Albania has long been one of Europe’s most isolated countries, and among the last to be drawn into the fall of the Iron Curtain. The Stalinist communist regime is gone, and Albania is now a charter destination that attracts tourists with cultural treasures, pristine coves and a fascinating history. Capital: Tirana Biggest city: Tirana State: republic Language: Albanian Religion: Islam, Christian Orthodoxy, Catholicism Surface: 28 748 km² Population: 2.8 million…
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Most of Albania’s residents live in the coastal country, while the mountain areas are sparsely populated. The Communist regime (1945–1991) severely restricted people’s opportunities to leave the countryside. After its fall, a large population migration began from the countryside to the cities. Nowadays, more Albanians live in cities than in rural areas. The communist regime wanted a high population growth and the population almost tripled under its rule. After the…
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Religions Albania has from ancient times a great religious diversity. The largest religious communities today are the Muslim community ( Komuniteti mysliman in Shqipërisë ), Albania’s Orthodox Autocephalic Church ( Kisha Autocephalous Orthodox e Shqipërisë), the Catholic Church in Albania, and the Bektashi community ( Komuniteti bektash ). Albania has had a secular character from its founding in 1912. The first nation state in Europe with a Muslim majority was…
Read MoreThe History of Albania Part 4
Cooperation with China Relations between Albania and China had been growing before this. In the winter of 1960–1961, the rift between Hoxha and Nikita Khrushchev marked Albania’s final withdrawal from the Soviet sphere. To show their dissatisfaction with Albania’s alliance with China, the Soviet Union stopped grain deliveries. To this, Hoxha replied that the Albanians would rather eat grass than give in. From 1961 to 1978, Albania depended on China,…
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World War II Ironically, it was Ahmet Zogu’s resistance to the ever-growing Italian influence in Albania that eventually led Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to invade Albania in April 1939. He made the country an Italian protectorate and installed a puppet government. During Italian occupation, large parts of Kosovo were merged with Albania as an Italian vassal state. After Italy surrendered in 1943, the Nazis took over, until Enver Hoxha ‘s…
Read MoreThe History of Albania Part 2
Albanian nationalism Many of the factors that contributed to nationalist movements in the 19th century in other Balkan countries were missing in Albania. The majority of Albanians had the same religion as the Turks, and were largely local subjects. They were not divided between Islam, Orthodox and Catholic Christianity, nor did they have a unifying religious institution. The Albanian language could be a link. But there were hardly any schools…
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The state of Albania with its present borders first existed in the 20th century. In ancient times the area was part of Illyria, as in the 200 century BCE. became a Roman province. After the year 395 AD, the province came under Byzantine rule. From approx. By 1430, Albania was under Ottoman control and divided into four administrative areas, until the Declaration of Independence in 1912. The following year, half…
Read MoreContemporary History of Albania
Albania’s contemporary history is Albania’s history after the dissolution of the dictatorship in 1990-1991. In the post- World War II period, Albania was part of the Soviet- controlled Eastern bloc, but broke with the Soviet Union in the 1960s and then oriented itself toward Chinese socialism ( Maoism ). In 1990/1991, Albania’s 45-year era ceased as a communist people ‘s republic. The communist regime had been characterized by strict planning…
Read MoreAlbania Movie
During communism (1944-1991) Albania had a relatively large film production. These films are usually social-realistic or national- romantic content. Following the fall of the dictatorship in 1991-92, Albanian film has become very diverse, both in form and content, in documentary, animation and feature films. Several have won awards internationally, and many are cooperative productions with foreign countries. In general, Albanian film is the part of Albanian cultural life that has…
Read MoreArt and architecture in Albania
Albania has architectural monuments from Greek and Roman antiquity, Byzantine medieval times and in recent times from Turkish culture. The coastal areas have been more or less inhabited from ancient times. Near Byllis there are well-preserved remains of large Hellenistic city walls. In Apollonia there are ruins from Greek and Roman times. From 395, Albania entered the East Roman Empire and thus the Byzantine Church. From the 1400s to 1912…
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