Albania

Republic of Albania
*Republika e Shqipërisë*
Republic of Albania Republika e Shqipërisë
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: "Albanians place their faith in Albania"
	Anthem: Hymni i Flamurit; ("Hymn to the Flag")
Capital and largest city	Tirana
Official languages	Albanian
Government	Emerging democracy
• President	Alfred Moisiu
• Prime Minister	Sali Berisha
Independence From Ottoman Empire
• Date	November 28, 1912
• Water (%)	4.7
Population
• 2006 estimate	3,581,656 (134th)
GDP (PPP)	2003 estimate
• Total	$15.7 billion (112th)
• Per capita	$4,900 (105th)
HDI (2003)	0.780; high (72nd)
Currency	Lek (ALL)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code	355
ISO 3166 code	AL
Internet TLD	.al

The Republic of Albania, (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë, IPA [ɾɛˈpubliˌka ɛ ˌʃcipəˈɾis]) is a Balkan country in southeastern Europe. It borders Montenegro in the northwest, Kosovo in the north, the Republic of Macedonia in the east, and Greece in the south; it has a coast on the Adriatic Sea in the west, and a coast on the Ionian Sea in the southwest. Despite having a troubled history, since the 1990s the country has been classified as an emerging democracy.

History

Albanians are believed to be the decendants of Illyrians. Historians disagree over the origin of the Illyrians. Some of them maintain that the Illyrians descended from the pre-Indo-European Pelasgians, while most scholars place them in the later wave of Indo-European invasions. Their presence can be traced back to the formulation of their political structure in the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. Excellent metal craftsmen and fierce warriors, the Illyrians formed warlord-based kingdoms that fought amongst themselves for most of their history. Only during the 6th century did the Illyrians venture significant raids against their immediate neighbours: the kingdom of the Molossians in southern Albania, the kingdom of Macedon, and the kingdom of Paionia.

Roman and Byzantine Rule

After being conquered by the Roman Empire, Illyria was reorganized as a Roman province, Illyricum, later divided into the provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia, the lands comprising Albania mostly being included in Dalmatia. Later, the Byzantine Empire governed the region. It was also ruled by the Bulgarian and Serbian Empire.

Ottoman Rule

Statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Skanderbeg is considered the national hero of Albania

In the middle ages, the name Albania (see Origin and history of the name Albania) began to be increasingly applied to the region now comprising the nation of Albania. From 1443 to 1468 Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg led a successful resistance against the invading Ottomans. After the death of Skanderbeg, resistance continued until 1478, although with only moderate success. The loyalties and alliances created and nurtured by Skanderbeg faltered and fell apart, and the Ottomans conquered the territory of Albania shortly after the fall of Kruje castle. Albania then became part of the Ottoman Empire. Following this, many Albanians fled to neighboring Italy, mostly to Calabria and Sicily. The majority of the Albanian population that remained converted to Islam. They would remain a part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912.

Effects of the Balkan Wars

After the Second Balkan War, the Ottomans were removed from Albania and there was a possibility of the lands being absorbed by Serbia, and the southern tip by Greece. This decision angered the Italians who did not want Serbia to have an extended coastline, and it angered the Germans who wanted to build a railway to reach the Orient. Germany then held discussions with Russia and with Greece. Eventually, it was decided that the country should not be divided but instead consolidated into the Principality of Albania under a German prince, William of Wied. When the German prince was expelled by the Albanian people after 6 months as the "King of Albania", Great Britain, France, and Italy, as members of the League of Nations, wanted to divide the territory once and for all. Intervention by United States president Woodrow Wilson vetoed the vote and allowed Albania to retain its status. From 1928, the country was ruled by King Zog I.

World War II and Enver Hoxha Rule

File:Enver.jpg

Enver Hoxha

Italy invaded Albania on 7 April 1939, meeting little resistance, and took control of the country. Albanian communists and nationalists actively fought a partisan war against the Italian and German invasions in World War II. The socialists (most often called communists) took over after World War II. In November 1944 the communists gained control of the government under the leader of the resistance, Enver Hoxha. The Communist Party was created on November 8, 1941 with the help of Bolshevik Communist Parties.

For the many decades under his domination, Hoxha created and destroyed relationships with Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and China. The country was isolated, first from the West (Western Europe, North America and Australasia) and later even from the communist East.

The Fall of Communism, and Democratic Albania

In 1985, Hoxha died and Ramiz Alia took his place. Initially, Alia tried hard to follow in Hoxha's footsteps, but in Eastern Europe changes had already started: Mikhail Gorbachev had appeared in the Soviet Union with new policies (glasnost and perestroika). The Albanian totalitarian regime was under pressure from the US, Europe, and the anger and despair of its own people. After Nicolae Ceauşescu (the communist leader of Romania) was executed in a revolution in 1989, Alia signed the United Nations Helsinki Agreement (which had already been signed by many other countries in 1975) that respected some human rights. He also allowed pluralism, and even though his party won the election of 1991 it was clear that change would not be stopped. In 1992 general elections were held again and won by the new Democratic Party with 62% of the votes. Alia resigned and Sali Berisha was the first post-communist president elected.

