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Albania
Albania Facts Videos Maps
Photo: Albania
Albania is one of Europe's only majority Muslim nations. Mosques and churches alike have reopened across the country after decades of closure under the communist government.
Photograph by Michel Setboun/CORBIS
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Albania Information and History

Albania lies along the Adriatic Sea in southeastern Europe. The narrow coastal plain rises to mountains that are almost 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) high, which cover most of the country. These mountains are rich in mineral resources such as chrome, iron, nickel, and copper; however, mining requires investment that Albania lacks. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe (and the only one with a Muslim majority). It suffered from more than 40 years of communist rule, which ended in 1991. War in neighboring Kosovo brought 480,000 ethnic Albanian refugees into Albania in 1999—straining the country's resources. The largely agricultural economy is growing thanks to remittances from Albanian workers abroad—mostly in Greece and Italy.

ECONOMY

Industry: food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil.
Agriculture: wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables; meat.
Exports: textiles and footwear, asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil.

Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
Albania Flag and Fast Facts
Flag of Albania
Population
3,170,000
Capital
Tirana; 367,000
Area
28,748 square kilometers
(11,100 square miles)
Language
Albanian, Greek
Religion
Muslim, Albanian Orthodox, Roman Catholic
Currency
lek
Life Expectancy
74
GDP per Capita
U.S. $4,400
Literacy Percent
87
Albania Features
Photo: Ensemble Tirana
Ensemble Tirana perform folkloric dances, songs and instrumental melodies, from the region surrounding Albania's capitol.
Photo: Albanian woman
In northern Albania, the only way a woman can have the rights of a man is to take an oath of celibacy and become a sworn virgin.
Map: Albania
Country: Albania
Continent: Europe
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