Albania

Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939 and occupied by Germany in 1943. 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 isolated communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents.

Albania has made progress in its democratic development since it first held multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. Most of Albania’s post-communist elections were marred by claims of electoral fraud; however, international observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and in June 2014 became an EU candidate. Albania in April 2017 received a European Commission recommendation to open EU accession negotiations following the passage of historic EU-mandated justice reforms in 2016. Although Albania’s economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and a weak energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.

🇦🇱 Albania Tourism Information…

Welcome Albania

Albanian Holidays

Albania Tourism

🇦🇱 The Best of Albania…
Albanian Riviera
Butrint Archaeological Park
Ksamil
Ruins of Appolnia – Fier
Berat Berat Castle
Cobo Winery
National Ethographic Mu
Gjirokastra
 Shkodra Rozafa Castle
Lake Shkodra
 Tirana Skanderberg Square
National History Museum
Kruja Castle

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🇦🇱 Albania Country Information…

Capital:

Tirana

Largest City:

Tirana

Government:

Parliamentary Republic

Currency:

Lek (ALL)

Area:

28,748 sq km2 (11,100 sq.mi.) ranked 143rd

Climate:

Mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Population:

3,038,594 (July 2016 est.) ranked 137

Language:

Albanian 98.8% (official – derived from Tosk dialect), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Roma, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian), unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Ethnic Groups:

Albanian 82.6%, Greek 0.9%, other 1% (including Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Macedonian, Montenegrin, and Egyptian), unspecified 15.5% (2011 est.)

Religion:

Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2%

Electricity:

230V, 50Hz (European plug C,F )

Telephone Code:

+355

Local Emergency Phone Number:

Ambulance: 17; Fire: 18; Police: 19

Internet TLD:

.al

Time Zone:

CET (UTC+1) Summer CEST (UTC+2) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March, ends last Sunday in October

Road Driving Side:

Right

Anthem:

Betimi mbi flamur  (Albanian) “Oath on the Flag”

Motto:

“Ti Shqipëri, më jep nder, më jep emrin Shqipëtar” (Albanian) “You Albania, give me honor, give me the name Albanian”

President:

Illir Meta

Prime Minister:

Edi Rama

🇦🇱 Holidays and Observances in Albania in 2021
Date NameType
Jan 1FridayNew Year’s DayNational holiday
Jan 2SaturdayNew Year’s Day (Day 2)National holiday
Jan 4MondayDay off for New Year’s Day (Day 2)National holiday
Feb 14SundayValentine’s DayObservance
Mar 8MondayMothers’ DayObservance
Mar 14SundaySummer DayNational holiday
Mar 15MondayDay off for Summer DayNational holiday
Mar 20SaturdayMarch EquinoxSeason
Mar 22MondayNevruz DayNational holiday
Mar 28SundayDaylight Saving Time startsClock change/Daylight Saving Time
Apr 2FridayGood FridayObservance
Apr 3SaturdayHoly SaturdayObservance
Apr 4SundayEaster SundayNational holiday
Apr 5MondayEaster MondayObservance
Apr 30FridayGood Friday (Orthodox)Observance, Orthodox
May 1SaturdayEaster Saturday (Orthodox)Observance, Orthodox
May 1SaturdayInternational Worker’s DayNational holiday
May 2SundayEaster Sunday (Orthodox)National holiday, Orthodox
May 3MondayEaster Monday (Orthodox)Observance, Orthodox
May 3MondayDay off for International Worker’s DayNational holiday
May 13ThursdayEid al-FitrNational holiday
Jun 20SundayFathers’ DayObservance
Jun 21MondayJune SolsticeSeason
Jul 20TuesdayFeast of the SacrificeNational holiday
Sep 5SundayMother Teresa Beatification DayNational holiday
Sep 6MondayDay off for Mother Teresa Beatification DayNational holiday
Sep 22WednesdaySeptember EquinoxSeason
Oct 31SundayHalloweenObservance
Oct 31SundayDaylight Saving Time endsClock change/Daylight Saving Time
Nov 28SundayFlag and Independence DayNational holiday
Nov 29MondayDay off for Flag and Independence DayNational holiday
Nov 29MondayLiberation DayNational holiday
Dec 8WednesdayNational Youth DayNational holiday
Dec 21TuesdayDecember SolsticeSeason
Dec 24FridayChristmas EveObservance
Dec 25SaturdayChristmas DayNational holiday
Dec 27MondayDay off for Christmas DayNational holiday
Dec 31FridayNew Year’s EveObservance