![\"Albania](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Albania-on-the-Globe-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
Geographically, the country displays varied climatic, geological, hydrological and morphological conditions, defined in an area of 11,100 sq mi. It possesses remarkable diversity with the landscape ranging from the snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps<\/a> as well as the Korab<\/a>, Skanderbeg<\/a>, Pindus<\/a> and Ceraunian Mountains<\/a> to the hot and sunny coasts of the Albanian Adriatic and Ionian Sea along the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n Historically, the area of Albania was populated by various Illyrian<\/a>, Thracian<\/a> and Ancient Greek tribes as well as several Greek colonies established in the Illyrian coast. The area was annexed in the 3rd century by Romans<\/a> and became an integral part of the Roman provinces of Dalmatia<\/a>, Macedonia<\/a> and Illyricum<\/a>. The autonomous Principality of Arb\u00ebr<\/a> emerged in 1190, established by archon<\/a> Progon<\/a> in the Kruj\u00eb<\/a>, within the Byzantine Empire. In the late thirteenth century, Charles of Anjou<\/a> conquered Albanian territories from the Byzantines<\/a> and established the medieval Kingdom of Albania<\/a>, which at its maximal extension was extending from Durr\u00ebs<\/a> along the coast to Butrint<\/a> in the south. In the mid-fifteenth century, it was conquered by the Ottomans<\/a>.<\/p>\n The modern nation state of Albania emerged in 1912 following the defeat of the Ottomans in the Balkan Wars<\/a>. The modern Kingdom of Albania<\/a> was invaded by Italy in 1939, which formed Greater Albania<\/a>, before becoming a Nazi<\/a> German protectorate in 1943. After the defeat of Nazi Germany<\/a>, a Communist<\/a> state titled the People’s Socialist Republic of Albani<\/a>a was founded under the leadership of Enver Hoxha<\/a> and the Party of Labour<\/a>. The country experienced widespread social and political transformations in the communist era, as well as isolation from much of the international community. In the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1991<\/a>, the Socialist Republic was dissolved and the fourth Republic of Albania<\/a> was established.<\/p>\n Politically, the country is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic and developing country with an upper-middle income economy dominated by the tertiary sector followed by the secondary and primary sector. It went through a process of transition, following the end of communism in 1990, from a centralized to a market-based economy. It also provides universal health care and free primary and secondary education to its citizens.<\/p>\n The term Albania is the medieval Latin name of the country. It may be derived from the Illyrian tribe of Albani<\/a> recorded by Ptolemy<\/a>, the geographer and astronomer from Alexandria<\/a>, who drafted a map in 150 AD, which shows the city of Albanopolis<\/a> located northeast of the city of Durr\u00ebs. The term may have a continuation in the name of a medieval settlement called Albanon or Arbanon, although it is not certain that this was the same place. In his history written in the 10th century, the Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates<\/a> was the first to refer to Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople<\/a> in 1043 and to the Arbanitai as subjects of the Duke of Dyrrachium. During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arb\u00ebri or Arb\u00ebni and referred to themselves as Arb\u00ebresh\u00eb or Arb\u00ebnesh\u00eb.<\/p>\n Nowadays, Albanians call their country Shqip\u00ebri or Shqip\u00ebria. As early as the 17th century the placename Shqip\u00ebria and the ethnic demonym Shqiptar\u00eb gradually replaced Arb\u00ebria and Arb\u00ebresh. The two terms are popularly interpreted as “Land of the Eagles” and “Children of the Eagles”.<\/p>\n Apollonia<\/a> was an important Greek colony on the Illyrian coast along the Adriatic Sea and one of the western points of the Via Egnatia route<\/a>, that connected Rome and Constantinople.<\/p>\n The first traces of human presence in Albania, dating to the Middle Paleolithic<\/a> and Upper Paleolithic<\/a> eras, were found in the village of Xarr\u00eb<\/a> close to Sarand\u00eb<\/a> and Dajti<\/a> near Tiran\u00eb<\/a>. The objects found in a cave near Xarr\u00eb include flint and jasper objects and fossilized animal bones, while those found at Mount Dajt comprise bone and stone tools similar to those of the Aurignacian<\/a> culture. The Paleolithic finds of Albania show great similarities with objects of the same era found at Crvena Stijena<\/a> in Montenegro and north-western Greece.<\/p>\n Several Bronze Age<\/a> artifacts from tumulus<\/a> burials have been unearthed in central and southern Albania that show close connection with sites in south-western Macedonia and Lefkada, Greece<\/a>. Archaeologists have come to the conclusion that these regions were inhabited from the middle of the third millennium BC by Indo-European people<\/a> who spoke a Proto-Greek language<\/a>. A part of this population later moved to Mycenae<\/a> around 1600 BC and founded the Mycenaean civilization<\/a> there.<\/p>\n In ancient times, the territory of modern Albania was mainly inhabited by a number of Illyrian tribes. The Illyrian tribes never collectively regarded themselves as ‘Illyrians’, and it is unlikely that they used any collective nomenclature for themselves. The name Illyrians seems to be the name applied to a specific Illyrian tribe, which was the first to come in contact with the ancient Greeks during the Bronze Age, causing the name Illyrians to be applied pars pro toto to all people of similar language and customs.