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Compare Albania (2003) - World (2005)

Compare Albania (2003) z World (2005)

 Albania (2003)World (2005)
 AlbaniaWorld
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 271 nations, dependent areas, and other entities
Age structure 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 520,714; female 486,911)


15-64 years: 64.6% (male 1,115,887; female 1,196,477)


65 years and over: 7.3% (male 115,754; female 146,462) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 27.8% (male 919,726,623; female 870,468,158)


15-64 years: 64.9% (male 2,117,230,183; female 2,066,864,970)


65 years and over: 7.3% (male 207,903,775; female 263,627,270)


note: some countries do not maintain age structure information, thus a slight discrepancy exists between the total world population and the total for world age structure (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products -
Airports 12 (2002) 49,973 (2004)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
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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)
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Area total: 28,748 sq km


land: 27,398 sq km


water: 1,350 sq km
total: 510.072 million sq km


land: 148.94 million sq km


water: 361.132 million sq km


note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland land area about 16 times the size of the US
Background Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 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 legislative elections in 2001 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but identified serious deficiencies that should be addressed through reforms in the Albanian electoral code. Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war).
Birth rate 18.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 20.15 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $697 million


expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $368 million (2002 est.)
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Capital Tirana -
Climate mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones form a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
Coastline 362 km 356,000 km


note: 98 nations and other entities are islands that border no other countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Baker Island, Barbados, Bassas da India, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, Europa Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Greenland, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island, Iceland, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island, Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Juan de Nova Island, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Isle of Man, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka, Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tromelin Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and Futuna, Taiwan
Constitution a 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 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 8.78 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $784 million (2000) $12.7 trillion (2004 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
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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
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Disputes - international the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside its borders in the Kosovo region of Serbia and Montenegro, and in the northern Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, while continuing to seek regional cooperation; some outside ethnic Albanian groups voice union with Albania stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 325 international land boundaries separate the 192 independent states and 73 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities; ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states into separate political entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries; maritime states have claimed limits and have so far established over 130 maritime boundaries and joint development zones to allocate ocean resources and to provide for national security at sea; boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; most disputes over the alignment of political boundaries are confined to short segments and are today less common and less hostile than borderland, resource, and territorial disputes; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries, however, encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation around the world; disputes over islands at sea or in rivers frequently form the source of territorial and boundary conflict; other sources of contention include access to water and mineral (especially petroleum) resources, fisheries, and arable land; nonetheless, most nations cooperate to clarify their international boundaries and to resolve territorial and resource disputes peacefully; regional discord directly affects the sustenance and welfare of local populations, often leaving the world community to cope with resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, deforestation, and desertification
Economic aid - recipient ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.) $154 billion official development assistance (ODA) (2004)
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 spur economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by remittances from abroad of $400-$600 million annually, mostly from Greece and Italy; this helps offset the sizable trade deficit. 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. In addition, the government is moving to improve the poor national road network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. Global output rose by 4.9% in 2004, led by China (9.1%), Russia (6.7%), and India (6.2%). The other 14 successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong performers, in the 7% range of growth. Growth results posted by the major industrial countries varied from a small gain in Italy (1.3%) to a strong gain by the United States (4.4%). The developing nations also varied in their growth results, with many countries facing population increases that erode gains in output. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, notably the European Union. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of 75 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuate a further growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued into 2005.
Electricity - consumption 5.898 billion kWh (2001) 14.28 trillion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - exports 221 million kWh (2001) 500.8 billion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - imports 1.2 billion kWh (2001) 497.6 billion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - production 5.289 billion kWh (2001) 15.29 trillion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 2.9%


hydro: 97.1%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
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Elevation extremes lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m


highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m


note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean


highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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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)
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Exchange rates leke per US dollar - NA (2002), 143.49 (2001), 143.71 (2000), 137.69 (1999), 150.63 (1998) -
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
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Exports NA (2001) 693.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Exports - partners Italy 76.6%, Germany 5.6%, Greece 2.7% (2002) US 15.7%, Germany 7.7%, China 5.4%, France 5.1%, UK 5.1%, Japan 4.5% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year -
Flag description red with a black two-headed eagle in the center -
GDP purchasing power parity - $15.69 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49%


industry: 27%


services: 24% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 4%


industry: 32%


services: 64% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.3% (2002 est.) 4.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 41 00 N, 20 00 E -
Geography - note strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13-billion-year age estimated for the universe
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways total: 18,000 km


