Albania

Land Boundaries: total: 717 km, border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Kosovo 112 km
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm, continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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) 2,764 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 20.1%, permanent crops: 4.21%, other: 75.69% (2005)
Irrigated land: 3,530 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along south-western coast; floods; drought
Current Environment Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
International Environment Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Population: 3,619,778 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.6% (male 447,126/female 406,757)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,239,819/female 1,180,720)
65 years and over: 9.5% (male 160,241/female 185,115) (2008 est.)
Median age: total: 29.5 years, male: 28.9 years, female: 30.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.538% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 15.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.41 migrant(s)/1,000 populations (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female, under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: Total: 19.31 deaths/1,000 live births, male: 19.74, deaths/1,000 live births, female: 18.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: Total population: 77.78 years, male: 75.12 years, female: 80.71 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Nationality: noun: Albanian(s), adjective: Albanian
Ethnic groups: Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, 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: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Languages: Albanian (official), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
Literacy: definition: age 9 and over can read and write, total population: 98.7%, male: 99.2%, female: 98.3% (2001 census)
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Albania, conventional short form: Albania, local long form: Republika e Shqiperise, local short form: Shqipëria
former: People’s Socialist Republic of Albania
Government type: emerging democracy

Capital: name: Tirana (Tiranë), geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E, time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time), daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October.