<\/p>\n The territory known as Illyria corresponded roughly to the area east of the Adriatic sea, extending in the south to the mouth of the Vjos\u00eb river<\/a>. The first account of the Illyrian groups comes from Periplus of the Euxine Sea<\/a>, an ancient Greek text written in the middle of the 4th century BC. The south was inhabited by the Greek tribe of the Chaonians<\/a>, whose capital was at Phoenice<\/a>, while numerous colonies, such as Apollonia, Epidamnos<\/a> and Amantia<\/a>, were established by Greek city-states on the coast by the 7th century BC. The west was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of the Bryges.<\/a><\/p>\n The Illyrian tribe of the Ardiaei<\/a> centered in Montenegro ruled over much of nowadays Albania. The Ardiaean Kingdom reached its greatest extent under Agron<\/a>, son of Pleuratus II<\/a>. Agron extended his rule over other neighboring tribes as well. After Agron’s death in 230 BC, his wife Teuta<\/a> inherited the Ardiaean kingdom. Teuta’s forces extended their operations further southward into the Ionian Sea. In 229 BC, Rome declared war on the kingdom for extensively plundering Roman ships. The war ended in Illyrian defeat in 227 BC. Teuta was eventually succeeded by Gentius<\/a> in 181 BC. Gentius clashed with the Romans in 168 BC, initiating the Third Illyrian War<\/a>. The conflict resulted in Roman conquest of the region by 167 BC. After that the Roman split the region into three administrative divisions.<\/p>\n After the Roman Empire was divided into East and West in the 4th century, the territory of Albania remained within the Eastern Roman Empire. In the centuries that followed, the Balkan Peninsula<\/a> suffered from the Barbarian invasions<\/a>. The Illyrians are mentioned for the last time in a text from the 7th century. Towards the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries, Serbs<\/a> and Venetians<\/a> started to take possession over the territory.<\/p>\n The ethnogenesis of the Albanians is uncertain however the first undisputed mention of Albanians dates back in historical records from 1079 or 1080 in a work by Michael Attaliates, who referred to the Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople. At this point the Albanians were fully christianized.<\/p>\n The first semi-autonomous Albanian polity was formed in 1190, when archon Progon of Kruja<\/a> established the Principality of Arbanon with the capital in Kruj\u00eb within the Byzantine Empire. Progon, was succeeded by his sons Gjin<\/a> and Dhimitri<\/a>, the latter which attained the height of the realm. Following the death of Dhimiter, the last member of the Progon family, the principality came under the Albanian-Greek Gregory Kamonas<\/a> and later Golem of Kruja<\/a>. In the 13th century, the principality was dissolved. Arbanon is considered to be the first sketch of an Albanian state, that retained a semi-autonomous status as the western extremity of the Byzantine Empire, under the Byzantine Doukai of Epirus<\/a> or Laskarids of Nicaea<\/a>.<\/p>\n Few years after the dissolution of Arbanon, Charles of Anjou concluded an agreement with the Albanian rulers, promising to protect them and their ancient liberties. In 1272, he established the Kingdom of Albania and conquered regions back from the Despotate of Epirus. The kingdom claimed all of central Albania territory from Dyrrhachium along the Adriatic Sea coast down to Butrint. A catholic political structure was a basis for the papal plans of spreading Catholicism in the Balkan Peninsula. This plan found also the support of Helen of Anjou<\/a>, a cousin of Charles of Anjou, who was at that time ruling territories in North Albania. Around 30 Catholic churches and monasteries were built during her rule mainly in Northern Albania. Internal power struggles within the Byzantine Empire in the fourteenth century, enabled Serbs’ most powerful medieval ruler, Stefan Dusan<\/a>, to establish a short-lived empire that included all of Albania except Durr\u00ebs. In 1367, various Albanian rulers established the Despotate of Arta<\/a>. During that time, several Albanian principalities were created, most notable amongst them the Balsha<\/a>, Thopia<\/a>, Kastrioti<\/a>, Muzaka<\/a> and Arianiti<\/a>. In the first half of the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire invaded most of Albania and the League of Lezh\u00eb<\/a> was held under Skanderbeg<\/a> as a ruler, who became the national hero of the Albanian medieval history.<\/p>\n After serving the Ottoman Empire for nearly 20 years, Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg deserted and began a rebellion against the empire that halted Ottoman advance into Europe for 25 years.<\/p>\n The Ottoman invasion of the territory of Albania marked a new era in its history and introduced enormous changes in the political and cultural environment of the area. The Ottomans erected their garrisons across the south of Albania in 1415 and occupied the majority in 1431 although they reached Albanian coast for first time at 1385. Upon their arrival, Islam<\/a> was introduced in the country as a second religion resulting a massive emigration of Christian Albanians to other Christian European countries such as the Arb\u00ebresh\u00eb<\/a> to Italy while Muslim Albanians gradually settled to Turkey<\/a> and other part of the Ottoman Empire such as Algeria<\/a>, Egypt<\/a> and Iraq<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 1443, a great and longstanding revolt broke out under the lead of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg that lasted until 1479, many times defeating major Ottoman armies led by Murad II<\/a> and Mehmed II<\/a>. Skanderbeg united initially the princes of Albania and later on established a centralized authority over most of the non-conquered territories becoming the ruling Lord of Albania.<\/p>\n Skanderbeg pursued relentlessly but rather unsuccessfully to create a European coalition against the Ottomans. He thwarted every attempt by the Ottomans to regain Albania which they envisioned as a springboard for the invasion of Italy and Western Europe<\/a>. His unequal fight against the mightiest power of the time, won the esteem of Europe as well as some financial and military aid from Naples<\/a>, Venice<\/a>, Sicily<\/a> and the Papacy<\/a>.