Administrative divisions of Albania Ndarja Administrative e Republikës së Shqipërisë (Albanian) | |
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Category | Unitary state |
Location | Albania |
Number | 12 counties 61 municipalities 373 administrative units 2,972 villages |
Populations | Total: 2,845,955 |
Areas | Total: 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi) |
Administrative Divisions of Albania |
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The administrative divisions of Albania comprise 12 counties, 61 municipalities, 373 administrative units, and 2,972 villages. Since its 1912 Declaration of Independence, Albania has reorganized its domestic administrative divisions 21 times. Its internal boundaries have been enlarged or subdivided into prefectures, counties, districts, subprefectures, municipalities, communes, neighborhoods or wards, villages, and localities. [1] [2] [3] The most recent changes were made in 2014 and enacted in 2015.
The first level of government is constituted by the 12 counties (Albanian : qarqe / qarqet ), organized into their present form in the year 2000. [3] They are run by a prefect (prefekt) and a county council ( këshill / këshilli i qarkut ). Prefects are appointed as representatives of the national Council of Ministers. [4]
The second level of government is constituted by the 61 municipalities ( bashki / bashkitë ). They are run by a mayor ( kryebashkiak / kryebashkiaku ) and a municipal council ( këshill / këshilli bashkiak ), elected every 4 years. Before 2015, a bashki was an urban municipality and only covered the jurisdiction of such cities. After 2015, the jurisdiction of the bashki was expanded to cover the nearby rural municipalities. [5] [6]
The third level of government is constituted by the 373 administrative units ( njësia / njësitë administrative ) or units of local administration ( njësia / njësite të qeverisjes vendore ). Most of these were former rural municipalities or communes ( komuna / komunat ), which functioned as second-level divisions of the country until 2015. Parts of the administrative units are still further subdivided into Albania's 2,972 villages ( fshatra / fshatrat ).
At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory which now forms Albania was divided among the four separate vilayets (Albanian : vilajete / vilajetet ) of Scutari, Janina, Manastir, and Kosovo. This helped mix Albanians with the surrounding Greeks, Serbs, and other groups. The four vilayets were divided into the sanjaks ( sanxhaqe / sanxhaqet ) of Scutari, Durrës, Ioannina, Ergiri, Preveze, Berat, Manastir, Serfiğe, Dibra, Elbasan, Görice, Üsküp, Priştine, İpek, Prizren, and Novi Pazar. The sanjaks were in turn further divided into kazas ( kazaja / kazajat ) at the town level and nahiyes ( nahije / nahijet ) at the village level.
Following the successful War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1912, the first Albanian government led by Ismail Kemal initially retained the former Turkish divisions and offices. This was revised by the "Canon of Albanian Civil Administration" on 22 November 1913, which created a new three tier system. The primary division was into the 8 prefectures ( prefektura / prefekturat ) of Durrës, Berat, Dibër, Elbasan, Gjirokastër, Korcë, Shkodër, and Vlorë. Each of these was to be overseen by a prefect. The prefectures were divided into subprefectures ( nënprefektura / nënprefekturat ), which were divided into regions or provinces ( krahina / krahinat ) for local administration. [7] The authority of this provisional government was never recognized by the Great Powers or the Republic of Central Albania; never administered territory outside Vlorë, Berat, and Lushnjë; and was forced to dissolve after the discovery of its plot to restore some Turkish control to gain more territory and better resist Serbia.
