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Compare Albania (2002) - Japan (2005)

Compare Albania (2002) z Japan (2005)

 Albania (2002)Japan (2005)
 AlbaniaJapan
Administrative divisions 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Age structure 0-14 years: 28.8% (male 528,678; female 493,531)


15-64 years: 64% (male 1,094,034; female 1,175,024)


65 years and over: 7.2% (male 111,524; female 142,050) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 14.3% (male 9,328,584/female 8,866,772)


15-64 years: 66.2% (male 42,462,533/female 41,942,835)


65 years and over: 19.5% (male 10,435,284/female 14,381,236) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit, pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish
Airports 11 (2001) 174 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002)
total: 143


over 3,047 m: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 37


1,524 to 2,437 m: 39


914 to 1,523 m: 28


under 914 m: 32 (2004 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 (2002)
total: 31


over 3047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
Area total: 28,748 sq km


land: 27,398 sq km


water: 1,350 sq km
total: 377,835 sq km


land: 374,744 sq km


water: 3,091 sq km


note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly smaller than California
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 2001 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but identified serious deficiencies which should be addressed through reforms in the Albanian electoral code. In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1933 Japan occupied Manchuria and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally. In 2005, Japan began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Birth rate 18.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 9.47 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $697 million


expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $368 million (2002 est.)
revenues: $1.401 trillion


expenditures: $1.748 trillion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $71 billion (2004 est.)
Capital Tirana Tokyo
Climate mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Coastline 362 km 29,751 km
Constitution a constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote 3 May 1947
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: none


conventional short form: Japan
Currency lek (ALL) -
Death rate 6.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.95 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $784 million (2000) NA (2002 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador James F. JEFFREY


embassy: Rruga Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana


mailing address: U. S. Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Washington, DC 20521-9510


telephone: [355] (4) 247285


FAX: [355] (4) 232222
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER


embassy: 10-5 Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420


mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004


telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000


FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862


consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo


consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Fatos TARIFA


chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942


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


chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187


consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle


consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Disputes - international the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders in the Kosovo region of Serbia and Montenegro and in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia while continuing to seek regional cooperation; many Albanians illegally transit neighboring states to emigrate to western Europe the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands", occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do), occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $7.9 billion (FY03/04)
Economic aid - recipient ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.) -
Economy - overview Poor and backward by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to revive economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by remittances from abroad of $400-$600 million annually, mostly from Greece and Italy. Agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment and consolidate small plots of land. Severe energy shortages are forcing small firms out of business, increasing unemployment, scaring off foreign investors, and spurring inflation. The government plans to boost energy imports to relieve the shortages. Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically-powerful economy in the world after the US and third-largest economy after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. (Using market exhange rates rather than PPP rates, Japan's economy is larger than China's.) One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. From 2000 to 2003, government efforts to revive economic growth met with little success and were further hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2004, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened. Japan's huge government debt, which totals more than 160% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. A rise in taxes could be viewed as endangering the revival of growth. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots." Internal conflict over the proper way to reform the ailing banking system continues.
Electricity - consumption 5.378 billion kWh (2000) 971 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 100 million kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 1.072 billion kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 4.738 billion kWh (2000) 1.044 trillion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 3%


hydro: 97%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m


highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m


highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Ethnic groups Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Gypsy, Serb, and Bulgarian) (1989 est.)


note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Japanese 99%, others 1% (Korean 511,262, Chinese 244,241, Brazilian 182,232, Filipino 89,851, other 237,914)


note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Exchange rates leke per US dollar - 140.16 (November 2001), 143.71 (2000) 137.69 (1999), 150.63 (1998), 148.93 (1997); note - leke is the plural of lek yen per US dollar - 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003), 125.39 (2002), 121.53 (2001), 107.77 (2000)
Executive branch chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24 July 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Fatos NANO (since 31 July 2002)


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 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 116, for 97, against 19
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)


head of government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI (since 26 April 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister


elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; KOIZUMI's term as leader of the LDP is scheduled to end in September 2006; a new prime minister may be chosen at that time; monarch is hereditary
Exports $340 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) 93,360 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners Italy 71%, Greece 12%, Germany 7%, Yugoslavia 3% (2001) US 22.7%, China 13.1%, South Korea 7.8%, Taiwan 7.4%, Hong Kong 6.3% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description red with a black two-headed eagle in the center white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
GDP purchasing power parity - $14 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49%