<\/p>\n When the Ottomans were gaining a firm foothold in the region, Albanian towns were organised into four principal sanjaks<\/a>. The government fostered trade by settling a sizeable Jewish colony of refugees fleeing persecution in Spain<\/a>. The city of Vlor\u00eb<\/a> saw passing through its ports imported merchandise from Europe such as velvets<\/a>, cotton<\/a> goods, mohairs<\/a>, carpets, spices and leather from Bursa<\/a> and Constantinople. Some citizens of Vlor\u00eb even had business associates throughout Europe.<\/p>\n As Muslims, some Albanians attained important political and military positions within the empire and culturally contributed to the wider Muslim world<\/a>. Enjoying this privileged position, Muslim Albanians held various high administrative positions with over two dozen Albanian Grand Viziers<\/a> among others K\u00f6pr\u00fcl\u00fc Mehmed Pasha<\/a>, K\u00f6pr\u00fcl\u00fc Faz\u0131l Ahmed<\/a> and Muhammad Ali Pasha<\/a>.<\/p>\n The most significant impact on the Albanians was the gradual Islamisation process of a large majority of the population, although it became widespread only in the 17th century. The process was an incremental one, commencing from the arrival of the Ottomans. Timar<\/a> holders, the bedrock of early Ottoman control in Southeast Europe, were not necessarily converts to Islam, and occasionally rebelled, with the most famous of these being Skanderbeg.<\/p>\n Mainly Catholic<\/a> Albanians converted in the 17th century, while the Orthodox<\/a> Albanians followed suit mainly in the following century. Initially confined to the main city centres of Elbasan<\/a> and Shkod\u00ebr<\/a>, by this period the countryside was also embracing the new religion. The motives for conversion according to some scholars were diverse, depending on the context. The lack of source material does not help when investigating such issues.<\/p>\n The origins of the Albanian Renaissance<\/a> can be traced back to around the 19th century that was a very difficult period for Albania. During the period, the modern culture of Albania flourished especially in literature and art as well inspired by romanticism and enlightenment.<\/p>\n The victory of Russia<\/a> over the Ottoman Empire following the Russian-Ottoman War<\/a> resulted the execution of the Treaty of San Stefano<\/a> that overlooked to assign Albanian-populated regions to the Slavic neighbors. The United Kingdom<\/a> as well as Austria-Hungary<\/a> consequently, blocked the arrangement and caused the Treaty of Berlin<\/a>. At this point, Albanians started to organize themselves with the aim to protect and unite the Albanian-populated regions into a unitary nation. This led to the formation of the League of Prizren<\/a> in the old town of Prizren<\/a>.<\/p>\n At first the Ottoman authorities supported the League, whose initial position was based on the religious solidarity of Muslim landlords<\/a> and people connected with the Ottoman administration. The Ottomans favoured and protected the Muslim solidarity and called for defense of Muslim lands, including present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/a>. This was the reason for naming the league The Committee of the Real Muslims.<\/p>\n The league issued a decree known as Kararname<\/a> that contained a proclamation that the people from northern Albania, Epirus and Bosnia are willing to defend the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire by all possible means against the troops of the kingdoms of Bulgaria<\/a>, Serbia<\/a> and Montenegro<\/a>. However, it was signed by 47 Muslim deputies of the league on 18 June 1878. Approximately 300 Muslims participated in the assembly, including delegates from Bosnia and mutasarrif of the Sanjak of Prizren<\/a> as representatives of the central authorities and no delegates from Vilayet of Scutari<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Ottomans cancelled their support when the league, under the influence of Abdyl Bey Frash\u00ebri<\/a>, became focused on working toward the Albanian autonomy and requested merging of four Ottoman vilayets, which included Kosovo<\/a>, Scutari<\/a>, Monastir<\/a> and Ioannina<\/a> into a new vilayet within the empire, the Albanian Vilayet<\/a>. The league used military force to prevent the annexing areas of Plav<\/a> and Gusinje<\/a> assigned to Montenegro by the Congress of Berlin<\/a>. After several successful battles with Montenegrin troops such as in Novsice<\/a>, under the pressure of the great powers, the league was forced to retreat from their contested regions of Plav and Gusinje and later on, the league was defeated by the Ottoman army sent by the Sultan.<\/p>\n The independence of Albania<\/a> from the Ottoman Empire was proclaimed on 28 November 1912 by Ismail Qemali<\/a> in Vlor\u00eb<\/a>. Immediately after, the leaders of the Assembly of Vlor\u00eb<\/a> established the senate as well as the first government of the country on 4 December 1912 that consisted of only ten members.<\/p>\n The country’s independence was recognized by the Conference of London<\/a> on 29 July 1913. The treaty delineated the borders of the country and its neighbors leaving many ethnic Albanians outside Albania. This population was largely divided between Montenegro<\/a> and Serbia<\/a> in the north and east and Greece in the south.<\/p>\n Headquartered in Vlor\u00eb, the International Commission of Contro<\/a>l was established on 15 October 1913 to take care of the administration of newly established Albania, until its own political institutions were in order. The International Gendarmerie<\/a> was established as the first law enforcement agency of the Principality of Albania<\/a>. In November, the first gendarmerie members arrived in the country. Prince of Albania Wilhelm of Wied (Princ Vilhelm Vidi)<\/a> was selected as the first prince of the principality. On 7 March, he arrived in the provisional capital of Durr\u00ebs and started to organize his government, appointing Turhan Pasha P\u00ebrmeti<\/a> to form the first Albanian cabinet.<\/p>\n In November 1913, the Albanian pro-Ottoman forces had offered the throne of Albania to the Ottoman war Minister of Albanian origin, Ahmed Izzet Pasha<\/a>. The pro-Ottoman peasants believed that, the new regime of the Principality of Albania was a tool of the six Christian Great Powers and local landowners, that owned half of the arable land.<\/p>\n In February 1914, the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus<\/a> was proclaimed in Gjirokast\u00ebr<\/a> by the local Greek population against incorporation to Albania. This initiative was short lived and in 1921, the southern provinces were finally incorporated to the Albanian Principality. Meanwhile, the revolt of Albanian peasants<\/a> against the new Albanian regime erupted under the leadership of the group of Muslim clerics gathered around Essad Pasha Toptani<\/a>, who proclaimed himself the savior of Albania and Islam. In order to gain support of the Mirdita<\/a> Catholic volunteers from the northern part of Albania, Prince Wied appointed their leader, Pr\u00eank Bib\u00eb Doda<\/a>, to be the foreign minister of the Principality of Albania. In May and June 1914, the International Gendarmerie was joined by Isa Boletini<\/a> and his men, mostly from Kosovo, and northern Mirdita Catholics, were defeated by the rebels who captured most of Central Albania by the end of August 1914. The regime of Prince Wied collapsed and later he left the country on 3 September 1914.<\/p>\n Following the end of the government of Fan Noli<\/a>, the parliament adopted a new constitution and proclaimed the country as a parliamentary republic in which Zog I of Albania<\/a> served as the head of state for a seven years term. Immediately after, Tirana was endorsed officially as the country’s permanent capital.<\/p>\n The politics of Zogu was authoritarian and conservative with the primary aim of which was the maintenance of stability and order. He was forced to adopt a policy of cooperation with Italy where a pact had been signed between both countries, whereby Italy gained a monopoly on shipping and trade concessions. In 1928, the country was eventually replaced by another monarchy with a strong support by the fascist regime of Italy<\/a> however, both maintained close relations until the Italian invasion<\/a> of the country. Zogu remained a conservative but initiated reforms and placed great emphasis on the development of infrastructure.<\/p>\n In an attempt at social modernization, the custom of adding one’s region to one’s name was dropped. He also made donations of land to international organisations for the building of schools and hospitals. The armed forces were trained and supervised by instructors from Itala, as a counterweight, he kept British officers in the Gendarmerie despite strong Italian pressure to remove them.<\/p>\n After being militarily occupied by Italy from 1939 until 1943, the Kingdom of Albania<\/a> was a protectorate and a dependency of the Kingdom of Italy<\/a> governed by Victor Emmanuel III<\/a> and his government. In October 1940, Albania served as a staging ground for an unsuccessful Italian invasion of Greece<\/a>. A counterattack resulted in a sizable portion of southern Albania coming under Greek military control until April 1941 when Greece capitulated during the German invasion<\/a>. In April 1941, territories of Yugoslavia<\/a> with substantial Albanian population were annexed to Albania inclusively western Macedonia, a strip of eastern Montenegro, the town of Tutin<\/a> in central Serbia and most of Kosovo.<\/p>\n Germans started to occupy the country in September 1943 subsequently announced that they would recognize the independence of a neutral Albania and set about organizing a new government, military and law enforcement. Balli Komb\u00ebtar<\/a>, which had fought against Italy, formed a neutral government and side by side with the Germans fought against the communist-led National Liberation Movement of Albania.<\/a><\/p>\n During the last years of the war, the country fell into a civil war-like state between the communists and nationalists. The communist however defeated the last anti-communist forces in the south in 1944. Before the end of November, the main German troops had withdrawn from Tirana, and the communists took control by attacking it. The partisans entirely liberated the country from German occupation on 29 November 1944. A provisional government, which the communists had formed at Berat in October, administered Albania with Enver Hoxha as the head of government.<\/p>\n By the end of the Second World War<\/a>, the main military and political force of the nation, the Communist party sent forces to northern Albania against the nationalists to eliminate its rivals. They faced open resistance in Nikaj-M\u00ebrtur<\/a>, Dukagjin<\/a> and Kelmend<\/a> led by Prek Cali.<\/a> On 15 January 1945, a clash took place between partisans of the first Brigade and nationalist forces at the Tamara Bridge, resulting in the defeat of the nationalist forces. About 150 Kelmendi people were killed or tortured. This event was the starting point of many other issues which took place during Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship. Class struggle was strictly applied, human freedom and human rights were denied. The Kelmend region was almost isolated by both the border and by a lack of roads for another 20 years, the institution of agricultural cooperatives brought about economic decline. Many Kelmendi people fled, some were executed trying to cross the border.<\/p>\n In the aftermath of World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany, the country became initially a satellite state of the Soviet Union<\/a> and Enver Hoxha emerged consequently as the leader of the newly established People’s Republic of Albania. Soviet-Albanian relations began to deteriorate after Stalin’s death in 1953. At this point, the country started to develop foreign relations with other communist countries among others with the People’s Republic of China<\/a>.<\/p>\n During this period, the country experienced an increasing industrialisation, a rapid collectivisation<\/a> and an economic growth which led to a higher standard of living. The government called for the development of infrastructure and most notably the introduction of a railway system<\/a> that completely revamped the transportation.<\/p>\n The new land reform laws were passed granting ownership of the land to the workers and peasants who tilled it. Agriculture became cooperative<\/a> and production increased significantly, leading to the country’s becoming agriculturally self-sufficient. In the field of education, illiteracy was eliminated among the country’s adult population.<\/p>\n The average annual increase in the country’s national income was 29% and 56% higher than the world and European average, respectively. The nation incurred large debts initially with Yugoslavia until 1948, then the Soviet Union until 1961 and China from the middle of the 1950s. The constitution of the communist regime did not allow taxes on individuals, instead, taxes were imposed on cooperatives and other organizations, with much the same effect.<\/p>\n Today a secular state<\/a> without any official religion, religious freedoms and practices were severely curtailed during the communist era with all forms of worship being outlawed. In 1945, the Agrarian Reform Law meant that large swaths of property owned by religious groups were nationalized, mostly the waqfs<\/a> along with the estates of mosques<\/a>, tekkes<\/a>, monasteries<\/a> and dioceses<\/a>. Many believers, along with the ulema and many priests, were arrested and executed. In 1949, a new Decree on Religious Communities required that all their activities be sanctioned by the state alone.<\/p>\n After hundreds of mosques and dozens of Islamic libraries, containing priceless manuscripts were destroyed, Hoxha proclaimed Albania the world’s first atheist state<\/a> in 1967. The churches had not been spared either, and many were converted into cultural centers for young people. A 1967 law banned all fascist, religious, warmongerish, antisocialist activity and propaganda. Preaching religion carried a three to ten-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, many Albanians continued to practice their beliefs secretly. The anti-religious policy of Hoxha attained its most fundamental legal and political expression a decade later: “The state recognizes no religion”, states the 1976 constitution, “and supports and carries out atheistic propaganda in order to implant a scientific materialistic world outlook in people”.<\/p>\n After forty years of communism and isolation as well as the revolutions of 1989<\/a>, people and most notably students started to become politically active and consequently to campaign against the government that led to the transformation of the existing order. Following the popular support in the first multi-party elections of 1991, the communists retained a stronghold in the parliament until the victory in the general elections of 1992 led by the Democratic Part<\/a>y.<\/p>\n Considerable economic and financial resources have been devoted to the\u00a0Ponzi\u00a0pyramid schemes<\/a> that were widely supported by the government. The schemes swept up somewhere between one sixth and one third of the population of the country. Despite the warnings of the International Monetary Fund<\/a>, his excellency Sali Berisha<\/a> defended the schemes as large investment firms, leading more people to redirect their remittances and sell their homes and cattle for cash to deposit in the schemes.<\/p>\n The schemes began to collapse in late 1996, leading many of the investors to join initially peaceful protests against the government, requesting their money back. The protests turned violent in February 1997 as government forces responded with fire. In March, the Police and Republican Guard deserted, leaving their armories open. These were promptly emptied by militias and criminal gangs. The resulting crisis<\/a> caused a wave of evacuations of foreign nationals and refugees.<\/p>\n The crisis led both Aleksand\u00ebr Meksi<\/a> and Sali Berisha to resign from office in the wake of the general election. In April 1997, Operation Alba<\/a>, a UN peacekeeping force led by Italy, entered the country with two goals exclusively to assist with the evacuation of expatriates and to secure the ground for international organizations. The main international organization, that was involved, was the Western European Union<\/a>‘s multinational Albanian Police<\/a> element, which worked with the government to restructure the judicial system and simultaneously the Albanian Police.<\/p>\n When the communist system collapsed in 1990, Albania rediscovered foreign policy after decades of isolationism and began to develop closer ties considerably with other countries of Western Europe and the United States. At this point, its top foreign policy ambition was achieving integration into modern economic and security organizations.<\/p>\n Previously a member of the Warsaw Pact, the newly established democratic country broadly pursued an integrationist agenda in becoming a member of the NATO. The organisation invited Albania and Croatia<\/a> to join the alliance at the 2008 Bucharest summit<\/a>. In April 2014, it became a full member of the organisation and was among the first Southeast European countries to join the partnership for peace program.<\/p>\n Albania applied to join the European Union<\/a>, becoming an official candidate for accession to the European Union in June 2014. Although Albania received candidate status for the European Union membership in 2014, the European Union has twice rejected full membership. The European Parliament<\/a> warned the Government leaders in early 2017 that the 2017 parliamentary elections<\/a> in June must be free and fair before negotiations could begin to admit the country into the union.