Guide Note

Albania is a southern European country which shares borders with Greece, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia. It has coasts on the Adriatic Sea and on the Ionian Sea.

In 1912 Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944 and Albania allied itself with the USSR until 1960 and then with China until 1978. In the early 1990s Albania established a Multi-Party Democracy which has faced considerable odds dealing with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and a combative political environment. In April 2008 Albania received an invitation to join NATO and is a potential candidate for membership in the European Union.

Fast Facts

Full Name: The Republic of Albania
Capital: Tirana
Government: Parlimentary Democracy
Population: 3,600,523 (2007 Est.)
Currency: Albanian Lek
Major Religions: Islam, Christianity
Monetary Unit: 1 lek = 100 qindars
Life Expectancy: 73 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN)
Main Exports: Chromium and chrome products, processed foodstuffs
International Dialling Code: +355
Official Language: Albanian
GNI Per Capita: US $2,580 (World Bank, 2006)

Categories

Geography | Countries | European Destinations | Travel

View Note History

Albania

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: Albania
Official Tourism: Albania
Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Albania
Portals to the World: Albania
The CIA World Factbook: Albania Overview
BBC Country Profile: Albania
Wikipedia: Albania

Albania Recent News

Google News: Albania
Local Newspaper: Albania
Local Newspaper: Albania
Albanian Daily News: Albania

Albania Vacation

Official Tourism Site: Discover Albania
Lonely Planet: Albania Overview
Wikitravel: Albanian Travel Guide
World Travel Guide: Albania Overview

Albania Politics

Country Studies: Albania - Government and Politics
Wikipedia: Politics of Albania
Institute For Policy and Legal Studies: Albanian Constitution
European Commission: Albania - Political profile

Albania Government Sites

Official Site: Presidency of the Republic
Official Site: Ministry of Defense
Official Site: Parliament of Albania

Albania International Relations

Official Site: Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Wikipedia: Foreign Relations of Albania
Embassy of the United States: Tirana, Albania
Radio Free Europe: Albania: Prime Minister To Discuss Kosovo With Bush (2007)

Albania Political Issues

Wikipedia: Serbian-Albanian Conflict
Human Right's Watch: Albania: Human Rights Developments (2001)
BBC News: Albania Wakes Up To Green Issues (2007)

Albania Economy

Official Site: Ministry of Finance of Republic of Albania
Wikipedia: Economy of Albania
CIA World Factbook: Albania Economy
World66: Albania Economy

Albania Military

Official Site: Ministry of Defense
Wikipedia: Military of Albania
Wikipedia: Air Force | Naval Defense Forces | Joint Forces Command
CIA World Factbook: Albanian Military

Albania Facts and History

Official Site: Albania History
Wikipedia: Albania History
World Info Zone: Albania Facts
National Geographic: Albania Facts

Albania Maps and Geography

Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

Wikipedia: Geography of Albania
Maps Of The World: Albania

Albania Capital: Tirana

Official Site: Municipality of Tirana
Wikipedia: Tirana
Wikitravel: Tirana Travel Guide
BBC Weather: Tirana Weather

Albania Major Cities

Albania Photos and Videos

Google Image Search: Albania
Flickr: Albania Photos
TrekEarth: Albania Photos
YouTube & Google Video Search: Albania
YouTube: Discover Albania (Time: 07:49)
The Colbert Report: Albania Loves Bush (Time 2:54)

Albania Culture

Official Site: Cultural Activities
Wikipedia: Culture of Albania
Spain Exhange: Albania Culture

Cuisine

Official Tourism Site: Albania Food & Drinks
Wikipedia: Albanian Cuisine
Wikibook: Cookbook: Cuisine of Albania
Alb-History: Albanian Cuisine

Music

Wikipedia: Music of Albania
Music Traditions: Albania Music
Alb Muzika: Albanian Music History

Related Searches

Europe | Adriatic Sea | Greece | Czech Republic | Croatia | Cyprus | Andorra | Belarus | Austria | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Ionian Sea | Macedonia | Serbia | Montenegro | Mediterranean Sea

This page was created by Seradis, a Part Time Guide in the Mahalo Greenhouse (see the original), and curated by Lesliec.
If you'd like to help us create the best spam free search results on the Internet, apply to be a Part Time Guide!