Separately, the International Control Commission drafted and enacted the Organic Statute (Statuti Organik)—Albania's first constitution —on 10 April 1914. [8] Primarily functioning as a compromise among the Great Powers of the era, it established the Principality of Albania as a constitutional monarchy to be headed by the German prince Wilhelm Wied and his heirs in primogeniture. [9]
An entire chapter of the Organic Statute was devoted to the administrative division of Albania, explicitly preserving Ottoman names and terms. The primary division was into the 7 sanjaks of Durrës, Berat, Dibër, Elbasan, Gjirokastër, Korçë, and Shkodër. [10] Each would be administered from its namesake city except Dibër. [11] The former Ottoman sanjak of Dibra had been divided among other countries and the city of Debar remained outside the principality's borders. [8] The Albanian sanjak of Dibër, however, expanded a bit with the inclusion of districts of the former sanjak of Prizren. [12] Areas of Chameria that had been in the former sanjak of Ioannina were added to Gjirokastër and the kaza of Leskovik was added to Korçë. [12] [13] Each sanjak was overseen by a mutasarrif ( mytesarif / mytesarifi ) appointed by the central government [14] and a sanjak council ( këshill / këshilli i sanxhakut ) consisting of five members appointed by law—a secretary, a comptroller, a director of agriculture and trade, a director of public education, and a director of public works—and one member from each of the sanjak's kazas, [15] elected by the local councils and approved by the mutasarrif. [16] The mutasarrif was personally responsible for maintaining public order, [17] controlling the local gendarmerie and police directly. [18] He also controlled local budgets in consultation with the council, [19] providing for public education [20] and inspecting each of the local kazas at least once a year. [21]
The sanjaks were again divided into kaza, each administered by a kaymakam ( kajmekam / kajmekami ) and his council ( këshill / këshilli i kazasë ), [22] consisting of three members appointed by law—a secretary, a comptroller, and a director of land taxes—and four members appointed by the local councils and approved by the kaymakam. [23] The kaymakam was responsible for the kaza's finances and public services, including issuing passports, [24] and was required to answer to the sanjak's mutasarrif for a number of issues. The kaza was named and administered from the chief town in its district, headquartered at a city hall ( bashki / bashkia ). [lower-alpha 1] Each municipal council was obliged to hold meetings at the city hall at least once a week. [8]
The kaza were again divided into nahiye, which consisted of a group of villages together representing a population of 4000–7000 people. [25] They were administered by a mudir ( mudir / mudiri ) and the local council ( këshill / këshilli komunal ), [26] consisting of the local secretary and 4 members chosen by public election by the mukhtars ( muhtarë / muhtarët ) of the local villages assembled before the mudir. [27] The mudir was responsible for announcing and enacting the central government's laws, carrying out the census, and collecting taxes; [28] the council was charged with ensuring public hygiene, maintaining local water supplies and roads, and overseeing agricultural development and the use of public lands. [29]
Under King Zog, Albania reformed its internal administration under the "Municipal Organic Law" of 1921 and the "Civil Code" of February 1928.
The primary division was into 10 prefectures, each led by a prefect. The secondary division was into subprefectures, of which there were 39 in 1927 and 30 by 1934. The subprefects were nominated by the prefects. [30]
The subprefectures were initially divided into 69 provinces, which oversaw local administration through the chiefs of the 2351 villages. [7] In 1928, urban centers were reorganized as municipalities governed by a mayor and municipal council popularly elected every three years and rural areas were organized as 160 communes. [7]
Following the Italian occupation of Albania, the country was organized into 10 prefectures, 30 subprefectures, 23 municipalities, 136 communes, and 2551 villages. [7]
Following the liberation of Albania in World War II, Albania maintained its 10 prefectures and 61 subprefectures but abolished its municipalities and communes. A census was conducted in September 1945, and Law No. 284 (dated 22 August 1946) reformed the internal administration of the country once again. It maintained the 10 prefectures, reduced the number of subprefectures to 39, and organized local government as localities ( lokalitete / lokalitetet ). In 1947, the subprefectures were replaced by 2 districts ( rrathë / rrathët ), with local government divided between towns, villages, and localities. [31] In 1953, Law No. 1707 replaced the prefectures with 10 counties divided into 49 districts and 30 localities. In July 1958, the counties were replaced with 26 districts, including a capital district for Tirana. These districts were divided into 203 localities, which oversaw 39 cities and 2655 villages. Larger cities were further divided into neighborhoods or wards ( lagje / lagjet ). In 1967, the localities were replaced by "unified villages" ( fshatra / fshatrat i bashkuar ). By 1968, the 26 districts were divided into 65 cities or urban municipalities (divided into 178 neighborhoods) and 437 unified villages or rural municipalities (divided into 2641 villages). This was largely maintained until the late 1980s. In 1990, the 26 districts were divided into 67 cities (divided into 306 neighborhoods) and 539 unified villages (divided into 2848 villages). The capital Tirana was divided into three regions, each of which was further divided into constituent neighborhoods. [7]
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international church structures, as well as in antiquity a Roman district.
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
Counties, also sometimes known as prefectures, are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Albania, replacing the earlier districts. Since 2000, there have been 12 counties. Since 2015, they have been divided into 61 municipalities, 373 communes, and 2,972 villages.
Districts were first and second-level administrative divisions of Albania from 1913–2000. Their number, size, and status changed over time. From 1991 to 2000, the 36 districts were organized into 12 counties. Pursuant to the 1998 Constitution and Law No. 8653, the districts were abolished and replaced with the larger counties and smaller municipalities.
Sandžak is a historical geo-political region located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative district founded in 1865.
A sanjak was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian.
Berat County, officially the County of Berat, is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the ninth largest by area and the ninth most populous of the twelve counties, with around 119,450 people within an area of 1,798 km2 (694 sq mi). The county borders the counties of Elbasan to the north, Korçë to the east, Gjirokastër to the south and Fier to the west. It is divided into five municipalities, Berat, Dimal, Kuçovë, Poliçan and Skrapar, with all of whom incorporate twenty-five administrative units.