<\/p>\n On 23 June 2013, the eighth parliamentary elections<\/a> took place, won by Edi Rama<\/a> of the Socialist Party<\/a>. During his tenure as Prime Minister<\/a>, Albania has implemented numerous reforms focused on the modernizing the economy and democratizing of state institutions inclusively the judiciary and law enforcement of the country. Unemployment has been steadily reduced ranking 4th in terms of lowest unemployment rate in the Balkans. Rama has placed gender equality at the center of its agenda, since 2017 almost 50% of the ministers are female, making it the largest number of women serving in the country’s history.<\/p>\n Albania is defined in an area of 11,100 square miles and located on the Balkan Peninsula in South and Southeast Europe. Its coastline faces the Adriatic Sea to the northwest and the Ionian Sea to the southwest within the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n For a small country, much of Albania rises into mountains and hills that run in different directions across the length and breadth of the country. The most extensive mountain ranges are the Albanian Alps in the north, the Korab Mountains<\/a> in the east, the Pindus Mountains in the southeast, the Ceraunian Mountains in the southwest and the Skanderbeg Mountains in the center.<\/p>\n One of the most remarkable features about the country is the presence of numerous important lakes. The Lake of Shkod\u00ebr<\/a> is the largest lake in Southern Europe and located in northwest. In the southeast rises the Lake of Ohrid<\/a> that is one of the oldest continuously existing lakes in the world. Further south extend the Large and Small Lake of Prespa<\/a> that are among the highest positioned lakes in the Balkans.<\/p>\n Rivers originate mostly in the east of Albania and discharge into the Adriatic Sea in the west. The longest river in the country, measured from its mouth to its source, is probably the Drin<\/a> that starts at the confluence of its two headwaters, the Black<\/a> and White Drin<\/a>. Though of particular concern is the Vjos\u00eb<\/a> that represents one of the last intact large river systems in Europe.<\/p>\n The transition from a socialist planned economy<\/a> to a capitalist mixed economy<\/a> in Albania has been largely successful. The country has a developing mixed economy classified by the World Bank<\/a> as an upper-middle income economy<\/a>. In 2016, it had the 4th lowest unemployment rate in the Balkans with an estimated value of 14.7%. Its largest trading partners are Italy, Greece, China, Spain, Kosovo and the United States. The lek (ALL)<\/a> is the country’s currency and is pegged at approximately 132.51 lek per euro.<\/p>\n The cities of Tirana and Durr\u00ebs constitute the economic and financial heart of Albania due to their high population, modern infrastructure and strategic geographical location. The country’s most important infrastructure facilities take course through both of the cities, connecting the north to the south as well as the west to the east. Among the largest companies are the petroleum Ta\u00e7i Oil<\/a>, Albpetrol<\/a>, ARMO<\/a> and Kastrati, the mineral AlbChrome<\/a>, the cement Antea<\/a>, the investment BALFIN Group<\/a> and the technology Albtelecom<\/a>, Vodafone<\/a>, Telekom Albania<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n Agriculture in the country is based on small to medium-sized family-owned dispersed units. It remains a significant sector of the economy of Albania<\/a>. It employs 41% of the population, and about 24.31% of the land is used for agricultural purposes. One of the earliest farming sites in Europe has been found in the southeast of the country. As part of the pre-accession process of Albania to the European Union, farmers are being aided through IPA funds to improve Albanian agriculture standards.<\/p>\n Albania produces significant amounts of fruits (apples<\/a>, olives<\/a>, grapes<\/a>, oranges<\/a>, lemons<\/a>, apricots<\/a>, peaches<\/a>, cherries<\/a>, figs<\/a>, sour cherries<\/a>, plums<\/a>, and strawberries<\/a>), vegetables (potatoes<\/a>, tomatoes<\/a>, maize<\/a>, onions<\/a>, and wheat<\/a>), sugar beet<\/a>s, tobacco<\/a>, meat, honey<\/a>, dairy products<\/a>, traditional medicine and aromatic plants<\/a>. Further, the country is a worldwide significant producer of salvia<\/a>, rosemary<\/a> and yellow gentian<\/a>. The country’s proximity to the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea give the underdeveloped fishing industry great potential. The World Bank and European Community<\/a> economists report that, Albania’s fishing industry has good potential to generate export earnings because prices in the nearby Greek and Italian markets are many times higher than those in the Albanian market. The fish available off the coasts of the country are carp<\/a>, trout<\/a>, sea bream<\/a>, mussels<\/a> and crustaceans<\/a>.<\/p>\n Albania has one of Europe’s longest histories of viticulture<\/a>. The today’s region was one of the few places where vine was naturally grown during the ice age. The oldest found seeds in the region are 4,000 to 6,000 years old. In 2009, the nation produced an estimated 17,500 tonnes of wine<\/a>. During the communist era, the production area expanded to some 49,000 acres.<\/p>\n The secondary sector of Albania have undergone many changes and diversification, since the collapse of the communist regime in the country. It is very diversified, from electronics, manufacturing, textiles, to food, cement<\/a>, mining, and energy. The Antea Cement<\/a> plant in Fush\u00eb-Kruj\u00eb<\/a> is considered as one of the largest industrial greenfield investments in the country. Albanian oil and gas is represents of the most promising albeit strictly regulated sectors of its economy. Albania has the second largest oil deposits in the Balkan peninsula after Romania, and the largest oil reserves in Europe. The Albpetrol company is owned by the Albanian state and monitors the state petroleum agreements in the country. The textile industry has seen an extensive expansion by approaching companies from the European Union (EU) in Albania. According to the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT)<\/a> as of 2016, the textile production marked an annual growth of 5.3% and an annual turnover of around 1.5 billion euros.