Everything you need to know about Albania: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more

Albania: New EU and NATO Member

Albania with its capital at Tirana is located in the Southeastern part of Europe. It is surrounded by Greece in the southwest, Montenegro in the north, Kosovo to the northeast and by the Republic of Macedonia in the east. Albania has coastline along the Adriatic Sea on the west and the Ionian Sea on the southwest. This geographical location of Albania is important for the war strategist and was used as base for military actions during both the world wars.

A small country, Albania was always considered as potential candidate for geopolitical scenario and associated with various world organisations like UNO, WTO, NATO etc.

Albania is a country having parliamentary democracy and a transitory economy. The Albanian capital, Tirana, is home to approximately 600,000 of the country's 3.6 million people, and it is also the financial capital of the country. The crumbling infrastructure and corruption made Albania a center for high unemployment and wide spread poverty. Many Albanians migrated from the country in search of work and the money they send remain the important source of revenue. Free-market reforms have opened the country to foreign investment, especially in the development related works like energy and transportation infrastructure. Though, Albania has a developing economy yet it is the poorest country of European Union due to its large informal economy and huge public debt.

Albania Facts:

• National Name: The Republic of Albania
• Capital: Tirana
• Total area : 28,748 sq km
• Population: 3,619,778 (July 2008 est.)
• Currency: Lek
• Languages: Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
• Ethnicity/ Races: Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2%: Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians (1989 est.)
• Religion: Islam 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% (est.)
• GDP (Per Capita):
$5,700 (2006 Est.)
• Life Expectancy:
73 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN)
• Literacy Rate: 87% (2003 est.)

Geographical and Climatic Information on Albania:

Albania is composed of two major regions: a mountainous highland region (north, east, and south) constituting 70% of the land area, and a western coastal lowland region that contains nearly all of the country's agricultural land and is the most densely populated part of Albania.

The topographic location of Albania along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) provides mild temperate, cool, cloudy, wet winters and hot, clear, dry summers. The interior of Albania is cooler and wetter than the costal region of the country.

Culture, Cuisine and Tourist Attractions in Albania:

The Albanian culture has influences of Greek, Roman, Italian, Byzantine, Turkish and Slavic cultures. This amalgamation of various cultures can be seen in the life style, food behaviors, arts, architectures and literature of Albanians.

The main ingredients of Albanian cuisine comprises of fruits, salad, vegetables, meat and seafood. Different ethnic groups have their own style of food preparations. This traditional style of cooking makes Albanian foods renowned across the globe. The main chunk of daily food habit comprises of bread, vegetables, meat and seafood.

Albania is located between the West and East Europe and has the influence of two big civilizations of Greece and Rome. There are numerous ancient cities, ruins and treasures that are visited by tourists round the year. Albania's ancient treasures tour is a way to explore some of the wonders of the country as well as the wonders of world. Travelers from all corners of the world come to Albania to experience a memorable holiday by enjoying its preserved culture, traditions and picturesque landscapes. Albania offers a fine mix of cheap hotels, sporting activities and fine cuisines to tourists from around the world.

Major Sight-seeing Places in Albania include:

•  National Archaeological Museum

•  Kruha Fortress

•  Berat Fortress

•  Onufri Museum

•  Ancient Bylis

•  Gjirokastra Castle

•  Ancient Foenice

•  Famous Bthrotum

•  Orchum, Ancient Apollonia,

•  Duress Amphitheater

•  Archaeological Museum.