The Albanian people have an ancient history, but for a couple of thousand years the country was mostly occupied and subjugated by other states. It was not until the end of World War II that Albania, under communist leadership, succeeded in freeing itself from foreign supremacy. What is today Albania has belonged to the Roman Empire, Östrom and the Ottoman Empire. In 1913, Albania was recognized as independent, but half of the Albanians ended up outside the borders, mainly in Kosovo. Albania was occupied by Italy in 1939, a Greater Albania was established, but the occupation was taken over by the Germans. They were expelled in 1944, when Albanian Communists led by Enver Hoxha took over.
The Albanians are believed to be descended from the Illyrians, an Indo-European people who lived on the western side of the Balkan Peninsula in the late Bronze Age (around 1000 BC). During the 200s BC, the Romans began to invade the area to finally subdue rebellious Illyrian clans in 9 AD. When the Roman Empire was divided in 395, Albania belonged to the eastern part, Byzantium.
At the end of the 14th century, the Ottomans (Turks) began the conquest of the area, but the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti, commonly known as Skanderbeg (Skënderbeu), managed to unite the clans into a united resistance. For a quarter of a century, the Ottomans held the bar. Ten years after Skanderbeg’s death in 1468, Albania was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire and remained, despite several uprisings, under Turkish rule until 1912.
From the struggle for the right to use the Albanian language, an increasingly strong Albanian nationalism and more organized resistance developed during the second half of the 19th century. Several uprisings were crushed. Read about nationalism>
In the autumn of 1912, the states of the Balkan Confederation – Serbia , Bulgaria , Greece and Montenegro – declared war on the Ottoman Empire. During the war, several of them claimed Albanian territory, which led to Muslim and Christian leaders declaring Albania an independent state in November 1912.
When a peace treaty was concluded at a great power conference in London in May 1913, Albania was recognized as independent, but about half of the Albanian population ended up in neighboring countries. Serbia got the province of Kosovo , among others , and Greece got other Albanian territories.
The great powers appointed a Prussian, Prince Wilhelm of Wied, to rule Albania, but popular resistance and the outbreak of World War I forced him to leave the country after only six months.
After the war, the country was threatened by a new division, which the Albanians managed to avert at a peace conference in Paris in 1920.
After a few years of internal fighting, Ahmet Zogu, a clan chief from northern Albania, took power in 1925 with the help of Serbia, among others. He ruled the country dictatorially and in 1928 proclaimed himself king under the name Zog I. He entered into a military and political alliance with fascist Italy , but in 1939 the Italians occupied Albania and had a Greater Albania established, including Kosovo and the Albanian parts of Macedonia . The king fled abroad with the treasury.
In the autumn of 1943, Italy capitulated to the Allies, and the Italian occupation forces in Albania were replaced by the Germans. In July of the same year, a partisan army had been set up on the initiative of the Communist Party, which had been formed two years earlier. The partisans and other armed organizations with nationalists and royalists fought among themselves while trying to drive out the occupying power. The Communists won the Civil War and in October 1944 formed a provisional government led by Enver Hoxha. Shortly afterwards, the partisans had driven out all foreign troops.
The country guide’s facts about Albania
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Albania today
Population: 2,854,191 (2019)
Capital: Tirana
Albania is a small mountainous country in the Balkans with a coast facing the Adriatic Sea. The majority of the population is Muslim. Since the early 1990s, Albania has developed from an isolated and poor country, ruled by a Stalinist communist regime, to a nation with an open economy and membership in the NATO defense alliance. Albania was given the go-ahead in 2020 to open negotiations with the EU, although membership is still likely to take several years.
Population
Most of Albania’s inhabitants live in the coastal country, while the mountain areas are sparsely populated. The Communist regime (1945–1991) severely limited people’s ability to leave the countryside. After its fall, a great migration of people from the countryside to the cities began. Nowadays, more Albanians live in cities than in rural areas.
Religion
Freedom of religion is guaranteed in Albania’s constitution and is generally well respected. The state is secular, that is, non-religious. A large majority of the population are Muslims, mainly Sunnis. Albanians became Christians during Roman times, but during the Ottoman (Turkish) rule (1468–1912) many converted to Islam.
Political system
Albania is a republic whose president primarily has a ceremonial role. The executive power lies with the government. The Legislative Parliament is dominated by two political parties: the Conservative Democratic Party (PD) and the Socialist Party (PS). Between the two there is a deep conflict with historical roots. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President on a proposal from the party or party alliance that has a majority in Parliament.
Democracy and rights
Albania has been a functioning electoral democracy since 1991, even though the political polarization is harsh and the politics strongly person-oriented. Basic civil rights such as freedom of religion and assembly are well respected. But the democratic shortcomings are still great. Corruption and organized crime are serious societal problems affecting politics, the judiciary, business and the media.
Foreign policy and defense
After the fall of the communist regime in 1991, Albania has sought good relations with the West. The country was admitted as a member of the NATO defense alliance in 2009 and applied for EU membership the same year. Albania gained candidate country status in 2014 and after many ifs and buts, in 2020 came a green light to start membership negotiations.
Economy
When the communist regime fell in 1991, Albania was one of Europe’s poorest countries. The isolation from the outside world had meant that the country ended up far behind other eastern states as well. The transition from a planned to a market economy was rapid during the 1990s, but political unrest contributed to major disruptions in the economy. After the turn of the millennium, however, the country was able to rise from absolute poverty.
The World Bank counts Albania as a middle-income country. During the first decade of the 2000s, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increased by about 20 percent, while growth has been more modest during the first half of the 2010s. It is mainly the service sector that has grown strongly, in particular the tourism industry, the retail trade and the hotel and restaurant industry.
Foreign trade
Albanian goods have difficulty competing in both the domestic and world markets. Imports are significantly larger than exports. The trade deficit is partly covered by money that Albanians send home from abroad, but also by aid from the outside world, mainly the EU.
Social conditions
Albania is often described as one of Europe’s poorest countries. However, thanks to strong economic growth during the first decade of the 21st century, poverty has been at least partially combated. Nowadays, approximately every seventh Albanian is estimated to live in poverty.