Compare Chile (2006) - Albania (2005)

Compare Chile (2006) z Albania (2005)

	Chile (2006)	Albania (2005)

Administrative divisions	13 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica	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
Age structure	0-14 years: 24.7% (male 2,035,278/female 1,944,754) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 5,403,525/female 5,420,497) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 555,075/female 775,090) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 25.6% (male 476,989/female 434,298) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,199,964/female 1,144,886) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 141,559/female 165,416) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber	wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products
Airports	363 (2006)	11 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 73 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 17 (2006)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 290 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 58 under 914 m: 216 (2006)	total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 756,950 sq km land: 748,800 sq km water: 8,150 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez	total: 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated by Spain until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.	Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks with links to government officials, and disruptive political opponents. Albania has made incremental progress in its democratic development since first holding multiiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain - particularly in regard to the rule of law. Despite some lingering problems, international observers have judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy, large public debt, and an inadequate energy and tranportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU.
Birth rate	15.23 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	15.08 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $29.2 billion expenditures: $24.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.33 billion (2005 est.)	revenues: $2.05 billion expenditures: $2.46 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (2004 est.)
Capital	name: Santiago geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March	Tirana
Climate	temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south	mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Coastline	6,435 km	362 km
Constitution	11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005	adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Chile conventional short form: Chile local long form: Republica de Chile local short form: Chile	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
Death rate	5.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$47.45 billion (2005 est.)	$1.41 billion (2003)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Craig A. KELLY embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago mailing address: APO AA 34033 telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600 FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710	chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES embassy: Rruga Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana mailing address: U. S. Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510 telephone: [355] (4) 247285 FAX: [355] (4) 374957 and [355] (4) 232222
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 530-4104, 530-4106, 530-4107 FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)	chief of mission: Ambassador Agim NESHO chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342
Disputes - international	Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Peru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending	the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; thousands of unemployed Albanians emigrate annually to nearby Italy and other developed countries
Economic aid - recipient	$0 (2002)	ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002, largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Chile's economy began a slow recovery in 2003, growing 3.2%, and accelerated to 6.1% in 2004-05, while Chile maintained a low rate of inflation. GDP growth benefited from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry, fishing, and mining), and stepped-up foreign direct investment. Unemployment, however, remains stubbornly high. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile signed a free trade agreement with China in November 2005, and it already has several trade deals signed with other nations and blocs, including the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea, and Mexico. Record-high copper prices helped to strengthen the peso to a 5½-year high, as of December 2005, and will boost GDP in 2006.	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 annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for about one-half of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment, to clarify property rights, and to consolidate small plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and distribution facilities will help relieve the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003 and 2004, the nation has important oil and gas reserves, and inflation is not a problem.
Electricity - consumption	44.13 billion kWh (2003)	6.76 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	100 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	2 billion kWh (2003)	1.08 billion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - production	45.3 billion kWh (2003)	5.68 billion kWh (2004)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m	lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
Environment - current issues	widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage	deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
Environment - international 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, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2%	Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (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	Chilean pesos per US dollar - 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003), 688.94 (2002), 634.94 (2001)	leke per US dollar - 102.649 (2004), 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002), 143.485 (2001), 143.709 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5%	chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 June 2002 (next to be held 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
Exports	0 bbl/day	0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities	copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine	textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Exports - partners	US 15.8%, Japan 11.5%, China 11.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Italy 4.2%, Mexico 4% (2005)	Italy 71.7%, Canada 4.3%, Germany 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence; design was influenced by the US flag	red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 6% industry: 49.3% services: 44.7% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 46.2% industry: 25.4% services: 28.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6.3% (2005 est.)	5.6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	30 00 S, 71 00 W	41 00 N, 20 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions	strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
Heliports	-	1 (2004 est.)
Highways	-	total: 18,000 km paved: 5,400 km unpaved: 12,600 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 47% (2000)	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	important transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a new anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising	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 expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens
Imports	221,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)	5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities	petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Imports - partners	Argentina 14.8%, US 14.6%, Brazil 11.7%, China 7.8%, South Korea 4.8%, Yemen 4.4% (2005)	Italy 34.8%, Greece 19.8%, Turkey 7.7%, Germany 5.3% (2004)
Independence	18 September 1810 (from Spain)	28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate	3.4% (2005 est.)	3.1% (2004 est.)
Industries	copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles	food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Infant mortality rate	total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.1% (2005 est.)	3.2% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	19,000 sq km (2003)	3,400 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal	Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts
Labor force	6.3 million (2005 est.)	1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 13.6% industry: 23.4% services: 63% (2003)	agriculture 57%, non-agricultural private sector 20%, public sector 23% (2004 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 6,339 km border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km	total: 720 km border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km
Land use	arable land: 2.62% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 96.95% (2005)	arable land: 21.09% permanent crops: 4.42% other: 74.49% (2001)
Languages	Spanish	Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
Legal system	based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system	has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens
Legislative branch	bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats elected by popular vote; members serve eight-year terms - one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8), independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI 34, RN 20), independent 1	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 4 July 2005 (next to be held July 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PD 55, PS 40, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 22
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.77 years male: 73.49 years female: 80.21 years (2006 est.)	total population: 77.24 years male: 74.6 years female: 80.15 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.2% male: 96.4% female: 96.1% (2003 est.)	definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 93.3% female: 79.5% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru	Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro
Map references	South America	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200/350 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine	total: 46 ships (1000 GRT or over) 649,091 GRT/898,110 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 6, chemical tanker 10, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3 foreign-owned: 1 (Argentina 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Argentina 6, Brazil 1, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 9) (2006)	total: 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 40,878 GRT/62,676 DWT by type: cargo 24, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Denmark 1, Turkey 1) registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
Military branches	Army of the Nation, National Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh), Chilean Carabineros (National Police) (2006)	General Staff Headquarters, Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense Command, Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$3.91 billion (2005 est.)	$56.5 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	3.5% (2005 est.)	1.49% (FY02)
National holiday	Independence Day, 18 September (1810)	Independence Day, 28 November (1912)
Nationality	noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean	noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian
Natural hazards	severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis	destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
Natural resources	copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower	petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	gas 2,567 km; gas/lpg 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,003 km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2006)	gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Alliance for Chile ("Alianza") or APC (including National Renewal or RN [Sergio DIEZ Urzia] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Jovino NOVOA Vasquez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy ("Concertacion") or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Adolfo ZALDIVAR Larrain], Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ], Party for Democracy or PPD [Victor BARRUETO], Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER]	Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nikolle LESI]; Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or PAD [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Arjan STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Adriatik ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or PDR [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albanian Party of Labor) [Fatos NANO]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	revitalized university student federations at all major universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations	Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]
Population	16,134,219 (July 2006 est.)	3,563,112 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	18.2% (2005)	25% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate	0.94% (2006 est.)	0.52% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Radio broadcast stations	AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998)	AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001)
Railways	total: 6,585 km broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified) narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)	total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
Religions	Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL%	Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; 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: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal and compulsory	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with three earth stations international: country code - 56; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains the lowest in Europe with roughly 8 lines per 100 people; however, cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003 two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's Balkan neighbors international: country code - 355; inadequate fixed main lines; adequate cellular connections; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2003)
Telephones - main lines in use	3,435,900 (2005)	255,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	10.57 million (2005)	1.1 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997)	3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain	low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east	mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Total fertility rate	2 children born/woman (2006 est.)	2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	8.1% (2005 est.)	14.8% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.)
Waterways	-	43 km (2004)

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