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Compare Albania (2001) - Southern Ocean (2002)

Compare Albania (2001) z Southern Ocean (2002)

 Albania (2001)Southern Ocean (2002)
 AlbaniaSouthern Ocean
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)
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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.)
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Agriculture - products wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products -
Airports 11 (2000 est.) -
Airports - with paved runways total:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
3 (2000 est.)
-
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.)
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Area total:
28,748 sq km

land:
27,398 sq km

water:
1,350 sq km
total: 20.327 million sq km


note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly more than twice the size of the US
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. A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).
Birth rate 19.01 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Budget revenues:
$393 million

expenditures:
$676 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
-
Capital Tirana -
Climate mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter
Coastline 362 km 17,968 km
Constitution a new constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote -
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
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Currency lek (ALL) -
Death rate 6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Debt - external $1 billion (2000) -
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
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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
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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 Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west
Economic aid - recipient $NA; aid for energy from China, Germany, Norway (2000) -
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. Fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July to 30 June) landed 112,934 metric tons, of which 87% was krill and 11% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and antarctic toothfish. In the 2000-01 antarctic summer 12,248 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 14,762 the previous year.
Electricity - consumption 5.379 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - exports 100 million kWh (1999) -
Electricity - imports 600 million kWh (2000) -
Electricity - production 5.332 billion kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
3.81%

hydro:
96.19%

nuclear:
0%

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

highest point:
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench


highest point: sea level 0 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish


note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)


note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north
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)
-
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 -
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
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Exports $310 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) -
Exports - commodities textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco -
Exports - partners Italy 67%, Greece 15%, Germany 5%, Austria 2%, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2% (2000) -
Fiscal year calendar year -
Flag description red with a black two-headed eagle in the center -
GDP purchasing power parity - $10.5 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
55%

industry:
24%

services:
21% (2000)
-
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 7.5% (2000 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 41 00 N, 20 00 E 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica, and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
Geography - note strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
18,000 km

paved:
5,400 km

unpaved:
12,600 km (1998 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share 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 -
Imports $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) -
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals -
Imports - partners Italy 37%, Greece 28%, Turkey 6%, Germany 6%, Bulgaria 3% (2000) -
Independence 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) -
Industrial production growth rate 9% (2000 est.) -
Industries food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower -
Infant mortality rate 39.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) -
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1% (2000 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 -
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 7 (2000) -
Irrigated land 3,410 sq km (1993 est.) -
Judicial branch Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) -
Labor force 1.692 million (including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) (1994 est.) -
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 50%, industry and services 50% -
Land boundaries total:
720 km

border countries:
Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Yugoslavia 287 km
-
Land use arable land:
21%

permanent crops:
5%

permanent pastures:
15%

forests and woodland:
38%

other:
21% (1993 est.)
-
Languages Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek -
Legal system 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
-
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.83 years

male:
69.01 years

female:
74.87 years (2001 est.)
-
Literacy definition:
age 9 and over can read and write

total population:
93% (1997 est.)

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
-
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica
Map references Europe Antarctic Region
Maritime claims continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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.)
-
Military branches Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $42 million (FY99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.5% (FY99) -
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) -
Nationality noun:
Albanian(s)

adjective:
Albanian
-
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; drought huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs, squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes
Net migration rate -3.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -
Pipelines crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991) -
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] -
Political pressure groups and leaders NA -
Population 3,510,484 (July 2001 est.) -
Population below poverty line 19.6% (1996 est.) -
Population growth rate 0.88% (2001 est.) -
Ports and harbors Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica


note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers (see Article 7)
Radio broadcast stations AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 2 (1999) -
Radios 810,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
447 km

standard gauge:
447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)
-
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
-
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.)
-
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory -
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
-
Telephones - main lines in use 87,000 (1997) -
Telephones - mobile cellular 3,100 (1999) -
Television broadcast stations 9 (plus 264 repeaters) (1995) -
Terrain mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep - its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Total fertility rate 2.32 children born/woman (2001 est.) -
Transportation - note - Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal
Unemployment rate 16% (2000 est.) officially; may be as high as 25% -
Waterways 43 km

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