Flag Description

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center; the design is claimed to be that of 15th-century hero George Kastrioti SKANDERBEG, who led a successful uprising against the Turks that resulted in a short-lived independence for some Albanian regions (1443-78); an unsubstantiated explanation for the eagle symbol is the tradition that Albanians see themselves as descendants of the eagle; they refer to themselves as "Shqipetare," which translates as "sons of the eagle"

Background:Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, 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, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized 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; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.

Total Area: 28,748 sq km

Land Area:27,398 sq km

Water Area:1,350 sq km

Land Boundries Total:691 km

Border Countries:Greece 212 km, Kosovo 112 km, Macedonia 181 km, Montenegro 186 km

Coastline:362 km

Lowest Point:Adriatic Sea 0 m

Highest Point:Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

Population:3,020,209 (July 2014 est.)

Population Growth Rate:0.3% (2014 est.)

Religion:Muslim 56.7%, Roman Catholic 10%, Orthodox 6.8%, atheist 2.5%, Bektashi (a Sufi order) 2.1%, other 5.7%, unspecified 16.2%

Literacy(%):0.968

Literacy(%) Male:0.98

Literacy(%) Female:95.7% (2011 est.)

Independence Day:28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National Holiday:Independence Day, 28 November (1912) also known as Flag Day

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