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About Albania
The best kept-secret in the Mediterranean
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Geographical Position
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.
Albanian Climate
Albania is included in the humid sub-tropical 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 days of summer a year.
Albanian Population
The population of Albania numbers 3,150,886. 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.
Official Language
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".
National Symbols
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).
Currency
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
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 fought against the Ottoman Empire for almost 30 years including 3 famous sieges of his town fortress of Kruja, never losing it. His life and battles history are on display at the museum inside the castle of Kruja.
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 life in the Indian town of Calcutta, where she helped people with AIDS, as well as children. In 2016 in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa on September 4.
Ismail Kadare is 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 works, including the Prince of Asturias Award (2009) and the Jerusalem Prize (2015). Kadare is regarded by some as one of the greatest European writers and intellectuals of the 20th century.
Historical Background
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 Indo-European tribes that populated the Western Balkans, specifically the area east of the Adriatic Sea all the way to the Vjosa river in the south, confining the Chaoninans, the Greek.
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 defeat of the kingdom. In 167 BC Illyria was annexed as part of the Eastern Roman Empire, and stayed as part of it until 395 AD, as present day Albania was put under the Byzantine Empire.
The Illyrians are mentioned for the last time during the 7th Century. The first mentions of Albania date back to 1080, as `Albanoi`, a tribe who fought against Constantinople, formed the first semi-autonomous Albanian state in 1190, as a Principality with Kruja as the capital. The principality lasted until the 13th Century, but it had important historical value as it created the first blueprint of an Albanian state. Internal power struggles within the empire during the 14th Century, made sure that the Serbian state took over almost all of Albania. It did not last for long, as another great Empire was on the rise.
Under Ottoman Empire Rule
During the end of the 14th Century the Ottoman Empire invaded the country and established Scanderbeg as the ruler, a military commander born in the principality of Kastrioti in Albania. Gjergj Kastrioti Scanderbeg became Albania's national hero as he deserted the empire and started a rebellion against it for almost 30 years, interrupting their advance into Europe. After his death the Ottoman invasion made gigantic historical and cultural changes within the country, particularly the introduction of Islam. Adapting to the new religion, many Muslim Albanians obtained important political positions within the empire but nationalism started to fade during the 18th century. Slowly the National Renaissance or Albanian National Awakening was taking place, but it wasn't until the Balkan Wars of 1912 that Albania was freed from the Empire and declared independence on November 28, 1912.
The Two World Wars
The independence coincided with the beginning of World War I damaging efforts of establishing a new government. Even though the independence was recognized by the Conference of the Ambassadors in London, the treaty defined the borders of the country leaving many ethnic Albanians outside. As World War I ended, Albania was recognized as a government in 1920 when it was accepted in the League of Nations. In 1924 the parliament approved a new constitution as a parliamentary republic, declaring Zog I as head of state. He was an authoritarian leader and had good relationships with Italy as he transformed the country to a monarchy proclaiming himself King. He fled in the bring of WWII, unable to form an exile government. Albania became one of the first nation which was occupied by the Axis powers, when Italy invaded in 1939. As the Italian forces were retreating from the country in 1943, Nazi forces gained control until 29th of November 1944, which is recognized as the national Liberation Day of Albania.
Communism Era and Post
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 defense, after Albania willingly ended relations with its last ally, China, making it the loneliest diplomatic country in the world. Fortunately, the regime ended and Albania through democratic elections has slowly moved forward. In 2009 it was accepted in the NATO and has applied for EU membership. Filled with natural beauties, the country has developed lately mostly through tourism, developing an unprecedented economic growth and opening the door to visitors through its genuine hospitality. Nowadays, Albania is an emerging country and a preferred destination for tourists who wish to explore the unknown.
15 Fun Facts About Albania:
1) There is only 1 airport in Albania (named after Mother Theresa) even though, 2 more are built, but cannot be used.
2) The only active mean of transportation within Albania is motor-vehicles.
3) When the Communism regime fell, Albania had only 3000 cars, all state owned.
4) Albanian favorite car brand is Mercedes Benz. Even though Albania is an upper-middle class economy, this luxury brand is dominant in the Albanian streets and highways.
5) In 1967, Albania became the world’s first atheist state. This happened under the leadership of Enver Hoxha.
6) An approximate of 250.000 mushroom shaped bunkers were built during the communist regime.
7) It is believed that more than 2000 Jews sought refuge in Albania during the war. Albania-proper emerged from the war with a population of Jews eleven times greater than at the beginning.
8) There is no McDonalds in Albania. But you may want to visit “Kolonat”.
9) Extending mainly to Greece, Italy, Turkey and the US, Albanians have a larger population outside of Albania than in it. Over 60,000 Albanians live in New York State alone.
10) Albania has more than 3250 species of plants, approximately 30% of all flora of Europe.
11) In 2018 Albania was as one of the best countries to visit, by National Geographic.
12) Raki is the national drink. Every village house takes pride to its artisanal-made Raki, which is impossible to buy… because they will only give it away as a gift.
13) Lord Byron was a big fan of Albania, where he visited in 1809 during his grand tour of the Mediterranean. He mentions Albania in his book “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage”
14) Albanians claim to be the second best in world for preparing: Espresso, Pasta and Pizza, beaten only of course, by Italians.
15) Three main religions in Albania are: Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic, which live in harmony, making Albania a claimed example of religious tolerance.