Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, there have been claims of electoral fraud in every one of Albania's post-communist elections. The 2009 general elections resulted in no single party gaining a majority of the 140 seats in Parliament, and the Movement for Socialist Integration (LSI) and the Democratic Party (DP) combined to form a coalition government, the first such in Albania's history. The Socialist Party (SP) has, in effect, boycotted Parliament since it convened in September 2009 and has called for investigations into alleged electoral fraud in the June 2009 elections. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure.

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

slightly smaller than Maryland

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

2,994,667 (July 2011 est.)

12.15 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

6.15 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-3.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

TIRANA (capital) 433,000 (2009)

1.48 children born/woman (2011 est.)

urban: 96% of population

rural: 98% of population

total: 97% of population

urban: 4% of population

rural: 2% of population

total: 3% of population (2008)

urban: 98% of population

rural: 98% of population

total: 98% of population

urban: 2% of population

rural: 2% of population

total: 2% of population (2008)

Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)

Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%

Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects

parliamentary democracy

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Independence Day, 28 November (1912) also known as Flag Day

approved by parliament 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998

civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" prevails

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 deputies; 100 deputies elected directly in single member electoral zones with an approximate number of voters; 40 deputies elected from multi-name lists of parties or party coalitions according to their respective order; elected for a 4-year term)

Constitutional Court consists of 9 members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly who serve 9-year terms (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term); the High Court members appointed by the president with the consent of the Assembly for a 9-year term; note - there are also courts of appeal and courts of first instance

Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; New Democracy Party or PDR [Genc POLIO]; Party for Justice and Integration or PDI [Tahir MUCHEDINI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskel MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE]

Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement [Elton KACIDHJA]; Omonia [Ligorag KARAMELO]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Castriota SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-1478); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shkypetars," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

Albania, a formerly closed, centrally-planned state, is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. Macroeconomic growth averaged around 6% between 2004-08, but declined to about 3% in 2009-10. Inflation is low and stable. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray economy and attracting foreign investment. Remittances, a significant catalyst for economic growth have declined from 12-15% of GDP to 9% of GDP in 2009, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. The agricultural sector, which accounts for almost half of employment but only about one-fifth of GDP, is limited primarily to small family operations and subsistence farming because of lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages because of a reliance on hydropower, and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment and lack of success in attracting new foreign investment needed to expand the country's export base. FDI is among the lowest in the region, but the government has embarked on an ambitious program to improve the business climate through fiscal and legislative reforms. The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore has helped diversify generation capacity, and plans to upgrade transmission lines between Albania and Montenegro and Kosovo would help relieve the energy shortages. Also, with help from EU funds, the government is taking steps to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth.

$23.86 billion (2010 est.)

$23.06 billion (2009 est.)

$22.32 billion (2008 est.)

Albania has an informal, and unreported, sector that may be as large as 50% of official GDP

$11.77 billion (2010 est.)

1.06 million (2010 est.)

13.5% (September 2010 est.)

27.7% of GDP (2010 est.)

59.3% of GDP (2010 est.)

59.7% of GDP (2009 est.)

5% (31 December 2010)

5.25% (31 December 2009)

12.46% (31 December 2009 est.)

11.75% (31 December 2008 est.)

$2.566 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.982 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$9.245 billion (31 December 2009)

$9.136 billion (31 December 2008)

$7.701 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$8.231 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products

food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

5.201 billion kWh (2009 est.)

1.884 billion kWh (2009 est.)

5,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)

36,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

748.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)

24,080 bbl/day (2007 est.)

199.1 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

30 million cu m (2008 est.)

849.5 million cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$-1.245 billion (2010 est.)

$-1.845 billion (2009 est.)

$1.55 billion (2010 est.)

$1.08 billion (2009 est.)

textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Italy 50.8%, Kosovo 6.2%, Turkey 5.9%, Greece 5.4%, China 5.5% (2010 est.)

$4.59 billion (2010 est.)

$4.53 billion (2009 est.)

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals

Italy 28%, Greece 13%, China 6.3%, Turkey 5.6%, Germany 5.6% (2010 est.)

$1.992 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.37 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.81 billion (2009)

$1.55 billion (2004)

leke (ALL) per US dollar -

4.162 million (2009)

3 public television networks, one of which transmits by satellite to Albanian-language communities in neighboring countries; more than 60 private television stations operating; many viewers can pick up Italian and Greek TV broadcasts via terrestrial reception; cable TV service is available; 2 public radio networks and roughly 25 private radio stations; several international broadcasters are available (2010)

gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2010)

41 km (on the Bojana River) (2010)

Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Joint Force Command (includes Land, Naval, and Aviation Brigade Commands), Joint Support Command (includes Logistic Command), Training and Doctrine Command (2010)

19 years of age (2004)

1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)

increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and expanding cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens