Albania

Basics

Albanian Shqipëri, meaning "Eagle's Country"

Republic in southeastern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula; bounded on the northwest and north by Serbia and Montenegro, on the east by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the southeast and south by Greece, on the west by the Adriatic Sea, and on the southwest by the Ionian Sea.

One of the smallest countries of Europe, has a maximum length from north to south of about 345 km (about 215 mi) and a maximum width of about 145 km (about 90 mi).

Total area is 28,748 sq km (about 11,100 sq mi).

Tiranë is the capital and largest city.

Population:

Albania is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in the world; about 98 percent of its people are Albanians, a group that is believed to be descended from the Illyrians, an Indo-European people who inhabited the area in ancient times. Minority groups include Greeks (slightly less than 2 percent of the population), Gypsies, and Slavs, including Serbs and Bulgarians.

The population of Albania (1995 estimate) is about 3,390,000. The country has one of the highest rates of natural increase of any European nation (1.8 percent annually in the early 1990s).

Religion:

In 1967 the Albanian government abolished all religious institutions. In 1990, however, the prohibition was revoked and mosques and churches began to reopen. Legislation adopted in 1991 declared Albania a secular state that observes freedom of religious belief. Although a significant portion of the population are nonreligious, 65 percent of those professing a faith are Muslim, 20 percent are Orthodox, and 13 percent are Roman Catholic.

Recent History:

On January 11, 1946, a constituent assembly proclaimed the People's Republic of Albania. In March, a new constitution was promulgated and a new government formed, with Hoxha as prime minister. The Communist regime initiated a massive campaign of purges to eliminate real and potential opponents.

In July 1992 the Albanian Communist party was outlawed.

See Also:

Religious Wars in the Balkans
In what ways are the conflicts in the Balkans, like in Bosnia or Kosovo, ultimately reducible to religious hatred?

Balkan Overview
An overview of the different ethnic/religious groups involved

Kosovo
Basic facts and details about Kosovo, including a historical time line.

Slobodan Milosevic
Who is he and where did he come from?

Regional History
Brief overview of the Balkan region and what has historically happened there

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