Albania Country & Tourist Information

Location
Southeastern Europe, Western Balkans.


Area
28,748 sq km (11,100 sq miles).

Population
3.6 million (2008 estimate).

Population Density
126 per sq km.

Capital
Tirana.
Population: 602,000 (2008).

Government
Parliamentary republic, under a constitution passed in 1998.

Language
The official language is Albanian. Greek is widely spoken in the south of the country, and some state schools there use Greek as the medium of education. Many Albanians speak Italian; some also know French or English.

Religion
Albania is an extremely secular society. The traditional breakdown is 70% Muslim, 20% Orthodox (the autocephalous Albanian church) and 10% Catholic, but at best these figures indicate nothing more than nominal attachment to each faith.

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Sali Berisha since 2005.



Head of State
President Bamir Topi since 2007.

Recent History
Albania was the last country in Europe to hold multi-party elections, in March 1991. The first year of democracy was turbulent; the country stabilized after the March 1992 elections, but the collapse of pyramid-banking schemes brought Albania to the brink of civil war in early 1997. Since then, Albania has gradually become more politically stable and economically prosperous. The 2005 parliamentary elections resulted in the first peaceful handover of power from one governing party to another.

Telephone
Country code: 355. City codes: Tirana 04, Durresi 052, Elbasani 054, Shkodra 022, Gjirokastra 084, Korça 082.

Mobile Telephone
Coverage is good, except in the most remote, mountainous areas.

Internet
Almost every sizeable town in Albania has public Internet access, usually via an Internet cafe. Some hotels, especially in Tirana, have broadband connections in the guest rooms; a few have Wi-Fi.

Media
Albania has a good diversity of print and electronic media, although the market is undeveloped which means that all privately-owned outlets are dependent to at least some extent on government advertising. Newspapers are often very partisan; indeed, three widely available papers are published by political parties. Political parties, religious groups and state bodies aren't allowed to own private TV and radio stations.

Post
The Albanian postal service is not 100% reliable, although it is not especially bad either. Important documents should be sent by courier. DHL and Federal Express have offices in Tirana and a few other cities. An internal courier service called ACS operates within Albania.

Post office hours: The central post office in Tirana is open from 0730 to 2000 Mon-Sun.

Press
• Rilindja Demokratike, the organ of the ruling Democratic Party, has a circulation of 50,000.
• The Albanian Daily News and Tirana Times are English-language newspapers.
• Some Albanian newspapers contain a few pages in English; these include Gazeta Shqiptare.

Radio
• There are many radio stations; most of them are music channels.
• The BBC World Service broadcasts in Tirana on 103.9 FM, and of course on its usual short-wave channels elsewhere in the country.
• The Voice of America broadcasts to Albania on medium and short wave.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Orthodox Christmas.
16 Mar Summer Day.
23 Mar Nevruz.
10 Apr Good Friday.
13 Apr Easter Monday.
20 Apr Orthodox Easter.
1 May May Day.
21 Sep Lesser Bajram (Eid al-Fitr).
19 Oct Beatification of Mother Teresa.
27 Nov Greater Bajram (Eid ul-Adha).
28 Nov Independence.
30 Nov Liberation (at the end of World War II).
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Orthodox Christmas.
15 Mar Summer Day.
22 Mar Nevruz.
2 Apr Good Friday. 
5 Apr Easter Monday.
5 Apr Orthodox Easter.
1 May May Day.
11 Sep Lesser Bairam (End of Ramadan).
18 Oct Beatification of Mother Teresa.
17 Nov Greater Bairam (Feast of the Sacrifice).
28 Nov Independence.
29 Nov Liberation (at the end of World War II).
25 Dec Christmas Day.

Note
When a holiday falls on a Sunday, it is taken on the following Monday. The dates of Orthodox and Catholic Easter and the Muslim festivals of Eid ul-Adha and Eid al-Fitr vary from one year to another.

Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Lesser Bairam (Eid al-Fitr), Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Some disruption may continue into Lesser Bairam itself. Lesser Bairam and Greater Bairam (Eid al-Adha) may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

Contact Information:

Embassy of the Republic of Albania in the UK
2nd Floor, 24 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB, UK
Tel: 020 7828 8897.
Website: www.albanianembassy.co.uk
Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri 0900-1200 (consular services).

Embassy of the Republic of Albania in the USA
2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 223 4942.
Website: www.embassyofalbania.org

National Agency of Albania
Rr. Abdi Toptani, Nr.4, Al1010, Tirane, Albania
Tel: (04) 273 778.
Website: www.albaniatourism.com


Next Page »

Related Albania Content