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| Location | |
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| Flag | |
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| Short | |
| Capital | tirana |
| Government | Democracy in development |
| Coin | leak (ALL) |
| Surface | 28,748 km² |
| Population | 3.002.859 (2012) |
| Language | Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek |
| Religion | Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% Note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious activities were banned; from 1990 religious activities are allowed again. |
| Electricity | 220V/50Hz (European plug) |
| Call code | 355 |
| Internet TLD | .already |
| Time zone | UTC 1 |
Albania[1] (Albanian: shqipëria) is a small country in the Balkans. It shares its boundaries with Greece, Macedonia , Kosovo and Montenegro.
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tirana
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Blue Eye
Inland
Beach
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Info
In 1990, 44 years of communist rule came to an end and multi-party democracy began. This transition has proved very difficult as corrupt governments tried to deal with high unemployment, minimal infrastructure, widespread crime, political turmoil.
Today, Albania is making progress and EU membership is the goal. Albania signed the SAA in June 2006, taking the first major step towards membership.
In 2009 Albania also became a member of NATO.
History
The area was ruled by Illyrians and Thracians in ancient times and later came under Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman rule. Albania became independent in 1912.
In the first years after the declaration of independence, Albania was bombarded by militias and military actions by several neighboring countries. In January/February 1916, Albania was occupied by Austria-Hungary in the north, and by the Bulgarians in the east of the country. Montenegro began a siege of the city of Shkodër in northern Albania.
At the end of the First World War, the various parties withdrew. The Italians were the last to leave the country in 1922. Albania became a republic in 1925. It was a kingdom from 1928 to 1939, but in the 1930s it became more and more dependent on Italy, until Italy annexed the country in 1939. After 1944, Albania became a satellite state of the Soviet Union, which it broke in 1961 because of the de-Stalinization policy of Nikita Khrushchev. In 1968, Albania became the first and only country during the Cold War to leave the Warsaw Pact and become an ally of communist China, much to the ire of the Soviet Union.
The 1992 elections put an end to the power of the Communist Party and a democratic government was formed. Anarchy broke out in the country in 1997 after the collapse of pyramid funds that drove many investors into complete bankruptcy.
Geography
Albania is one of the smaller countries in Europe. It is rough and mountainous, except for the fertile Adriatic coast, where fruit is grown. Korab (2763 m), on the border with Macedonia, is the highest point in the country.
The main rivers of Albania are the Drin, Mat, Shkumbin, Vijose and Seman, but they are mostly unnavigable. The largest lakes are Lake Shkodër, Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, all partly outside Albania. More than a third of the country consists of forests and swamps, more than a third is pasture and only about a fifth is cultivated.
climate
The coastal climate is typically Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The mountainous interior, especially in the north, has harsh winters and mild summers.
Population
The country's rough and inaccessible terrain has isolated traditional Albania from its neighbors, preserving its ethnic homogeneity. About 95% of the population is ethnic Albanian, 3% is Greek and there are scattered Vlach, Bulgarian, Serb and Roma minorities.
Albania can be considered a quintessentially Balkan country, but it differs from its closest neighbors in a number of ways. The population is fairly homogeneous, Islam is the dominant religion (Albania is the only country in Europe in this respect) and the Albanian language occupies a special position within the Indo-European language family; it has no direct relatives.
The population has grown strongly since 2000 and is increasingly concentrated in the cities.
- Population groups: Albanians (95%), Greeks (3%), Macedonians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Roma, Vlachs
- Population growth: 0.8% (average 1980-2001)
- Illiteracy: men 0.8%, women 1.7%
A large proportion of ethnic Albanians live outside Albania itself. In the first place in Kosovo (Albanian: Kosova), officially part of Serbia until 2008, with which there has been a border dispute for a long time. After the end of the Kosovo War (June 1999), Kosovo was placed under international administration by the UN. This has resulted in autonomy for Kosovo and de facto independence from Serbia. 88% of the inhabitants of Kosovo are Albanian (2000). On February 17, 2008, the Kosovo parliament unilaterally declared its independence in consultation with the United States and the European Parliament. Initially, this led to recognition of the majority of NATO countries and those of the European Union, with a few exceptions. Kosovo has since been recognized by 62 countries.
