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Compare Albania (2001) - Lebanon (2006)

Compare Albania (2001) z Lebanon (2006)

 Albania (2001)Lebanon (2006)
 AlbaniaLebanon
Administrative divisions 36 districts (rrethe, singular - rreth) and 1 municipality* (bashki); Berat, Bulqize, Delvine, Devoll (Bilisht), Diber (Peshkopi), Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Has (Krume), Kavaje, Kolonje (Erseke), Korce, Kruje, Kucove, Kukes, Kurbin, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Malesi e Madhe (Koplik), Mallakaster (Ballsh), Mat (Burrel), Mirdite (Rreshen), Peqin, Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar (Corovode), Tepelene, Tirane (Tirana), Tirane* (Tirana), Tropoje (Bajram Curri), Vlore

note:
administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakkar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beyrouth, Beqaa, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye
Age structure 0-14 years:
29.53% (male 536,495; female 500,026)

15-64 years:
63.48% (male 1,073,351; female 1,155,115)

65 years and over:
6.99% (male 107,476; female 138,021) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 26.5% (male 523,220/female 502,372)


15-64 years: 66.6% (male 1,235,915/female 1,342,540)


65 years and over: 7% (male 122,155/female 147,848) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats
Airports 11 (2000 est.) 7 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total: 5


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
8

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
2

under 914 m:
4 (2000 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Area total:
28,748 sq km

land:
27,398 sq km

water:
1,350 sq km
total: 10,400 sq km


land: 10,230 sq km


water: 170 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut
Background In 1990 Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as corrupt governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, a dilapidated infrastructure, widespread gangsterism, and disruptive political opponents. International observers judged local elections in 2000 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but serious deficiencies remain to be corrected before the the 2001 parliamentary elections. Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out a region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A 15-year civil war (1976-1991) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections, most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shi'a organization listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Damascus justified its continued military presence in Lebanon by citing Beirut's requests and the failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the constitutional reforms in the Ta'if Accord. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000, however, encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The passage of UNSCR 1559 in early October 2004 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - further emboldened Lebanese groups opposed to Syria's presence in Lebanon. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"). Syria finally withdrew the remainder of its military forces from Lebanon in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a two-thirds majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son.
Birth rate 19.01 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 18.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$393 million

expenditures:
$676 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
revenues: $4.953 billion


expenditures: $6.595 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Tirana name: Beirut


geographic coordinates: 33 53 N, 35 30 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Coastline 362 km 225 km
Constitution a new constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Albania

conventional short form:
Albania

local long form:
Republika e Shqiperise

local short form:
Shqiperia

former:
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
conventional long form: Lebanese Republic


conventional short form: Lebanon


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah


local short form: Lubnan


former: Greater Lebanon
Currency lek (ALL) -
Death rate 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1 billion (2000) $26 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph LIMPRECHT

embassy:
Rruga Elbasanit Labinoti 103, Tirana

mailing address:
PSC 59, Box 100(A), APO AE 09624

telephone:
[355] (42) 32875, 33520

FAX:
[355] (42) 32222
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey D. FELTMAN


embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Akwar facing the Municipality)


mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE 09836-0002; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070


telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600


FAX: [961] (4) 544136
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Petrit BUSHATI

chancery:
2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 223-4942

FAX:
[1] (202) 628-7342
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)


chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6320


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324


consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles
Disputes - international the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders but has downplayed them to further its primary foreign policy goal of regional cooperation; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Yugoslavia; Albanians in The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to public-sector jobs, and representation in government Lebanese Government claims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978
Economic aid - recipient $NA; aid for energy from China, Germany, Norway (2000) $2.2 billion received (2003), out of the $4.2 billion in soft loans pledged at the November 2002 Paris II Aid Conference
Economy - overview Poor 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 end of the previous centrally planned system in 1990 and 1991. However, a weakening of government resolve to maintain stabilization policies in the election year of 1996 contributed to renewal of inflationary pressures, spurred by the budget deficit which exceeded 12% of GDP. The collapse of financial pyramid schemes in early 1997 - which had attracted deposits from a substantial portion of Albania's population - triggered severe social unrest which led to more than 1,500 deaths, widespread destruction of property, and a 7% drop in GDP. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to revive economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by remittances from some 20% of the labor force that works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant incomes. In 1998, Albania recovered the 7% drop in GDP of 1997 and pushed ahead by 8% in 1999 and by 7.5% in 2000. International aid helped defray the high costs of receiving and returning refugees from the Kosovo conflict. Privatization scored some successes in 2000, but other reforms lagged. The 1975-91 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises. In November 2002, the government met with international donors at the Paris II conference to seek bilateral assistance in restructuring its massive domestic debt at lower interest rates. Substantial receipts from donor nations stabilized government finances in 2003, but did little to reduce the debt, which stands at nearly 170% of GDP. In 2004 the HARIRI government issued Eurobonds in an effort to manage maturing debt. The downturn in economic activity that followed the assassination of Rafiq al-HARIRI has eased, but has yet to be reversed. Tourism remains below the level of 2004. The new Prime Minister, Fuad SINIORA, has pledged to push ahead with economic reform, including privatization and more efficient government. The Core Group of nations has announced plans to hold a Donor's Conference in early 2006 to assist the government of Lebanon in restructuring its debt and increasing foreign investment.
Electricity - consumption 5.379 billion kWh (1999) 10.67 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 100 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 600 million kWh (2000) 750 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 5.332 billion kWh (1999) 10.67 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
3.81%

hydro:
96.19%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Adriatic Sea 0 m

highest point:
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m


highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups 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)
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%


