Albania facts
from Microsoft Bookshelf

Albania is predominantly mountainous, with high plateaus and basins in the central and southern regions. The
limited lowlands include areas of rich soil along the coast. This fertile region along the Adriatic Sea has mild, wet
winters and hot, dry summers. In the inland areas seasonal temperature differences are more extreme. Drought-
resistant vegetation grows along the coast. Forests of oak, elm, pine, beech, and birch cover nearly 40 percent of
Albania. Mineral resources include chromium ores, petroleum, copper, and nickel.

Population

Albania's total population (1995 estimate) is 3,390,000. Albanians, who are believed to be descended from the
Illyrians, account for 98 percent of the population. The Ghegs and the Tosks make up the two main branches of the
Albanian people. The chief distinction between them is the dialect of the Albanian language— Gheg or Tosk—
each group speaks. The country's official language is based on the Tosk dialect. Albania was an overwhelmingly
rural country until the 1950s, but now about 37 percent of the people live in urban areas. Islam is the leading
religion, but Albania also has substantial Orthodox and Roman Catholic minorities.

Education and Cultural Activity

Primary education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 15. Cultural life in the 20th
century has been influenced by the Communist societies of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and
China. During the 1960s many Western influences were eliminated. The government now subsidizes activities such
as festivals and folk dancing.

Economy

Although a modern industrial base was established by a series of five-year plans beginning in 1951, Albania remains
one of the poorest and least developed countries in Europe. Economic reforms introduced by the new coalition
government in 1992 provided for the widespread transfer of farmland and state-owned companies and housing to
private ownership, but heavy external debt and high unemployment persist. One-fifth of Albania's land is arable, and
major crops include wheat; melons; sugar beets; corn; potatoes and other vegetables; grapes; olives; cotton; and
tobacco. Mining, lumbering, and fishing are important industries. The monetary unit of Albania is the lek (110 leks
equal U.S.$1; 1993).

Government

The 1991 constitution grants executive power to the president, who is elected by the legislature. The president is
commander in chief of the army, navy, and air force, and appoints the prime minister. The legislature consists of a
parliament with 140 to 150 members. After operating under a one-party system from the 1940s through the 1980s,
Albania adopted a multiparty political system.

History

The Albanians established independent states during the 5th and the 3rd centuries BC. Rome conquered the region
in 168 BC and ruled it for more than five centuries. Beginning in the 4th century AD and continuing over the next
thousand years, various factions invaded Albania. In the 14th century the Ottomans conquered the Albanians, and
the majority of the population, which was previously Christian, converted to Islam. In 1912, after revolts against the
Ottomans, the Albanians proclaimed their independence. From 1925 to 1939 Ahmet Zogu, or King Zog, ruled the
country, introducing widespread reforms but also entering into an alliance with Italy.

Albania's economic dependence on Italy led Italy to occupy Albania during World War II (1939-1945), but the
Albanian Communist party, founded in 1941 with Enver Hoxha as its general secretary, waged war against the
invaders. In 1944, having overcome the Italians and dissenting internal groups, the Communists formed a provisional
government headed by Hoxha. They proclaimed the People's Republic of Albania in 1946. Hoxha soon became
prime minister. Under the Communist regime, all industry, including agriculture, was nationalized.

From 1944 to 1948 Albania's foreign policy was characterized by tense relations with Greece and the West and a
close alliance with Yugoslavia. In 1948 Albania broke with Yugoslavia and aligned itself with the USSR. However,
Albania broke with the USSR in 1961, forming an alliance with China. In 1968 Albania normalized relations with its
neighbors and expanded contacts with many Western and developing nations. After Albania issued several public
condemnations of Chinese foreign policy, China cut off all aid to Albania in 1978, and Hoxha's regime adopted a
strategy of independent economic development.

In 1992 the parliament elected Albania's first non-Communist president, Sali Berisha. The parliament then outlawed
the Albanian Communist party and introduced economic reforms.