paved: 5,400 km


unpaved: 12,600 km (2000)
total: 32,345,165 km


paved: 19,403,061 km


unpaved: 12,942,104 km (2002)
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 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 cocaine: worldwide, coca is grown on an estimated 173,450 hectares - almost exclusively in South America with 70% in Colombia; potential cocaine production during 2003 is estimated at 728 metric tons (or 835 metric tons of export quality cocaine); coca eradication programs continue in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru; 376 metric tons of export quality cocaine are documented to have been seized in 2003, and 26 metric tons disrupted (jettisoned or destroyed); consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been 800 metric tons


opiates: cultivation of opium poppy occurred on an estimated 137,944 hectares in 2003 - mostly in Southwest and Southeast Asia - with 44% in Afghanistan, potentially produced 3,775 metric tons of opium, which conceivably could be converted to the equivalent of 429 metric tons of pure heroin; opium eradication programs have been undertaken in Afghanistan, Burma, Colombia, Mexico, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam
Imports NA (2001) 718.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Imports - partners Italy 39.4%, Greece 24.5%, Turkey 6%, Germany 5% (2002) Germany 9.4%, US 9.3%, China 8.5%, Japan 6.5%, France 4.5% (2004)
Independence 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) -
Industrial production growth rate 9% (2000 est.) 3% (2003 est.)
Industries food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Infant mortality rate total: 37.28 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 39.68 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 34.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 50.11 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 52.1 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 48.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6% (2002 est.) developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 60% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in several Third World countries (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, 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, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO -
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 10 (2001) -
Irrigated land 3,400 sq km (1998 est.) 2,714,320 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) -
Labor force 1.283 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) (2000 est.) NA
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, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km
the land boundaries in the world total 250,472 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries


note: 43 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked
Land use arable land: 21.09%


permanent crops: 4.45%


other: 74.46% (1998 est.)
arable land: 10.73%


permanent crops: 1%


other: 88.27% (2001)
Languages Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek Chinese, Mandarin 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Hindi 2.82%, Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese 1.99%, German, Standard 1.49%, Chinese, Wu 1.21% (2004 est.)


note: percents are for "first language" speakers only
Legal system has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction all members of the UN are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
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 2001 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
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Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.37 years


male: 69.53 years


female: 75.42 years (2003 est.)
total population: 64.33 years


male: 62.73 years


female: 66.04 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 9 and over can read and write


total population: 86.5%


male: 93.3%


female: 79.5% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 82%


male: 87%


female: 77%


note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)
Location Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro -
Map references Europe Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


territorial sea: 12 NM
a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: territorial sea - 12 nm , contiguous zone - 24 nm , and exclusive economic zone - 200 nm ; additional zones provide for exploitation of continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 21,954 GRT/34,412 DWT


ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 11, roll on/roll off 1, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Honduras 1 (2002 est.)
total ships: 30,936 (2005)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $56.5 million (FY02) aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide in 1999 remained at approximately the 1998 level, about three-quarters of a trillion dollars (1999 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.49% (FY02) roughly 2% of gross world product (1999 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 906,168 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 742,837 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 19 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 36,985 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 28 November (1912) -
Nationality noun: Albanian(s)


adjective: Albanian
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Natural hazards destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address
Net migration rate -1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -
Pipelines gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2003) -
Political parties and leaders Agrarian Party of Albania or PASH [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Zef BUSHATI]; Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance or PAD [Nerltan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Guri DUROLLARI]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Abaz ERMENJI]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQUIRI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy or DS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albanian Party of Labor) [Fatos NANO]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO] -
Political pressure groups and leaders Omonia [Vangjel DULES] -
Population 3,582,205 (July 2003 est.) 6,446,131,400 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 30% (2001 est.) -
Population growth rate 1.03% (2003 est.) 1.14% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore -
Radio broadcast stations AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001) AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Railways total: 447 km


standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
total: 1,115,205 km


broad gauge: 257,481 km


standard gauge: 671,413 km


narrow gauge: 186,311 km (2003)
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
Christians 32.84% (of which Roman Catholics 17.34%, Protestants 5.78%, Orthodox 3.44%, Anglicans 1.27%), Muslims 19.9%, Hindus 13.29%, Buddhists 5.92%, Sikhs 0.39%, Jews 0.23%, other religions 12.63%, non-religious 12.44%, atheists 2.36% (2003 est.)
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: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


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


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 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
general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: NA
Telephones - main lines in use 120,000 (2001) 843,923,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 250,000 (2001) NA
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001) NA
Terrain mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean
Total fertility rate 2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.) 2.6 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 17% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.) 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment
Waterways 43 km


note: includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)
671,886 km (2004)
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