About Albania
All the main things you need to know before traveling to Albania
Albania is situated in the Southeast part of Europe, confined by land with Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Greece. It has a maritime border with Italy as both the Adriatic and Ionian Sea washes its shores on the West coast. Within few days you can visit the extremely diverse landscape from sea to summit.
Albania is included in the humid sub-tropiczal zone of the Northern Hemisphere and it belongs to the Mediterranean climatic zone. Coastal areas have mild and wet winter, with hot and dry summer, whereas alpine areas have cold and wild winter, with wet summer. Albania proudly records an average of 300 sunny days a year.
The population of Albania as of 2024 Census, numbers 2,825,537. The vast majority of inhabitants are Albanian, with ethnic minorities representing only about 2% of the population, even though it is believed that most of Albanians leave outside of the country, with a vast diaspora. Albania has one of the youngest populations in Europe.
Albanian is a very old and rare Indo-European language and it represents a separate branch of this family. The name “Shqipëri” (Albania) replaced the “old” name “Arberi” by the end of the XVII century and aimed at giving importance to the connection between the nation notion and the use of the Albanian language, called “Shqip”.
The national flag of the Republic of Albania represents a black bicephalous eagle with open wings (symbolizing the strength and love for freedom which characterize Albanian people) situated in the middle of a red background (which symbolizes the blood spilled through millennials to protect the land from foreign invaders).
The currency used in Albania is called “Lek”. It was firstly introduced in Feb 1926. Before that Albania was adhering to a gold standard for the fixation of commercial values. The name of the currency was proposed by King Zog, in honor of Alexander the Great, who is thought to be of Albanian origin, from Mat area, where King Zog himself was born.
National Hero and World-renowned Figures
The people that contributed in making Albania the one it is today
Skëndërbeu
George Kastriot Skanderbeg was an Albanian nobleman and military commander trained by the Ottoman Empire, but served the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Naples. He is considered a national hero because in the 15th Century, he defended Albania and the West by opposing the Ottoman Empire. He
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Teresa
The most famous Albanian in the world is Mother Teresa. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa's real name) was born in Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia, to an Albanian family from Kosovo. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, and spent most of her
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Kadare
Ismail Kadare was the most famous writer, novelist and poet of contemporary Albania. He wrote several masterpieces, including Chronicles in Stone, which was a novel set in his birthplace of Gijrokastër, one of the most beautiful towns in Albania and the Balkans. Kadare won many prizes for his
...read moreHistorical Background
The country through all the big world events
As World War II ended, the country entered a ruthless communist regime by Enver Hoxha, which lasted until 1992, when the communist doctrine ended in most of Europe. During this time the country was completely isolated and shifted to anti-religious practices, making it an atheist country. Enver Hoxha's rule became more paranoid with the passing of the years, with high spending in military and
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The first footprints of human existence in Albania date to the Old Stone Age or Middle and Upper Paleolithic eras, near the village of Xarrë in Sarandë and Dajti Mountain, near the capital, Tirana. Bones and stone tools where found in caves and they showed great similarities with those found in Montenegro and Greece. During ancient times, these lands, were inhabited by Illyrians, a group of
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Much of nowadays Albania was ruled by a powerful Illyrian tribe called the Ardiaei (Ardianët). Their kingdom reached its full potential under King Agron, whose power was passed to his wife Teuta after his death. She extended the rule further south near the Ionian Sea. During this time Rome was being vigilant and in 229 BC declared war as hundreds of ships rushed the shores, resulting in the
...read more15 Fun Facts About Albania
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Three main religions in Albania are: Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic, which live in harmony, making Albania a claimed example of religious tolerance.
There is only 1 airport in Albania (named after Mother Theresa) even though, 2 more are built, but cannot be used.
The only active mean of transportation within Albania is motor-vehicles