Durrës County, officially the County of Durrës, is a county in the Northern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the smallest by area and the second most populous of the twelve counties, with 292,029 people within an area of 766 km2 (296 sq mi). The county borders on the Adriatic Sea to the west, the counties of Lezhë to the north, Dibër to the east and Tirana to the south. It is divided into three municipalities, Durrës, Krujë and Shijak, with all of whom incorporate sixteen administrative units.
Fier County, officially the County of Fier, is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the eighth largest by area and the third most populous of the twelve counties, with more than 286,000 people within an area of 1,890 km2 (730 sq mi). The county borders on the Adriatic Sea to the west, the counties of Tirana to the north, Elbasan to the northeast, Berat to the east and Vlorë to the south, Gjirokastër Country to the sud east. It is divided into six municipalities, Fier, Divjakë, Lushnjë, Mallakastër, Patos and Roskovec, with all of whom incorporate forty-two administrative units.
The present Constitution of the Republic of Albania was adopted by the Parliament of Albania on 21 October 1998 and certified by presidential decree on 28 November 1998, following a public referendum which approved the new Constitution. It is split up over many different acts. The document succeeded the 1976 Constitution, originally adopted at the creation of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania on 28 December 1976 and heavily amended on 29 April 1991.
The Council of Ministers is the executive branch that constitutes the Government of Albania. The Council is led by the Prime Minister of Albania. The prime minister is nominated by the President from among those candidates, who enjoy majority support in the Parliament; the candidate is then chosen by the Parliament. In the absence of the prime minister, the Deputy Prime Minister takes over his functions. There are 19 other government members, serving as deputy prime ministers, government ministers or both; they are chosen by the prime minister and confirmed by the Parliament.
The Uprising of Dervish Cara was a 19th-century uprising in northern Ottoman Albania directed against the Ottoman Tanzimat reforms which started in 1839 and were gradually being put in action in the regions of Albania. Some historians include the actions in Dibër of the same time under the same historical name, though the events in Dibër were independent and headed by other leaders.
A vilayet, also known by various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated by the Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856. The Danube Vilayet had been specially formed in 1864 as an experiment under the leading reformer Midhat Pasha. The Vilayet Law expanded its use, but it was not until 1884 that it was applied to all of the empire's provinces. Writing for the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1911, Vincent Henry Penalver Caillard claimed that the reform had intended to provide the provinces with greater amounts of local self-government but in fact had the effect of centralizing more power with the sultan and local Muslims at the expense of other communities.
The Sanjak of Albania was a second-level administrative unit of the Ottoman Empire between 1415 and 1444. Its mandate included territories of modern central and southern Albania between Krujë to the Kalamas River in northwestern Greece.
Albania has 2,972 villages as of 2016. Albania has reformed its domestic administrative divisions 21 times since its Declaration of Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. Following the most recent reorganization, enacted in 2014 and carried out in June 2015, Albania's 12 counties were entirely divided into 61 municipalities for regional government and 373 administrative units for local government. These administrative units, communes, and towns now oversee most government at the village level.
The Sanjak of Elbasan was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. Its county town was Elbasan in Albania.
Aziz Pasha Vrioni (1859–1920) was an Ottoman-Albanian politician of the early 20th century. He was a member of the Ottoman Parliament representing Berat, and Albanian Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture and of Mines.
The Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem, also known as the Sanjak of Jerusalem, was an Ottoman district with special administrative status established in 1872. The district encompassed Jerusalem as well as Hebron, Jaffa, Gaza and Beersheba. During the late Ottoman period, the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was commonly referred to as Palestine; a very late Ottoman document describes Palestine as including the Sanjak of Nablus and Sanjak of Akka (Acre) as well, more in line with European usage. It was the 7th most heavily populated region of the Ottoman Empire's 36 provinces.
Districts, also known as rural districts or counties, are one of several types of second-tier administrative subdivisions of Vietnam, the other types being urban districts, provincial cities, municipal cities, and district-level towns. The districts are subdivisions of the first-tier divisions, namely the provinces and municipalities. Districts are subdivided into third-tier units, namely townships and communes.
The Sanjak of Durrës was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was named for its capital Durrës and was also known as the Sanjak of Durazzo from its capital's Italian name. The sanjak was composed of the kazas of Durrës, Tirana, Shijak, Kavajë, and Krujë. The Sanjak of Durrës formed the southern half of the Vilayet of Scutari. The northern half was the Sanjak of Scutari. Durrës Sanjak also bordered the sanjaks of Manastir and Dibra to its northeast and the sanjak of Elbasan to the east and south. Its western border was the Adriatic Sea. Its terrain is generally flat and plain. Only the eastern parts of the kazas of Tirana and Kavajë were mountainous.