Also, 25% of the population of Macedonia is ethnic Albanian (2002). In addition, a significant number in Greece (Epirus) and small numbers in Montenegro and Serbia (excluding Kosovo). Since the Turkish conquest, the Arbëresh have lived in southern Italy, also of Albanian descent. The Albanian diaspora in Western Europe and in the New World is extensive.
Albania means "The Land of the White Mountains". The Albanians call their country in their own language shqipëria, which means "land of the eagle". The eagle is also on the flag. The Albanian flag is red with a black eagle.
Regions
Towns
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Other destinations
- butrint — Largest archaeological site in Albania from Roman times. It is located in the southernmost tip of the country, near Greece. Accessible by minibuses from Sarande.
- Gjirokaster — Along with Berat, the most interesting and pleasant cities in Albania. There is a large castle on the hill in the middle of the town that houses an army museum.
- Tomorri — Beautiful mountain ridges in the south of the country, not far from Berat. Good for a few days of mountain walking and climbing. Tomorri rand is most famous with the Bektash Monastery and chapel at the top.
- Albanian Alps, Prokletije — Fantastic views, dramatic rocks, pure nature. But 10 km away from the next village and still half a day on the road...
- Pogradec
Arrive
Passport and visa
By plane
Tirana Airport 1 is the largest airport in Albania. There are currently no flights from the Netherlands or Suriname to Albania. From shutter there is once a week a flight to Tirana, operated by Belleair. You can usually switch in Vienna or Ljubljana. From the airport there is an 'express buss' to Tirana.
By train
By car
By bus
By boat
Travel around
By car
In recent years, considerable progress has been made. Particularly in the southwest, the asphalted roads between the cities are reasonable to good. Especially between the tourist attractions, the roads are generally at least acceptable. However, the roads vary greatly in quality. Driving in Albania is doable for an experienced driver, but you will have to concentrate better than in the Netherlands, because many unexpected things can occur, such as crossing pedestrians or even cattle on the highway, missing manhole covers in the cities, no rules on roundabouts in the inner city, and washed-up stretches of road in the hills. In any case, try to avoid the unpaved back roads (yellow and white on the map), unless you are sure what you are doing. A good road map and a navigation system are not an exaggerated luxury, because cities are not always well indicated on the signs. Keep in mind that a navigation system often indicates the through roads, but no details.
By train
By bus
By boat
Language
It Albanian is an Indo-European language and in that sense is related to many other languages in Europe and relatively easy to learn. Keep in mind that Albanian originated in an isolated area and therefore has many grammatical idiosyncrasies. However, those who learn the language will be surprised by the similarities between the Albanian vocabulary and that of most other European languages.
There is only one Dutch-Albanian dictionary, written by Tuna Prekpalaj. This dictionary is a good introduction, although the more advanced will find the Oxford Albanian-English Dictionary more useful.
Those who want to learn Albanian through self-study can do so with a EuroTalk CD-Rom or via the NHA. Lessons in Albanian are hardly given in the Netherlands and Flanders. Leiden University offers Albanian as a subject (subject to sufficient registrations).
Anyone who decides not to learn the language should know one thing: shaking the head sideways means 'yes', moving the head up and down means 'no'.
To look at
To do
To buy
Cost
Food
Going out
stay overnight
To learn
To work
Safety
Albania is generally considered a safe country. However, especially in the north, occasionally blood feud for, a tradition from earlier centuries.
Health
respect
Contact
The young people speak quite a bit of English, especially in the cities. With the elderly you can often also go with Italian. Learn a few words of Albanian (Faleminderit, po, jo...) is not an exaggerated luxury, however.
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