to destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern
     coast
international agreements:
     party to - Biodiversity
Note:
     strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to
     Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)


                                  People


Population:
     3,374,085 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     IMF, working with Albanian government figures estimates the population
     at 3,120,000 in 1993 and that the population has fallen since 1990
Population growth rate:
     1.19% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     22.46 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     5.32 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -5.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     30 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     73.4 years
male:
     70.42 years
female:
     76.61 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     2.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Albanian(s)
adjective:
     Albanian
Ethnic divisions:
     Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and
     Bulgarians) (1989 est.)
Religions:
     Muslim 70%, Greek Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note:
     all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances
     prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious
     practice
Languages:
     Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Literacy:
     age 9 and over can read and write (1955)
total population:
     72%




male:
     80%
female:
     63%
Labor force:
     1.5 million (1987)
by occupation:
     agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 40% (1986)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Albania
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republika e Shqiperise
local short form:
     Shqiperia
former:
     People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Digraph:
     AL
Type:
     nascent democracy
Capital:
     Tirane
Administrative divisions:
     26 districts (rrethe, singular - rreth); Berat, Dibre, Durres,
     Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Kolonje, Korce, Kruje, Kukes,
     Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Mat, Mirdite, Permet, Pogradec, Puke,
     Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar, Tepelene, Tirane, Tropoje, Vlore
Independence:
     28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
     Liberation Day, 28 November (1944; changed by decree on 12 November
     1993)
Constitution:
     an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April
     1991; a new constitution was to be drafted for adoption in 1992, but
     is still in process
Legal system:
     has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
     President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April 1992)
head of government:
     Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Aleksander Gabriel MEKSI
     (since 10 April 1992)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the president




Legislative branch:
     unicameral
People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor):
     elections last held 22 March 1992; results - DP 62.29%, ASP 25.57%,
     SDP 4.33%, RP 3.15%, UHP 2.92%, other 1.74%; seats - (140 total) DP
     92, ASP 38, SDP 7, RP 1, UHP 2
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
     there are at least 18 political parties; most prominent are the
     Albanian Socialist Party (ASP; formerly the Albania Workers Party),
     Fatos NANO, first secretary; Democratic Party (DP), Eduard SELAMI,
     chairman; Albanian Republican Party (RP), Sabri GODO; Omonia (Greek
     minority party), leader NA (ran in 1992 election as Unity for Human
     Rights Party (UHP)); Social Democratic Party (SDP), Skender GJINUSHI;
     Democratic Alliance Party (DAP), Spartak NGJELA, chairman
Member of:
     BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
     IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL,
     IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
     UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Lublin Hasan DILJA
chancery:
     Suite 1010, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
     (202) 223-4942, 8187
FAX:
     (202) 628-7342
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador William E. RYERSON
embassy:
     Rruga E. Elbansanit 103, Tirane
mailing address:
     PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624
telephone:
     355-42-32875, 33520
FAX:
     355-42-32222
Flag:
     red with a black two-headed eagle in the center


                                  Economy




Overview:
     An extremely poor country by European standards, Albania is making the
     difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The economy
     rebounded in 1993 after a severe depression accompanying the collapse
     of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991.
     Stabilization policies, including public sector layoffs and reduced
     social services, have improved the government's fiscal situation and
     reduced inflation. The recovery was spurred by the remittances of some
     5% of the population which works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy.
     Foreign assistance and humanitarian aid also supported the recovery.
     Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving
     peasant incomes. Albania's limited industrial sector, now less than
     one-sixth of GDP, continued to decline in 1993. A sharp fall in
     chromium prices reduced hard currency receipts from the mining sector.
     Large segments of the population, especially those living in urban
     areas, continue to depend on humanitarian aid to meet basic food
     requirements. Unemployment remains a severe problem accounting for
     approximately one-fifth of the work force. Growth is expected to
     continue in 1994, but could falter if Albania becomes involved in the
     conflict in the former Yugoslavia, workers' remittances from Greece
     are reduced, or foreign assistance declines.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.3 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     11% (1993)
National product per capita:
     $1,100 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     31% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     18% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $1.1 billion
expenditures:
     $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $70 million (1991
     est.)
Exports:
     $70 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     asphalt, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude oil, vegetables,
     fruits, tobacco
partners:
     Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece,
     Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary
Imports:
     $524 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     machinery, consumer goods, grains
partners:
     Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany,
     Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece
External debt:
     $724 million (1993 est.)




Industrial production:
     growth rate -10% (1993 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
     1,690,000 kW
production:
     5 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,520 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber, oil, cement,
     chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Agriculture:
     accounts for 55% of GDP; arable land per capita among lowest in
     Europe; 80% of arable land now in private hands; one-half of work
     force engaged in farming; produces wide range of temperate-zone crops
     and livestock
Illicit drugs:
     transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan
     route; limited opium production
Economic aid:
recipient:
     $190 million humanitarian aid; $94 million in loans/guarantees/credits
Currency:
     1 lek (L) = 100 qintars
Exchange rates:
     leke (L) per US$1 - 99 (January 1994), 97 (January 1993), 50 (January
     1992), 25 (September 1991)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     543 km total; 509 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track and 34
     km narrow gauge, single track (1990); line connecting Titograd (Serbia
     and Montenegro) and Shkoder (Albania) completed August 1986
Highways:
total:
     16,700 km
paved:
     6,700 km
unpaved:
     earth 10,000 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
     43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake
     Prespa (1990)
Pipelines:
     crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991)
Ports:
     Durres, Sarande, Vlore
Merchant marine:
     11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,967 GRT/76,887 DWT




Airports:
total:
     12
usable:
     10
with permanent-surface runways:
     3
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     4
Telecommunications:
     inadequate service; 15,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 13 AM, 1
     TV; 514,000 radios, 255,000 TVs (1987 est.)


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 906,938; fit for military service 746,945; reach
     military age (19) annually 33,184 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     215 million leke, NA% of GNP (1993 est.); note - conversion of defense
     expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
     produce misleading results