Border crossings (Albanian : Vendkalimet kufitare) in the Republic of Albania are defined as boundary checkpoints that serve to control the flow of people and goods from neighbouring countries to and from Albania. These checkpoints are administered by the border police authorities that record the entry and exit of each person and vehicle followed by the customs authorities that record the entry and exit of goods and cash. Albania currently has 22 operational land border crossings and shares borders with Montenegro, Kosovo (116.3 km), [1] North Macedonia (186.1 km), [2] and Greece. This article outlines a complete list of Albania's international border crossings, including land, sea and air entry points. [3]
During the communist period in Albania, very few people were allowed to leave the country (usually only diplomats) and would also be required to have written permission to do so. Visitors entering the country from outside for any reason, tourism or otherwise, were immediately suspect and closely monitored. Escaping the country was practically impossible with electric fencing, guard dogs and border police instructed to shoot at will if they saw citizens fleeing across the border. [4]
* Indicates main border crossing
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.
Kukës County is a landlocked county in northeastern Albania, with the capital in Kukës. The county spans 2,374 square kilometres (917 sq mi) and had a total population of 61,998 people as of 2021. The county borders on the counties of Dibër, Lezhë and Shkodër and the countries of Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia. It is divided into three municipalities: Has, Kukës and Tropojë. The municipalities are further subdivided into 290 towns and villages in total.
Shkodër County is a county in northwestern Albania, with the capital in Shkodër. The county spans 3,562 square kilometres (1,375 sq mi) and had a total population of 154,479 people as of the 2023 census. The county borders on the counties of Lezhë, Kukës and the country of Montenegro. The county consists of five municipalities: Fushë-Arrëz, Malësi e Madhe, Pukë, Shkodër and Vau i Dejës.
Gheg or Geg is one of the two major varieties of Albanian, the other being Tosk. The geographic dividing line between the two varieties is the Shkumbin River, which winds its way through central Albania. Gheg is spoken in northern and central Albania, Kosovo, northwestern North Macedonia, southeastern Montenegro and southern Serbia by the Albanian dialectal subgroup known as Ghegs.
Haxhi Lleshi was an Albanian military leader and communist politician who served as the Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1953 to 1982.
Hekurudha Shqiptare or HSH(Albanian Railways) is the state-owned operator of the Albanian railway system and became a private company in 2005. The system's main passenger terminal was Durrës railway station in the port city of Durrës.
Bajzë is a small town in the former Kastrat Municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Malësi e Madhe. It has a population of 2,346.
Railways in Albania are administered by the national railway company Hekurudha Shqiptare (HSH). It operates a standard-gauge railway gauge rail system in Albania. All trains are, currently, hauled by Czechoslovak-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives.
The A1, also commonly Rruga e Kombit or SH10, is the longest and only toll motorway in Albania, stretching 114 kilometres (71 mi) in the counties of Lezhë and Kukës. It consists for the most part of two traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each driving direction separated by a central reservation.
The Albanian language is composed of many dialects, divided into two major groups: Gheg and Tosk. The Shkumbin river is roughly the geographical dividing line, with Gheg spoken north of the Shkumbin and Tosk south of it.
Postal Codes in Albania consist of 4 digits; the first two digits show the branch on a district level located at the center of that administrative level, whereas the second two digits show the postal office offering service to a defined administration unit on a municipality level:
The regions of Albania—apart from the official present and historical administrative divisions—include the following:
The Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo was an Albanian organization founded in Shkodër on 1 May 1918. It mainly consisted of the political exiles from Kosovo and was led by Hoxha Kadri from Pristina. It had existed in looser form since May 1915.
The District Courts in Albania are the Courts of First Instance, providing the first level of justice in the Judicial system of Albania.
Communes, officially known as administrative units or units of local administration, government, or governance since 2015, are the 373 third-level administrative divisions of Albania which serve as its local government. There are 12 counties and 61 municipalities above the administrative units and 2,972 villages below them.
The Highways in Albania are the central state and main transport network in Albania. The motorways and expressways are both part of the national road network. The motorways are primary roads with a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph). They have white on green road signs such as in Italy and other countries nearby. The expressways are the secondary roads, also dual carriageways, but without an emergency lane. They have a speed limit of 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph). They have white-on-blue road signs.
The Border and Migration Police is a law enforcement branch of the Albanian State Police. It is tasked to oversee and control the transiting of goods and persons across the country's territory. The Border and Migration Police carries out enforcement measures to prevent the illegal border crossings of foreign nationals and nationals engaged in the illegal trafficking of goods. It cooperates with other state police branches in effort to facilitate an efficient management of the borders that are safe and secure.
Morina tribe is a small tribe and historical region of the Highlands of Gjakova in Kosovo. The border post between Albania and Kosovo called Qafë Morinë lies on Morina territory, however the Morina have settled various parts of Kosovo, in particular Gjakova, Dardana and Gjilan.
The Mjeda family, is a noble Albanian family which played a prominent role in the history of Albania and Kosovo in the 19th and early 20th century.