##ciekawa_strona##
Compare Israel (2001) - Albania (2004)
Compare Israel (2001) z Albania (2004)
| Israel (2001) | Albania (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv | 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:
27.36% (male 831,523; female 792,982) 15-64 years: 62.73% (male 1,869,114; female 1,855,707) 65 years and over: 9.91% (male 253,105; female 335,662) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 489,363; female 446,586)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 1,184,670; female 1,130,065) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 135,177; female 158,947) (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products | wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products |
| Airports | 55 (2000 est.) | 11 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
30 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 20 (2000 est.) |
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:
20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km |
total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than New Jersey | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Background | Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives (from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip) and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. On 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. | 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 high government officials, and disruptive political opponents. International observers judged parliamentary elections in 2001 and local elections in 2003 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but identified serious deficiencies. Many of these deficiencies have been addressed through bi-partisan changes to the electoral code in 2003 and 2005, but implementation of these changes will not be demonstrated until parliamentary elections in July 2005. |
| Birth rate | 19.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 15.08 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$40 billion expenditures: $42.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $1.36 billion
expenditures: $1.627 billion, including capital expenditures of $406 million (2003 est.) |
| Capital | Jerusalem; note - Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv | Tirana |
| Climate | temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas | mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter |
| Coastline | 273 km | 362 km |
| Constitution | no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law | a constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el |
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 |
| Currency | new Israeli shekel (ILS) | lek (ALL) |
| Death rate | 6.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | $38 billion (2000 est.) | $1.41 billion (2003) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Martin S. INDYK embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575 FAX: [972] (3) 517-3227 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government |
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 David IVRY chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco |
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 |
| Disputes - international | West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights) | 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 |
| Economic aid - recipient | $1.1 billion from the US (1999) | ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.) |
| Economy - overview | Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Cuts diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-99, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to 1 million, one-sixth of the total population, and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began moderating in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out. Growth was a strong 5.9% in 2000. But the outbreak of Palestinian unrest in late September and the collapse of the BARAK Government - coupled with a cooling off in the high-technology and tourist sectors - undercut the boom and foreshadows a slowdown to 2%-3% in 2001. | 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 one-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 and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The government plans to boost energy imports to relieve the shortages and is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. |
| Electricity - consumption | 31.899 billion kWh (1999) | 5.898 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 1.061 billion kWh (1999) | 221 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 4 million kWh (1999) | 1.2 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 35.437 billion kWh (1999) | 5.289 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
99.89% hydro: 0.11% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m |
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m |
| Environment - current issues | limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation |
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 | Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%, Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish 19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.) | Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, and Macedonian or 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 | new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.0810 (December 2000), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996) | leke per US dollar - 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002), 143.485 (2001), 143.709 (2000), 137.691 (1999) |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
President Moshe KATSAV (since 31 July 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 2 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term; election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2005); prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 6 February 2001 (next to be held NA 2005); note - in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister, but in 2001 the Knesset voted to restore the previous method under which the legislators will choose the next prime minister after the next legislative elections in 2003 election results: Moshe KATSAV elected president by the 120-member Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES, received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON elected prime minister; percent of vote - Ariel SHARON 62.5%, Ehud BARAK 37.4%; note - after the next legislative elections scheduled for 2003, the prime minister will be elected by the Knesset |
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 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 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 |
| Exports | $31.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel | textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco |
| Exports - partners | US 36%, UK 6%, Benelux 5%, Hong Kong 4%, Netherlands 4% (1999) | Italy 74.9%, Greece 12.8%, Germany 3.4% (2003) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Flag description | white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag | red with a black two-headed eagle in the center |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $110.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $16.13 billion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
4% industry: 37% services: 59% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 47.5%
industry: 24.6% services: 27.8% (2003 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $18,900 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2003 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5.9% (2000 est.) | 7% (2003 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 31 30 N, 34 45 E | 41 00 N, 20 00 E |
| Geography - note | there are 231 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 25 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 2000 est.) | strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) |
| Heliports | 2 (2000 est.) | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Highways | total:
15,965 km paved: 15,965 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.) |
total: 18,000 km
paved: 5,400 km unpaved: 12,600 km (2000) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.8% highest 10%: 26.9% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
| Illicit drugs | increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and increasingly Jordan | 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 | $35.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, consumer goods | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals |
| Imports - partners | US 20%, Benelux 11%, Germany 8%, UK 8%, Switzerland 6%, Italy 5% (1999) | Italy 33.6%, Greece 20.2%, Turkey 6.6%, Germany 5.7% (2003) |
| Independence | 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) | 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 7% (2000) | 2.7% (2003 est.) |
| Industries | high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, diamond cutting | food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower |
| Infant mortality rate | 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 22.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.1% (2000 est.) | 2.4% (2003) |
| International organization participation | BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | 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 |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 21 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 1,800 sq km (1993 est.) | 3,400 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president) | 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 | 2.4 million (2000 est.) | 1.35 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2003 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | public services 31.2%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996) | agriculture 57%, non-agricultural private sector 20%, public sector 23% (2003 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total:
1,006 km border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km |
total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km |
| Land use | arable land:
17% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 6% other: 66% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 21.09%
permanent crops: 4.42% other: 74.49% (2001) |
| Languages | Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language | Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects |
| Legal system | mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - One Israel 20.2%, Likud Party 14.1%, Shas 13%, MERETZ 7.6%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 5.1%, Shinui 5%, Center Party 5%, National Religious Party 4.2%, United Torah Judaism 3.7%, United Arab List 3.4%, National Union 3%, Hadash 2.6%, Yisra'el Beiteinu 2.6%, Balad 1.9%, One Nation 1.9%, Democratic Movement NA (party formed after election, members elected under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya list); seats by party - One Israel 26, Likud Party 19, Shas 17, MERETZ 10, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 4, Shinui 6, Center Party 6, National Religious Party 5, United Torah Judaism 5, United Arab List 5, National Union 4, Hadash 3, Yisra'el Beiteinu 4, Democratic Movement 2 (party formed after election, members elected under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya list), Balad 2, One Nation 2 |
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 July 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 41.5%, PD and coalition allies 36.8%, PDR 5.2%, PSD 3.6%, PBDNJ 2.6%, PASH (now PAA) 2.6%, PAD 2.5%; seats by party - PS 73, PD and coalition allies 46, PDR 6, PSD 4, PBDNJ 3, PASH (now PAA) 3, PAD 3, independents 2; note - seats by party as of January 2005: PS 65, PD and coalition allies 46, LSI 9, PDR 6, PSD 3, PBDNJ 3, PASH (now PAA) 3, PAD 3, PDS 1, independents 1 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
78.71 years male: 76.69 years female: 80.84 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 77.06 years
male: 74.37 years female: 80.02 years (2004 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 97% female: 93% (1992 est.) |
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5% male: 93.3% female: 79.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro |
| Map references | Middle East | Europe |
| Maritime claims | continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Merchant marine | total:
17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 631,582 GRT/745,011 DWT ships by type: container 16, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 40,878 GRT/62,676 DWT
by type: bulk 1, cargo 19, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Netherlands 1 registered in other countries: 7 (2004 est.) |
| Military branches | Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note - historically there have been no separate Israeli military services | General Staff Headquarters, Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Forces Command, Doctrine and Exercises Command, Logistics Support Command |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $8.7 billion (FY99) | $56.5 million (FY02) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 9.4% (FY99) | 1.49% (FY02) |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,522,003 females age 15-49: 1,482,027 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 956,107 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,245,757 females age 15-49: 1,208,973 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 775,422 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
49,206 females: 53,379 (2001 est.) |
males: 36,584 (2004 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May | Independence Day, 28 November (1912) |
| Nationality | noun:
Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli |
noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian |
| Natural hazards | sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts | destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought |
| Natural resources | timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand, oil | petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | 2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -4.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Pipelines | crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km | gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2004) |
| Political parties and leaders | Balad or National Democratic Alliance [Amnon LIPKIN-SHAHAK]; Center Party [Yitzhak MORDECHAI]; Democratic Movement [Roman BRONFMAN]; Gesher [David LEVI]; Hadash [Muhammad BARAKA]; Labor Party [leader vacant]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON]; MERETZ [Yossi SARID]; National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [leader NA]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY]; National Union [Rehavam ZEEVI] (includes Herut, Tekuma, and Moledet); One Israel [leader NA] (includes Labor, Gesher, and Meimad); One Nation [Amir PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Rabbi Eliezer SHACK, spiritual leader]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY]; Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN] | 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 | Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy | 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 | 5,938,093 (July 2001 est.)
note: includes about 176,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,900 in the Gaza Strip, and about 173,000 in East Jerusalem (August 2000 est.) |
3,544,808 (July 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 30% (2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 1.58% (2001 est.) | 0.51% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo | Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001) |
| Radios | 3.07 million (1997) | - |
| Railways | total:
610 km standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996) |
total: 447 km
standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
| Religions | Jewish 80.1%, Muslim 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.) | 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: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 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: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian 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 | 2.8 million (1999) | 255,000 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 2.5 million (1999) | 1.1 million (2003) |
| Television broadcast stations | 17 (plus 36 low-power repeaters) (1995) | 3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001) |
| Terrain | Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley | mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast |
| Total fertility rate | 2.57 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.05 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 9% (2000 est.) | 15.8% officially; may be as high as 30% (2003 est.) |
| Waterways | none | 43 km (2004) |
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