industry: 27%


services: 24% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 1.3%


industry: 24.7%


services: 74.1% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $29,400 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2002 est.) 2.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 41 00 N, 20 00 E 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Geography - note strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) strategic location in northeast Asia
Heliports 1 (2002) 15 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 18,000 km


paved: 5,400 km


unpaved: 12,600 km (1998 est.)
total: 1,171,647 km


paved: 903,340 km (including 6,851 km of expressways)


unpaved: 268,307 km (2001)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 4.8%


highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)
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 growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and rapidly expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens -
Imports $1.5 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) 5.449 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials (2001)
Imports - partners Italy 32%, Greece 26%, Turkey 6%, Germany 6%, Bulgaria 2% (2001) China 20.7%, US 14%, South Korea 4.9%, Australia 4.3%, Indonesia 4.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.1%, UAE 4% (2004)
Independence 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)
Industrial production growth rate 9% (2000 est.) 6.6% (2004 est.)
Industries food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods
Infant mortality rate 38.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 3.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 2.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6% (2002 est.) -0.1% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 10 (2001) -
Irrigated land 3,400 sq km (1998 est.) 26,790 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)
Labor force 1.283 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) (2000 est.) 66.97 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 50%, industry and services 50% agriculture 5%, industry 25%, services 70% (2002 est.)
Land boundaries total: 720 km


border countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 21.09%


permanent crops: 4.45%


other: 74.46% (1998 est.)
arable land: 12.19%


permanent crops: 0.96%


other: 86.85% (2001)
Languages Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek Japanese
Legal system has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (140 seats; 100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms)


elections: last held 24 June with subsequent rounds on 8 July, 22 July, 29 July, 19 August 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - PS 41.5%, PD and coalition allies 36.8%, NDP 5.2%, PSD 3.6%, PBDNJ 2.6%, PASH 2.6%, PAD 2.5%; seats by party - PS 73, PD and coalition allies 46, NDP 6, PSD 4, PBDNJ 3, PASH 3, PAD 3, independents 2
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 144 members in multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)


elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009)


election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 7; distribution of seats as of October 2004 - LDP 114, DPJ 84, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 6

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2005)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.1 years


male: 69.27 years


female: 75.14 years (2002 est.)
total population: 81.15 years


male: 77.86 years


female: 84.61 years (2005 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: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (2002)
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Map references Europe Asia
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,423 GRT/20,837 DWT


ships by type: cargo 7, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Honduras 1 (2002 est.)
total: 702 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 10,149,196 GRT/12,680,544 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 136, cargo 29, chemical tanker 23, container 13, liquefied gas 53, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 157, petroleum tanker 160, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 52, vehicle carrier 59


registered in other countries: 2,233 (2005)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $56.5 million (FY02) $45.841 billion (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.49% (FY02) 1% (2004)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 888,086 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 727,406 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 19 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 35,792 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 28 November (1912) Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)
Nationality noun: Albanian(s)


adjective: Albanian
noun: Japanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Japanese
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower negligible mineral resources, fish
Net migration rate -1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 196 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1996) gas 2,719 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 60 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Agrarian Party or PASH [Lufter XHUVELI]; Albanian National Front (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Shptim ROQI]; 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 [Nerltan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Group of Reformist Democrats [Leonard NDOKA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIA]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Teodor LACO]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Genc POLLO]; 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] Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Seiji MAEHARA, leader; Yukio HATOYAMA, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII, chairman; Tadayoshi ICHIDA, secretary general]; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president; Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Junichiro KOIZUMI, president; Tsutomu TAKEBE, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho FUKUSHIMA, chairperson; Seiji MATAICHI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 3,544,841 (July 2002 est.) 127,417,244 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 30% (2001 est.) NA
Population growth rate 1.06% (2002 est.) 0.05% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore Chiba, Kawasaki, Kiire, Kisarazu, Kobe, Mizushima, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Yohohama
Radio broadcast stations AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 215 plus 370 repeaters, FM 89 plus 485 repeaters, shortwave 21 (2001)
Radios 1 million (2001) -
Railways total: 447 km


standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001 est.)
total: 23,577 km (16,519 km electrified)


standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,265 km 1.067-m gauge (13,227 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2004)
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
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 20 years of age; universal
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: excellent domestic and international service


domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind


international: country code - 81; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam) (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 120,000 (2001) 71.149 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 250,000 (2001) 86,658,600 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001) 211 plus 7,341 repeaters


note: in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)
Terrain mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast mostly rugged and mountainous
Total fertility rate 2.27 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 17% officially (2001 est.); may be as high as 30% (2001) 4.7% (2004 est.)
Waterways 43 km


note: includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)
1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2004)
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