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The Republic of Albania is a Balkan country in Southeastern Europe. It borders Montenegro on the north, the UN administered province of Kosovo on the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia on the east, and Greece on the south. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west and a coast on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. Despite having a troubled history, the country has been classified as an emerging democracy since the 1990s. Albania has played a relevant role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the European Union.
Geography
Albania has a total area of 28,750 square kilometers. Its coastline is 362 kilometres long and stretches on the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea. The lowlands of the west face the Adriatic Sea. The 70% of the country that is mountainous is rugged and often inaccessible. The highest mountain is Korab situated in the district of Dibra, reaching up to 2,753 metres (9,032 ft).
The country has a continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. Besides the capital city of Tirana, which has 800,000 inhabitants, the principal cities are Durrës, Elbasan, Shkodër, Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Korçë and Kukës.
In Albanian grammar, a word can have indefinite and definite forms, and this also applies to city names: both Tiranë and Tirana, Shkodër and Shkodra are used.
Demographics
The 95% of the population is comprised of ethnic Albanians who are mostly Atheists or Agnostics (see Religion in Albania). The 5% minorities include Greeks, Serbs, Montenegrins, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Roma (Gypsies), Egyptians (Balkans), Vlach, Bosniaks and Italians. The dominant language is Albanian, with two main dialects, Gheg and Tosk. Many Albanians are also fluent in English, Greek and Italian.
As a part of the Ottoman Empire, Albania became a mostly Muslim territory. During the communist regime, religion was officially banned, and Albania was proclaimed as the first and only Atheist state in the world. Today, with the freedom of religion and worship, Albania contains numerous religions and denominations; however, within a nonreligious majority that amounts to 75% of the total population. Other main religions of the world also have some small representation in Albania. Religious fanaticism has never been a problem, with people from different religious groups living in peace. Interreligious marriage is very common, and an immensely strong sense of Albanian identity has tended to bind Albanians of all religious practices together.
Economy
Since the fall of communism in 1990, Albania has launched economic programs towards a more open-market economy. The democratically elected government that assumed office in April 1992 launched an ambitious economic reform program to halt economic deterioration and put the country on the path toward a market economy. Key elements included price and exchange system liberalisation, fiscal consolidation, monetary restraint, and a firm income policy. These were complemented by a comprehensive package of structural reforms, including privatisation, enterprise, and financial sector reform, and creation of the legal framework for a market economy and private sector activity. Most prices were liberalised and are now approaching levels typical of the region. Most agriculture, state housing, and small industry were privatised, along with transportation, services, and small and medium-sized enterprises. After severe economic contraction following 1989, the economy slowly rebounded, finally surpassing its 1989 levels by the end of the 1990s. GDP per capita. Since prices have also risen, however, economic hardship has continued for much of the population. In 1995, Albania began privatizing large state enterprises. Since 2000, Albania has experienced a more rapid expansion of its economy.
Following the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in June/July 2006, EU ministers urged Albania to push ahead with reforms, focusing on press freedom, property rights, institution building, respect for ethnic minorities and observing international standards in municipal elections.
Albania's coastline on the Ionian Sea, especially near the Greek tourist island of Corfu, is becoming increasingly popular with tourists due to its relatively unspoiled nature and its beaches. The tourism industry is growing rapidly.
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