In the general elections of June, 1996 the Democratic Party tried to win an absolute majority and manipulated the results ^{[citation needed]}, winning over 85% of parliamentary seats. In 1997 an epidemic of pyramid schemes sent shockwaves through the entire country's economy, which resulted in widespread riots. Police stations and military bases were looted of millions of Kalashnikovs and other weapons. Anarchy prevailed, and many cities were controlled by militia and even-less organized armed citizens. Even US military advisors left the country for their own safety. The government of Aleksander Meksi resigned and a government of national unity was built. In response to the anarchy, the Socialist Party won the early elections of 1997. Berisha resigned as president.

However, stability was far from being restored in the years after the 1997 riots. The power feuds raging inside the Socialist Party led to a series of short-lived Socialist governments. The country was flooded with refugees from neighboring Kosovo in 1998 and 1999 during the Kosovo War. In June 2002, a compromise candidate, Alfred Moisiu, a former general, was elected to succeed President Rexhep Meidani. Parliamentary elections in July, 2005 brought back to power Sali Berisha, Leader of the Democratic Party, mostly owing to Socialist infighting and a series of corruption scandals ^{[citation needed]} plaguing the government of Fatos Nano.

Since 1990 Albania has been diplomatically oriented towards the West—it was accepted to the Council of Europe and has requested membership in NATO. The workforce of Albania has continued to migrate to Greece, Italy, Germany and other parts of Europe, and North America.

Geography

Albania consists of mostly hilly and mountainous terrain, with the highest mountain, Korab in the district of Dibra reaching up to 2,753 metres (9,032 ft). The country mostly has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. Besides the capital city of Tirana, with 800,000 inhabitants, the principal cities are Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër, Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Korçë and Kukës. In Albanian grammar a word can have indefinite and definite forms, and this also applies to city names: so both Tiranë and Tirana, Shkodër and Shkodra are used.

Demographics

Unusual among Balkan nations, indeed anywhere in the world, is that Albania is a homogeneous country with only small minorities. Most of the population is ethnically Albanian (95% according to the CIA World Factbook Feb 2005). A Greek minority (3% of the population) exists. Many ethnic Albanians also live in the bordering countries of Serbia (around 2,000,000; of that, around 1,800,000 in Kosovo), Montenegro (around 50,000), and the Republic of Macedonia (around 700,000) although a lot of Albanians believe that the number might be higher. Also a small number of ethnic Albanians live in Greece and are called Çam or Cham. Claims over Çam numbers have ranged from 20,000 to over 200,000 but are believed to be underestimated because Athens has not considered the local Albanians to be a separate ethnic group.[1] Since 1991, large numbers of Albanians have emigrated to Greece, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and other European countries.

File:Ethem bey xhami.jpg

Et'hem Bey Mosque in central Tirana

The dominant language is Albanian, although many Albanians are fluent in English, Greek and Italian.

Religion

At the height of the Ottoman occupation, the Albanians were mostly Muslim (70%), but during the communist era religion was prohibited. The Albanian government proclaimed Albania the only officially atheistic country in the world. After the fall of the Communist Regime in 1989–1990, religions were reinstated. According to 1939 statistics, the Albanian Orthodox (20%) and Catholic Church (10%) would be the other main religions in Albania. 20% of the total Muslim population is Bektashi, a Turkish Sufi sect that came to Albania through the Ottoman Janissaries. Religious fanaticism has never been a serious problem, with people from different religions living in peace and even inter-marrying.^{[citation needed]} Today, only a small fraction of Albanians are believed to be active practioners of religion, although more up-to-date statistics on religion are unavailable.

Economy

Despite many institutional and legislative problems, Tirana is commited to joining the EU. In June 2006, the country signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement as a first step toward joining the European Union. EU ministers urged Albania to push ahead with reforms, focusing on: press freedom, property rights, institution building, respect for ethnic minorities and observing international standards in municipal elections.

Albania is one of the poorest European states, with a GDP per capita half that of Bulgaria and almost one tenth that of the UK. It is poorly linked by road and rail to its neighbours and between its own cities. In Albania, half of the economically-active population are engaged in agriculture and a fifth works abroad.

Albania's coastline on the Ionian Sea, especially near the Greek tourist island of Corfu, is becoming increasingly popular with tourists due to its relatively unspoiled nature and its beaches. The tourism industry is still in its infancy but is growing rapidly.

Growth was strong 2003–05, while inflation, which peaked at 20% in the late nineties, has been tamed.

GDP (purchasing power parity): 18.05 billion Note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP. (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate): 8.741 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (real growth rate): 6% (2005 est.)

GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 23.6%; industry: 20.5%; services: 55.9% (2005 est.)

Exports: 708 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports: 2.473 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

External Debt: 1.41 billion (2003 est.)

Defense Expenditure: (n/a)

Children in Labour Force: 1% of children aged 10–14 work