Albania
Albania gained independence in 1912, recognised in 1913, from the Ottoman Empire, which had controlled its territory for several centuries. A country located in the Western Balkans, it borders Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece and faces the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
Following the brief period of Italian occupation, Albania was ruled from 1944 to 1990 by an isolationist and authoritarian communist regime, which collapsed after the end of the Cold War, leaving the country in dire economic straits. Since 1998, it has been a parliamentary republic, and in recent years the country has managed to embark on a process of economic revival and political and institutional consolidation, so much so that it has joined NATO and applied to join the European Union.
Capitalising in particular on its territory, landscape and natural beauty, Albania has recently invested considerably in the tourism sector. It is now one of the emerging countries in Europe and a market in which numerous foreign, including Italian, capital has been invested. The population amounts to around 3 million inhabitants, but it should be noted that Albania has a large number of its own citizens abroad, who have emigrated since the 1990s mainly for economic reasons.
Albania has a solid tradition of excellent relations with Italy. Several Italian companies operate in the country and the interchange is very strong: in 2022, Italy reconfirmed itself as the first trading partner, with an interchange close to 3.6 billion Euros.
The Albanian community in Italy is certainly one of the best integrated, second only to the Romanian one, and counts about 420 thousand members. In the country, among other things, the Italian language is widespread and well known.
The main religions are Islam and Christianity. The capital is Tirana.
Tensions and winds of crisis in the Balkans. The article by Antonio Stango, published on the 25th of May 2024 in Il Giornale
| Head of state | Bajram Begaj |
| Head of Government | Edi Rama |
| Institutional Form | Parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Tirana |
| Legislative Power | Unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats) |
| Judicial Power | Constitutional Court (9 judges); Supreme Court (19 judges) |
| Ambassador to Italy | Anila Lani |
| Total Area kmq | 28,748 km2 |
| Land | 27,398 km2 |
| Weather | Mild temperate climate; tends to be cold and wet in winter; hot, dry summers |
| Natural resources | Oil, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land |
| Economic summary | Albania is an oil and gas exporter, but is investing towards a 'blue economy'; the country is experiencing high debt balances and trying to strengthen private sector growth and public sector confidence |
| GDP | $18.88 miliardi (Dec. 2022) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $15,502 (Dec. 2022) |
| Exports | $5.612 billion (2021) |
| Export partner | Italy, Greece, Spain, Germany, North Macedonia, Switzerland, China and Bulgaria (2023) |
| Imports | $8 billion (2021) |
| Import partner | Italy, Greece, China, Germany, Turkiye, Serbia, Switzerland, France and Spain (2023) |
| Trade With Italy | €3.33 billion (2022) |
| Population | 2.7 milioni (Dec. 2022) |
| Population Growth | +0.19% (2023 est.) |
| Ethnicities | Albanians 82.6%, Greeks 0.9%, other 1%, unspecified 15.5% |
| Languages | Albanian 98.8% (official), Greek 0.5%, other 0.6%, unspecified 0.1% |
| Religions | Muslims 56.7%, Catholics 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheists 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2% |
| Urbanization | 64.6% (2023) |
| Literacy | 98.4% |
Albania gained independence in 1912, recognised in 1913, from the Ottoman Empire, which had controlled its territory for several centuries. A country located in the Western Balkans, it borders Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece and faces the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
Following the brief period of Italian occupation, Albania was ruled from 1944 to 1990 by an isolationist and authoritarian communist regime, which collapsed after the end of the Cold War, leaving the country in dire economic straits. Since 1998, it has been a parliamentary republic, and in recent years the country has managed to embark on a process of economic revival and political and institutional consolidation, so much so that it has joined NATO and applied to join the European Union.
Capitalising in particular on its territory, landscape and natural beauty, Albania has recently invested considerably in the tourism sector. It is now one of the emerging countries in Europe and a market in which numerous foreign, including Italian, capital has been invested. The population amounts to around 3 million inhabitants, but it should be noted that Albania has a large number of its own citizens abroad, who have emigrated since the 1990s mainly for economic reasons.
Albania has a solid tradition of excellent relations with Italy. Several Italian companies operate in the country and the interchange is very strong: in 2022, Italy reconfirmed itself as the first trading partner, with an interchange close to 3.6 billion Euros.
The Albanian community in Italy is certainly one of the best integrated, second only to the Romanian one, and counts about 420 thousand members. In the country, among other things, the Italian language is widespread and well known.
The main religions are Islam and Christianity. The capital is Tirana.
