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Albania |
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| Background: |
Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 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 legislative elections
in 2001 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but
identified serious deficiencies that should be addressed through reforms
in the Albanian electoral code. |
| Location: |
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between
Greece and Serbia and Montenegro |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
41 00 N, 20 00 E |
| Map
references: |
Europe
|
| Area: |
total: 28,748 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km,
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro
287 km |
| Coastline: |
362 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers;
interior is cooler and wetter |
| Terrain: |
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point:
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower
|
| Land
use: |
arable land: 21.09%
permanent crops: 4.45%
other: 74.46% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
3,400 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods;
drought |
| Environment
- current issues: |
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 |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian
Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
|
| Population: |
3,582,205 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 28.1% (male 520,714; female 486,911)
15-64
years: 64.6% (male 1,115,887; female 1,196,477)
65 years
and over: 7.3% (male 115,754; female 146,462) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 26.5 years
male: 24.8 years
female:
28.1 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.03% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
18.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.08 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 (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 37.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
34.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 39.68 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 72.37 years
male: 69.53 years
female: 75.42 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.22 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| Languages: |
Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total
population: 86.5%
male: 93.3%
female: 79.5%
(2003 est.)
|
| Economy
- overview: |
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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $14 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
49%
industry: 27%
services: 24% (2002 est.)
|
| Population
below poverty line: |
30% (2001 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
6% (2002 est.) |
| 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% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
17% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$697 million
expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $368 million (2002 est.) |
| Industries: |
food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals,
mining, basic metals, hydropower |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
9% (2000 est.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat,
dairy products |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Debt
- external: |
$784 million (2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.) |
| Currency: |
lek (ALL) |
| Currency
code: |
ALL |
| Exchange
rates: |
leke per US dollar - NA (2002), 143.485 (2001), 143.709 (2000), 137.691
(1999), 150.633 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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