Travel to Albania:
Albania tourist information with details about travel to and around the country. Where to
stay and what to see is made easier with insider tips and hand-selected Albania links, by
dedicated editors and visitors to TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
Republika e Shqiperise.
The capital of Albania is Tirana.
Albania
Maps.
The flag of Albania is red with a black two-headed eagle in the
centre.
Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic
Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven
challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment,
widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organised crime
networks, and combative political opponents.
Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first
holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers
judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability
following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997.
In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won
a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth,
and decreasing the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly
transition of power, was considered an important step forward.
Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one
of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy
and transportation infrastructure.
Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic
tensions in south-eastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the
European Union. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter
of the global war on terrorism.
Administrative Divisions
12 counties:
(qarqe, singular - qark)
Qarku i Beratit; Qarku i Dibres; Qarku i Durresit; Qarku i Elbasanit;
Qarku i Fierit; Qarku i Gjirokastres; Qarku i Korces; Qarku i Kukesit; Qarku i Lezhes;
Qarku i Shkodres; Qarku i Tiranes; Qarku i Vlores.
Independence
28th November, 1912 (from Ottoman Empire).
National Holiday
Independence Day: 28th November.
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