2. Albania
Republic of Albania (Republika e Shqiperise)
Capital:
Tirana Currency: Lek
Area: 28,748 sq. km Coastline: 362 km
Population:
2,893,005 Languages: Albanian, Greek; Religions: Islam-70%, Christian-30%; Literacy: 98.7%; Life Expectancy: 76.38 p.c.i.: $ 10,596; HDI rank: 95; Date of Indepen dence: 28th November, 1912.
Government Type:
Parliamentary De mocracy; President: Bujar Nishani; PM: Edi Rama.
Climate: Mediterranean Regional Divisions:12 Counties
Geography: Albania lies in the western Balkan Mountains in southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea. It is mountain ous, with coastal plains where half the population lives.
History:
Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and estab lished a multiparty democracy.