Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) - Albania (2002)

Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) z Albania (2002)

	Pacific Ocean (2008)	Albania (2002)

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
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.)
Agriculture - products	-	wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products
Airports	-	11 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002)
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)
Area	total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies	total: 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km
Area - comparative	about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.	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.
Birth rate	-	18.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $697 million expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $368 million (2002 est.)
Capital	-	Tirana
Climate	planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December	mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Coastline	135,663 km	362 km
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
Currency	-	lek (ALL)
Death rate	-	6.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	-	$784 million (2000)
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
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
Disputes - international	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)	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
Economic aid - recipient	-	ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings.	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.
Electricity - consumption	-	5.378 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	-	100 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	-	1.072 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	-	4.738 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 3% hydro: 97% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m	lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
Environment - current issues	endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea	deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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)
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
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
Exports	-	$340 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities	-	textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Exports - partners	-	Italy 71%, Greece 12%, Germany 7%, Yugoslavia 3% (2001)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	-	red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $14 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 49% industry: 27% services: 24% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	5% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	0 00 N, 160 00 W	41 00 N, 20 00 E
Geography - note	the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean	strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
Heliports	-	1 (2002)
Highways	-	total: 18,000 km paved: 5,400 km unpaved: 12,600 km (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and 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.)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Imports - partners	-	Italy 32%, Greece 26%, Turkey 6%, Germany 6%, Bulgaria 2% (2001)
Independence	-	28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate	-	9% (2000 est.)
Industries	-	food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Infant mortality rate	-	38.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	6% (2002 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	10 (2001)
Irrigated land	-	3,400 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.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 50%, industry and services 50%
Land boundaries	-	total: 720 km border countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km
Land use	-	arable land: 21.09% permanent crops: 4.45% other: 74.46% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Legal system	-	has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	-	unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (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
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 72.1 years male: 69.27 years female: 75.14 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 93% (1997 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere	Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro
Map references	Political Map of the World	Europe
Maritime claims	-	continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 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.)
Military branches	-	Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$56.5 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.49% (FY02)
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)
Nationality	-	noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian
Natural hazards	surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December	destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
Natural resources	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish	petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower
Net migration rate	-	-1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	-	crude oil 196 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1996)
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	-	3,544,841 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	30% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	-	1.06% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios	-	1 million (2001)
Railways	-	total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001 est.)
Religions	-	Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.07 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.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system	-	general assessment: Albania has the poorest telephone service in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100 inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for every village; in 1992, following the fall of the Communist government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it to build fences international: inadequate; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
Telephones - main lines in use	-	120,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	250,000 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	-	3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain	surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest	mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Total fertility rate	-	2.27 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Transportation - note	Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)	-
Unemployment rate	-	17% officially (2001 est.); may be as high as 30% (2001)
Waterways	-	43 km note: includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)

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