<\/p>\n Albania is a significant minerals producer and is ranked among the world’s leading chromium<\/a> producers and exporters. The nation is also a notable producer of copper<\/a>, nickel<\/a> and coal<\/a>. The Batra mine<\/a>, Bulqiz\u00eb mine<\/a>, and Thekna mine<\/a> are among the most recognized Albanian mines that are still in operation.<\/p>\n 36% of the population work in the service sector which contributes to 65% of the country’s GDP. Ever since the end of the 20th century, the banking industry is a major component of the tertiary sector and remains in good conditions overall due to privatization and the commendable monetary policy.<\/p>\n Previously one of the most isolated and controlled countries in the world, telecommunication industry represents nowadays another major contributor to the sector. It developed largely through privatization and subsequent investment by both domestic and foreign investors. Eagle<\/a>, Vodafone and Telekom Albania are the leading telecommunications service providers in the country.<\/p>\n Tourism is recognized as an industry of national importance and has been steadily increasing since the beginnings of the 21st century. It directly accounted for 8.4% of GDP in 2016 though including indirect contributions pushes the proportion to 26%. In the same year, the country received approximately 4.74 million visitors mostly from across Europe and the United States as well.<\/p>\n The increase of foreign visitors has been dramatic. Albania had only 500,000 visitors in 2005, while in 2012 had an estimated 4.2 million, an increase of 740 percent in only 7 years. In 2015, tourism in summer increased by 25 percent in contrast the previous year according to the country’s tourism agency. In 2011, Lonely Planet<\/a> named Albania as a top travel destination, while The New York Times<\/a> placed Albania as number 4 global touristic destination in 2014.<\/p>\n The bulk of the tourist industry is concentrated along the Adriatic and Ionian Sea in the west of the country. However, the Albanian Riviera<\/a> in the southwest has the most scenic and pristine beaches, and is often called the pearl of the Albanian coast. Its coastline has a considerable length of 277 miles. The coast has a particular character because it is rich in varieties of virgin beaches, capes, coves, covered bays, lagoons, small gravel beaches, sea caves and many landforms. Some parts of this seaside are very clean ecologically, which represent in this prospective unexplored areas, which are very rare within the Mediterranean. Other attractions include the mountainous areas such as the Albanian Alps, Ceraunian Mountains and Korab Mountains but also the historical cities of Berat<\/a>, Durr\u00ebs<\/a>, Gjirokast\u00ebr, Sarand\u00eb, Shkod\u00ebr and Kor\u00e7\u00eb<\/a>.<\/p>\n Transportation in Albania has undergone significant changes and improvements in the past two decades. Improvements to the public transport, road and rail infrastructure, water and air travel have all led to a vast improvement in transportation.<\/p>\n The international airport of Tirana<\/a> serves as the premier gateway to the country and carries almost 2.5 million passengers per year with connections to many destinations in different countries around Europe. The country plans to increase the number of airports especially in the south with possible locations in Sarand\u00eb, Gjirokast\u00ebr and Vlor\u00eb<\/a>.<\/p>\n The roads of Albania<\/a> are well maintained and still under construction. The A1<\/a> is the longest motorway of the country and represents a major transportation corridor in Albania. It will prospectively link Durr\u00ebs on the Adriatic Sea across Pristina<\/a> in Kosovo<\/a> with the Pan-European Corridor X<\/a> in Serbia. The A2<\/a> is part of the Adriatic\u2013Ionian Corridor<\/a> as well as the Pan-European Corridor VIII and connects Fier<\/a> with Vlor\u00eb. The A3<\/a> is currently under construction and will connect, after its completion, Tirana and Elbasan with the Pan-European Corridor VIII. When all three corridors are completed, Albania will have an estimated 472 miles of highway linking it with all of its neighboring countries.<\/p>\n Durr\u00ebs is the busiest and largest seaport in the country followed by Vlor\u00eb, Sh\u00ebngjin<\/a> and Sarand\u00eb<\/a>. As of 2014, it is as one of the largest passenger ports on the Adriatic Sea with annual passenger volume of approximately 1.5 million. The ports serve a system of ferries connecting numerous islands and coastal cities in Croatia, Greece and Italy.<\/p>\n The rail network is administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare which was extensively promoted by the dictator Enver Hoxha. There has been a considerable increase in car ownership and bus usage while rail use decreased since the end of communism. However a new railway line from Tirana and its airport to Durr\u00ebs is currently planned. The location of this railway, connecting the most populated urban areas in Albania, makes it an important economic development project.<\/p>\n The flag of Albania is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength and valor, while the double-headed eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania. The flag was established as the national flag of Albania when the country gained its independence from the Ottoman empire in 1912.<\/p>\n During John Hunyadi’s campaign at Niss in 1443, Skanderberg and a few hundred Albanians defected from the Turkish ranks; for twenty-five years he scored remarkable victories against the Ottomans. He adopted the Byzantine double-headed eagle flag, and his spectacular victories brought him the papal title Athleta Christi. The eagle was used for heraldic purposes in the Middle Ages by a number of noble families in Albania and became the symbol of the Albanians. The Kastrioti’s<\/a> coat of arms, depicting a black double-headed eagle on a red field, became famous when he led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire resulting in the independence of Albania from 1443 to 1479. This was the flag of the League of Lezh\u00eb, which was the first unified Albanian state in the Middle Ages and the oldest Parliament with extant records.