|
General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
28,750 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
657 km |
|
Coastline: |
437 km |
|
Capital: |
Tirana |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Durres, Elbasan,
Shkoder |
|
Official
Language: |
Albanian |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Lek (ALL) |
|
National Day: |
November 28 |
Location and
Geography
Most of the Albanian
population lives in
the countryside and
is engaged in
agriculture. The
country has a
considerable
agricultural and
cattle-raising
potential. The major
agricultural
products are
temperate-zone crops
and livestock.
Albania’s
sedimentary rocks
contain large
deposits of coal as
well as petroleum
and bitumen. Other
natural resources
are natural gas,
chromium, copper
ore, iron ore and
nickel. The size of
the industry is
significant with an
emphasis on
mechanical
production and
shipbuilding.
Albania has a
mineral extraction
and processing
industry mainly of
chromium, iron,
nickel, copper ore,
as well as gold.
Demography
|
Population:
|
3.42 million
(2001) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
17 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
6 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
22 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 72 years,
Female: 76 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
44.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
85.30 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Albania is situated
in South-eastern
Europe, to the West
of the Balkan
Peninsula. It has
borders with
Montenegro and
Serbia in the North
and North-east,
Macedonia in the
East, and Greece in
the South-west. In
the West, it has a
long coast along the
Adriatic and Ionian
Seas. Albania is a
small country with a
rich landscape. It
has numerous rivers,
mountains and three
large lakes. The
highest altitudes
are found in the
Albanian Alps and in
the mountains of the
Eastern Range. The
lowest elevations
are found in the
coastal lowlands.
Albania falls under
the humid
subtropical belt of
the Northern
Hemisphere, and is
in the Mediterranean
climatic zone with
relatively short,
soft and very humid
winters and hot dry
summers.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
4834 million US$
(2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
1244 US$ (2001) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
25.0%
Agriculture,
19.0% Industry,
56.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
330 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
1448 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Copper cable,
canned goods,
asphalt, metals,
crude oil and
vegetables |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery,
consumer goods
and grains |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Germany
and Bulgaria |
|
