Albania

Albania (officially called Republic of Albania; Shqipëria) is an independent republic in Southeastern Europe, with an area of 28748 km2 sqmi. The capital is Tirana, and other important cities are Durrës, Elbasan and Vlora. Over 3 million people live in Albania. The most Albanians are Muslims with 55%, 23% Eastern Orthodox and 15% Roman Catholics.

Albania is next to Kosovo, Montenegro, Greece and Macedonia. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea in the west, and a coast on the Ionian Sea in the southwest. The official language is Albanian. The national anthem is Hymni i Flamurit.

History
Albania was the southern part of Illyria during the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages the Albanians were ruled by many foreign countries, including the Byzantine and Venetian Empires and during the 16th century resistance to the Ottoman Empire's rule was led by the Albanian national hero Skanderberg. After four centuries of Turkish domination, finally in the 20th century an independent Albania was created. In 1939 Albania was conquered by fascist Italy and was part of the Kingdom of Italy until 1943. After World War II Albania became independent again, under communist rule. It was ruled by Enver Hoxha, who died in 1985. Ramiz Alia took over and also later became President when, in 1992, Albania returned to democracy, and it now has friendly relations with the European Union, which it has applied to join.

Divisions
Albania is divided into 12 counties. These counties include 36 districts and 373 municipalities

Cities
This is a list of the largest cities in Albania.



Armed forces
The Albanian Armed Forces were first formed after independence in 1912. Albania reduced the number of active troops from 65,000 in 1988 to 14,500 in 2009. The military now is mostly a small fleet of aircraft and sea vessels.

Geography
Albania has a total area of 28,748 square kilometers. Albania's coastline length is 476 km. It goes along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. On the coast there are mild, wet winters and warm, sunny, and rather dry summers.

70% of the country is mountains. The highest mountain is Korab.

Albania is bordered by Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo, which is a state not recognized by Serbia and some other countries. A short stretch of sea separates Albania from the far southeast of Italy.

Flora and fauna


Although a small country, Albania has a lot of variety in plants and animals. The total number of plants is over 3250 species. There are over 350 bird species, 330 freshwater and marine fish and 80 mammal species. The Golden Eagle is the national symbol of Albania.

Related pages

 * Albania at the Olympics
 * Albania national football team
 * List of rivers of Albania

Other websites

 * National Tourism Organization Albania's official website for travel & tourism information.