<\/p>\n The symbol of the double-headed eagle was re-used by Albanian nationalists during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries as a symbol of their campaign for their country’s independence from the Ottoman Empire. On 28 November 1912, the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Vlora<\/a> and the flag, raised by Ismail Qemali, was adopted as the symbol of the new nation.<\/p>\n The Albanian flag has gone through a number of changes over the years as different regimes have modified it. During the reign of King Zog (r. 1928\u20131939), a crown was added to the flag and was replaced by two fasces during the Italian occupation of Albania. After World War II, the communist regime added a five-pointed golden star, which was removed on 7 April 1992 after the communist government in Albania collapsed.<\/p>\n There have been well over a dozen flags used in Albania over the years.\u00a0 For those with a deep interest, all of these can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beginning in 1969, the flag of Albania was widely unofficially flown in Kosovo by the country’s ethnic Albanian population. It was the symbol of the unrecognized Republic of Kosova<\/a> during the 1990s. The current independent state of Kosovo uses a different flag<\/a> that was designed to avoid any symbols associated with a particular ethnic group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The modern nation state of Albania emerged in 1912 following the defeat of the Ottomans in the Balkan Wars. The modern Kingdom of Albania was invaded by Italy in 1939, which formed Greater Albania, before becoming a Nazi German protectorate in 1943. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, a Communist state titled the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania was founded under the leadership of Enver Hoxha and the Party of Labour. The country experienced widespread social and political transformations in the communist era, as well as isolation from much of the international community. In the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1991, the Socialist Republic was dissolved and the fourth Republic of Albania was established.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,26,5,55,6,7,18],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Albanian](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Albania-Alps-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Map-of-Albania.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Origin of the Name:<\/h2>\n
History:<\/h2>\n
Early History:<\/h3>\n
![\"Apollonia\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Apollonia-300x205.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Butrint](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Butrint-Ancient-Amphitheatre-300x145.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Middle Ages:<\/h3>\n
![\"Kruje\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Kruje-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Albania Under the Ottoman Empire:<\/h3>\n
![\"Gjergj](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Gjergj-Kastrioti-Skanderbeg-245x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Ali](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Ali-Pasha-of-Tepelena-233x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
National Renaissance:<\/h3>\n
![\"Siege](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Siege-of-Shkodra-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Independence:<\/h3>\n
![\"Vlor\u00eb\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Vlor\u00eb-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
First Republic:<\/h3>\n
![\"Zog](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Zog-I-of-Albania-with-Italian-Foreign-Minister-Galeazzo-Ciano-in-1937-300x202.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Balli](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Balli-Komb\u00ebtar-300x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Communism:<\/h3>\n
![\"Enver](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Enver-Hoxha-223x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Albanian](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Albanian-Mosque-300x183.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Fourth Republic:<\/h3>\n
![\"Skanderbeg](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Skanderbeg-Square-Tirana-300x194.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Contemporary:<\/h3>\n
![\"Warsaw](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Warsaw-Pact-300x102.png\" "\\"\\"")
Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"Adriatic](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Adriatic-and-Ionian-Seas-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Economy:<\/h2>\n
Agriculture:<\/h3>\n
![\"Grapes](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Grapes-in-Berat-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Industrial:<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/The-Antea-Factory-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Banking, Telecommunications, and Tourism:<\/h3>\n
![\"Albanian](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Albanian-Riviera-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"Tirana](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Tirana-International-Airport-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/The-A1-Highway-300x119.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
![\"Durres](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Durres-Port-300x107.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
The Flag:<\/h2>\n
![\"Albania](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/05\/Albania-Flag-300x214.png\" "\\"\\"")