Profile in Albania
Country Name   Republic of Albania
Government   Emerging Democracy
Country Area   28,748 sq km
Region   Europe
Location   Southeastern Europe, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea
Population   3,619,778 (July 2008 est.)
Religion  Islam
Capital   Tirana  
Major Provinces   Durres, Elbasan
Official Language   Albanian  

Viewow’s Traveler Notes in Albania
International Dialling Code   +355
Internet Country Code   .al
Time zone   GMT + 1
Monetary Unit   Lek (ALL)
Electric Power   220 V / 50 Hz
Electric Plugs   C & F

Round pin attachment plug

"Schuko" plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts
Tip Etiquette   There is no social tipping rule, it depends the customer

Emergency Call in Albania
Medical ----- 17   
Police ----- 19      
Fire ----- 18
Other       

View of Geography in Albania
Coordinates   41 00 N, 20 00 E

Total Area   28,748 sq km
Land Area   27,398 sq km
Water Area   1,350 sq km
Land Boundaries   717 km   
Border Countries   Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km,

Montenegro 172 km, Kosovo 112 km 

Costline Lenghts   362 km
Highets Point   Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m
Lowest Point   Adriatic Sea 0 m   
Terrain   Small plains along coast, mostly mountains and hills
Climate   Mild and temperate; hot, clear, dry summers; cool, cloudy, wet winters

View of People in Albania
National Name   Republika e Shqiperise
Nationality   Albanian
Ethnicity   Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
Languages   Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach,

Romani, Slavic dialects
Religious   Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
Independance day   28 November (1912)

View of Demographics in Albania
Population Density   132.1% per sq km (July 2008 est.)
Population Growth   0.538% (2008 est.)
Urban Population Rate   48.5% (2006)
Infant Mortality Rate   19.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Total Fertility Rates   2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Life Expectancy   80.71 years (2008 est.)
Birth Rate   15.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate   5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex Ratio   1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Divorces   4,075 (annual divorces) 0,11% (2006)
Literacy Rate   98.7%  (2001 census)
Literacy Rate (female)   98.3% (2001 census)
Suffrage   18 years of age

View of Economy in Albania
Gdp (ppp)   $19.92 billion (2007 est.)
Budget   revenues: $2.786 billion, expenditures: $40.8 billion (2007 est.)
Exports   $1.089 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports   $3.891 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Invenstment   23.3% (percent of GDP) (2007 est.)
Unemployment Rate   13% (2007 est.)
Labor Force   1.09 million (2006 est.)
Inflation Rate   2.9% (2007 est.)
Growth Rate   6% (2007 est.)
Arable Land   20.1% (2005)
Industries   lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower;

food processing, textiles and clothing
Agriculture   fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products, wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables
Natural Resources   petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

View of Some Facts in Albania
Main Lines Phones   603,900 (2006) 
Mobile Phones   1,185,400 (2006)
Internet Hosts   8,270 (2007)
Internet users   172,800 (2006)
Airports  12 (2007)
Gsm   GSM 900 / GSM 1800
Gsm Operator   AMC, MOBIL, Vodafone
Railways   839 km
Highways   7,700 km
Waterways   43 km
Merchant Marine   24 ships (1000 GRT or over) (2008) 
Ports and Terminals   Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Business Week in Albania

--- Offices

Monday - Friday   7a.m. to 6p.m.

Saturday - Sunday   closed

--- Retails

Monday - Friday   7a.m. to 7p.m. (four-hour break at noon)

--- Banks

Monday - Friday    7a.m. to 6p.m.

--- Government

Monday - Friday   10a.m. to 6p.m.

Saturday - Sunday   closed

Official Holidays of  Albania

New Year's Day   January 1

Republic Day   January 11

Labor Day   May 1

Independence Day/Flag Day   November 28

Liberation Day   November 29

Easter (Orthodox)

Start of Ramadan  

End of Ramadan

Ramadan Feast