note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians
Exchange rates leke per US dollar - 146.08 (December 2000),143.71 (2000) 137.69 (1999), 150.63 (1998), 148.93 (1997), 104.50 (1996); note - leke is the plural of lek Lebanese pounds per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003), 1,507.5 (2002), 1,507.5 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state:
President of the Republic Rexhep MEIDANI (since 24 July 1997)

head of government:
Prime Minister Ilir META (since 29 October 1999)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president

elections:
president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president

election results:
Rexhep MEIDANI elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 122, for 110, against 3, abstained 2, invalid 7
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)


head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)


cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted 96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim


election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against, 10 abstentions
Exports $310 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper
Exports - partners Italy 67%, Greece 15%, Germany 5%, Austria 2%, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2% (2000) Syria 25.3%, UAE 11.4%, Switzerland 8.1%, Turkey 6%, Saudi Arabia 6% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description red with a black two-headed eagle in the center three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $10.5 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
55%

industry:
24%

services:
21% (2000)
agriculture: 12%


industry: 21%


services: 67% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 7.5% (2000 est.) 0.1% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 41 00 N, 20 00 E 33 50 N, 35 50 E
Geography - note strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
18,000 km

paved:
5,400 km

unpaved:
12,600 km (1998 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and rapidly expanding in Europe cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption
Imports $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco
Imports - partners Italy 37%, Greece 28%, Turkey 6%, Germany 6%, Bulgaria 3% (2000) Italy 11.1%, Syria 10.7%, France 9.2%, Germany 6.5%, China 5.4%, US 5.3%, UK 4.4%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2005)
Independence 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
Industrial production growth rate 9% (2000 est.) NA%
Industries food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower banking, tourism, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating
Infant mortality rate 39.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 23.72 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.34 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 20.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1% (2000 est.) 2.4% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACCT (associate), BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 7 (2000) -
Irrigated land 3,410 sq km (1993 est.) 1,040 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)
Labor force 1.692 million (including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) (1994 est.) 2.6 million


note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 50%, industry and services 50% agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total:
720 km

border countries:
Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Yugoslavia 287 km
total: 454 km


border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Land use arable land:
21%

permanent crops:
5%

permanent pastures:
15%

forests and woodland:
38%

other:
21% (1993 est.)
arable land: 16.35%


permanent crops: 13.75%


other: 69.9% (2005)
Languages Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian
Legal system has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (155 seats; most members are elected by direct popular vote and some by proportional vote for four-year terms)

elections:
last held 29 June 1997 (next held 24 June 2001, 2nd round 8 July 2001)

election results:
percent of vote by party - PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%, PSD 2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%, PDK 1.00%, PBSD 0.84%; seats by party - PS 101, PD 27, PSD 8, PBDNJ 4, PBK 3, PAD 2, PR 2, PLL 2, PDK 1, PBSD 1, PUK 1, independents 3
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held 2009)


election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.83 years

male:
69.01 years

female:
74.87 years (2001 est.)
total population: 72.88 years


male: 70.41 years


female: 75.48 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 9 and over can read and write

total population:
93% (1997 est.)

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 87.4%


male: 93.1%


female: 82.2% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria
Map references Europe Middle East
Maritime claims continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm
Merchant marine total:
9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,797 GRT/26,324 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 9 (2000 est.)
total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 150,598 GRT/178,295 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, livestock carrier 10, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 3, Syria 1)


registered in other countries: 59 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Barbados 1, Cambodia 6, Comoros 6, Egypt 2, Georgia 7, Honduras 1, North Korea 6, Liberia 2, Malta 10, Mongolia 1, Panama 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Syria 7, unknown 2) (2006)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army, Navy, and Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $42 million (FY99) $540.6 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (FY99) 3.1% (2004)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
870,768 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
712,763 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 19 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
35,792 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 28 November (1912) Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Nationality noun:
Albanian(s)

adjective:
Albanian
noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Lebanese
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; drought dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land
Net migration rate -3.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991) gas 43 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders Albanian National Front (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Abaz ERMENJI]; Albanian Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Albanian Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albania Workers Party) [Fatos NANO, chairman]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Zef BUSHATI]; Democratic Alliance or PAD [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Group of Reformist Democrats [Leonard NDOKA]; Liberal Union Party [Teodor LACO]; note - Teodor LACO of the Liberal Union Party was leader of the Social Democratic Union of Albania or PBSD; Movement of Legality Party or PLL [Nderim KUPI]; OMONIA [Vagjelis DULES]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQUIRI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO, chairman] Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD]; Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet Shewan Gathering [a grouping with no individual leader]; Syrian National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli Independent Bloc [a grouping with no individual leader]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
Population 3,510,484 (July 2001 est.) 3,874,050 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 19.6% (1996 est.) 28% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 0.88% (2001 est.) 1.23% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore -
Radio broadcast stations AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 2 (1999) AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios 810,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
447 km

standard gauge:
447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)
total: 401 km


standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m


narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m


note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)
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
Muslim 59.7% (Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant), other 1.3%


note: 17 religious sects recognized
Sex ratio at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female

total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
Telephone system general assessment:
Albania has the poorest telephone service in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100 inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service

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 Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete


domestic: two commercial wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies


international: country code - 961; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean) (erratic operations); coaxial cable to Syria; 3 submarine coaxial cables
Telephones - main lines in use 87,000 (1997) 990,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 3,100 (1999) 990,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 9 (plus 264 repeaters) (1995) 15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Total fertility rate 2.32 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 16% (2000 est.) officially; may be as high as 25% 18% (1997 est.)
Waterways 43 km

note:
includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)
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