1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Coastline
362 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than Maryland
Continental shelf
not specified
Disputes
Kosovo question with Serbia and Montenegro; Northern Epirus question with Greece
Environment
subject to destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern coast
Land area
27,400 km2
Land boundaries
720 km total; Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro)
Land use
arable land 21%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and woodland 38%; other 22%; includes irrigated 1%
Natural resources
crude oil, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel
Note
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
Terrain
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
28,750 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
23 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Albanian 90%, Greeks 8%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)
Infant mortality rate
27 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
1,500,000 (1987); agriculture about 60%, industry and commerce 40% (1986)
Languages
Albanian (Tosk is official dialect), Greek
Life expectancy at birth
71 years male, 78 years female (1992)
Literacy
72% (male 80%, female 63%) age 9 and over can read and write (1955)
Nationality
noun - Albanian(s); adjective - Albanian
Net migration rate
--6 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
Independent Trade Union Federation of Albania; Confederation of Trade Unions
Population
3,285,224 (July 1992), growth rate 1.1% (1992)
Religions
all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice; estimates of religious affiliation - Muslim 70%, Greek Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
Total fertility rate
2.8 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
26 districts (rrethe, singular - rreth); Berat, Dibre, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Kolonje, Kore, Kruje, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Mat, Mirdite, Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar, Tepelene, Tirane, Tropoje, Vlore
Capital
Tirane
Chief of State
President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April 1992)
Constitution
an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April 1991; a new constitution is to be drafted for adoption in 1992
Diplomatic representation
Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim (30 April 1991) Sazan Hyda BEJO; chancery (temporary) at 320 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021; telephone (212) 249-2059 US: Ambassador (vacant); Embassy at Rruga Labinoti 103, room 2921, Tirane (mailing address is APO AE 09624); telephone 355-42-32875; FAX 355-42-32222
Executive branch
president, prime minister of the Council of Ministers, two deputy prime ministers of the Council of Ministers
Flag
red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
Head of Government
Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Aleksander MEKSI (since 10 April 1992)
Independence
28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire); People's Socialist Republic of Albania declared 11 January 1946
Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Legal system
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)
Long-form name
Republic of Albania
Member of
CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
Liberation Day, 29 November (1944)
People's Assembly
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
Political parties and leaders
there are at least 18 political parties; most prominent are the Albanian Socialist Party (ASP), 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; note - in December 1990 then President ALIA allowed new political parties to be formed in addition to the then AWP for the first time since 1944
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
nascent democracy
Economy
Agriculture
arable land per capita among lowest in Europe; over 60% of arable land now in private hands; one-half of work force engaged in farming; wide range of temperate-zone crops and livestock; severe dislocations suffered in 1991
Budget
revenues $1.1 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $70 million (1991 est.)
Currency
lek (plural - leke); 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars
Economic aid
$190 million humanitarian aid, $94 million in loans/guarantees/credits
Electricity
1,690,000 kW capacity; 5,000 million kWh produced, 1,530 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
leke (L) per US$1 - 50 (January 1992), 25 (September 1991)
Exports
$80 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: asphalt, petroleum products, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco partners: Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary
External debt
$500 million (1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
purchasing power equivalent - $2.7 billion, per capita $820; real growth rate --35% (1991 est.)
Imports
$147 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: machinery, machine tools, iron and steel products, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals partners: Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria
Industrial production
growth rate --55% (1991 est.)
Industries
food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, basic metals, hydropower
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
100% (1991 est.)
Overview
The Albanian economy, already providing the lowest standard of living in Europe, contracted sharply in 1991, with most industries producing at only a fraction of past levels and an unemployment rate estimated at 40%. For over 40 years, the Stalinist-type economy has operated on the principle of central planning and state ownership of the means of production. Albania began fitful economic reforms during 1991, including the liberalization of prices and trade, the privatization of shops and transport, and land reform. These reform measures were crippled, however, by the widespread civil disorder that accompanied the collapse of the Communist state. Following their overwhelming victory in the 22 March 1991 elections, the new Democratic government announced a program of shock therapy to stabilize the economy and establish a market economy. In an effort to expand international ties, Tirane has reestablished diplomatic relations with the former Soviet Union and the US and has joined the IMF and World Bank. The Albanians have also passed legislation allowing foreign investment. Albania possesses considerable mineral resources and, until 1990, was largely self-sufficient in food; however, the breakup of cooperative farms in 1991 and general economic decline forced Albania to rely on foreign aid to maintain adequate supplies. Available statistics on Albanian economic activity are rudimentary and subject to an especially wide margin of error.
Unemployment rate
40% (1992 est.)
Communications
Airports
12 total, 10 usable; more than 5 with permanent-surface runways; more than 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Highways
16,700 km total; 6,700 km highways, 10,000 km forest and agricultural cart roads (1990)
Inland waterways
43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)
Merchant marine
11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,886 GRT/76,449 DWT
Pipelines
crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1988)
Ports
Durres, Sarande, Vlore
Railroads
543 km total; 509 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
Telecommunications
inadequate service; 15,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 13 AM, 1 TV; 514,000 radios, 255,000 TVs (1987 est.)
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Troops
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - 1.0 billion leks, NA% of GNP (FY90); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 886,032; 731,072 fit for military service; 33,028 reach military age (19) annually