1996 Edition

Description

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Location

41 00 N, 20 00 E -- Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Maryland

land area

27,400 sq km

total area

28,750 sq km

Climate

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

Coastline

362 km

Environment

current issues

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

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change

natural hazards

destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern coast

Geographic coordinates

41 00 N, 20 00 E

Geographic note

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

International disputes

the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbian Republic; Albanians in Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to public-sector jobs and representation in government; Albania is involved in negotiations with Greece over border demarcation, the treatment of Albania's ethnic Greek minority, and migrant Albanian workers in Greece

Irrigated land

4,230 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

border countries

Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro)

total

720 km

Land use

arable land

21%

forest and woodland

38%

meadows and pastures

15%

other

22%

permanent crops

4%

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel

Terrain

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

highest point

Maja e Korabit 2,753 m

lowest point

Adriatic Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 34% (male 570,978; female 529,147) 15-64 years: 60% (male 910,873; female 1,049,662) 65 years and over: 6% (male 77,799; female 110,677) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

22.21 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

7.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)

note

in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Infant mortality rate

49.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek

Life expectancy at birth

female

71.17 years (1996 est.)

male

64.91 years

total population

67.92 years

Literacy

age 9 and over can read and write (1955 est.)

female

63%

male

80%

total population

72%

Nationality

adjective

Albanian

noun

Albanian(s)

Net migration rate

-1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

3,249,136 (July 1996 est.)

note

the IMF, working with Albanian government figures, estimates that the population was 3,120,000 in 1993 and that it has fallen since 1990

Population growth rate

1.34% (1996 est.)

Religions

Muslim 70%, Albanian 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

Sex ratio

all ages

0.92 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

2.65 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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; note - some new administrative units may have been created

Capital

Tirane

Constitution

an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April 1991; a draft constitution was rejected by popular referendum in the fall of 1994 and a new draft is pending

Data code

AL

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

Suite 1000, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

chief of mission

Ambassador Lublin DILJA

telephone

[1] (202) 223-4942, 8187

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers was appointed by the president

chief of state

President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April 1992) was elected for a five-year term by the People's Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Aleksander Gabriel MEKSI (since 10 April 1992) was appointed by the president

FAX

[1] (202) 628-7342

[355] (42) 322-22

Flag

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Independence

28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)

International organization participation

BSEC, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, chairman of the Supreme Court is elected by the People's Assembly

Legal system

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Albania

conventional short form

Albania

former

People's Socialist Republic of Albania

local long form

Republika e Shqiperise

local short form

Shqiperia

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

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

note

six members of the Democratic Party defected, making the present seating in the Assembly DP 86, ASP 38, SDP 7, DAP 6, RP 1, UHP 2

Political parties and leaders

there are at least 28 political parties; most prominent are the Albanian Socialist Party (ASP; formerly the Albania Workers Party), Fatos NANO, first secretary; Democratic Party (DP); Albanian Republican Party (RP), Sabri GODO; Omonia (Greek minority party), Sotir QIRJAZATI, first secretary; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Skender GJINUSHI; Democratic Alliance Party (DAP), Neritan CEKA, chairman; Unity for Human Rights Party (UHP), Vasil MELO, chairman; Ecology Party (EP), Namik HOTI, chairman

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Type of government

emerging democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Joseph E. LAKE

embassy

Rruga E. Labinoti 103, Tirane

mailing address

PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624

telephone

[355] (42) 328-75, 335-20

Agriculture

wide range of temperate-zone crops and livestock

Budget

expenditures

$550.4 million, including capital expenditures of $124 million (1994)

revenues

$486.3 million

Currency

1 lek (L) = 100 qintars

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic overview

An extremely poor country by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market economy. The economy rebounded in 1993-95 after a severe depression accompanying the collapse of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991. Stabilization policies - including a strict monetary policy, public sector layoffs, and reduced social services - have improved the government's fiscal situation and reduced inflation. The recovery has been spurred by the remittances of some 20% of the labor force which works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Foreign assistance and humanitarian aid also supported the recovery. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant incomes. Albania's industrial sector ended its five-year, 78% decline in 1995, recording roughly 6% growth. A sharp fall in chromium prices has 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. Now that sanctions on Serbia have been suspended, the falloff in hard currency earnings from smuggling will aggravate unemployment problems. Growth is expected to continue in 1996, but could falter if workers' remittances from Greece are reduced or foreign assistance declines.

Electricity

capacity

1,662,000 kW

consumption per capita

1,219 kWh (1994 est.)

production

3.9 billion kWh

Exchange rates

leke (L) per US$1 - 95.65 (January 1996), 100.00 (January 1995), 99.00 (January 1994), 97.00 (January 1993), 50.00 (January 1992), 25.00 (September 1991)

Exports

$141 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities

asphalt, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco

partners

Italy, US, Greece, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

External debt

$977 million (1994 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.1 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

55%

industry

NA%

services

NA% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita

$1,210 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

6% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium production

Imports

$601 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)

commodities

machinery, consumer goods, grains

partners

Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Industrial production growth rate

6% (1995 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

16% (1994 est.)

Labor force

1.692 million (1994 est.) (including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) by occupation (of those domestically employed): agriculture (nearly all private) 49.5%, private sector 22.2%, state (nonfarm) sector 28.3% (including state-owned industry 7.8%)

Unemployment rate

19% (1994 est.)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $45 million, 2.5% of GDP (1995)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

723,231

males fit for military service

588,304

males reach military age (19) annually

29,340 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 17, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

577,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system

domestic

obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for every village; in 1992, following the fall of the communist government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it to build fences

international

inadequate; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirane exchange to Italy and Greece

Telephones

55,000

Television broadcast stations

9

Televisions

300,000 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

11

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

3

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

2

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

1

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

1

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

2 (1994 est.)

with unpaved runways over 3 047 m

2

Highways

paved

17,450 km

total

18,450 km

unpaved

1,000 km (1991 est.)

Merchant marine

total

11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,967 GRT/76,887 DWT (1995 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991)

Ports

Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Railways

standard gauge

670 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)

total

670 km

Waterways

43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)