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
Transport in Albania consists of transport by land, water and air, which are predominantly under the supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Albania. The development and improvement of the transport in the country remains among the most important priorities of the Government of Albania.
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 74,388 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.
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) was 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.
The 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 hauled by Czechoslovak-built ČKD diesel-electric locomotives.
Adriatic–Ionian motorway or Trieste-Kalamata Highway or the Blue Corridor, is a future motorway that will stretch along the entire eastern shore of the Adriatic and Ionian seas, spanning the western coast of the Balkan peninsula from Italy in the north through Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania to Greece in the south.
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 Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo was an Albanian organization founded in Shkodër on 1 May 1918. It was mainly consisted of the political exiles from Kosovo and was led by Hoxha Kadri from Pristina. It 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.
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.
Shpend Dragobia was an Albanian warrior during the pre-Albanian declaration of independence period and later. He was the son of Bali Arif Bisheva, a member of the League of Prizren and fighter during the Albanian uprising of 1845-1862 against the German-born Marshal Mehmed Ali Pasha. Shpend Dragobia grew up to be a patriotic figure known for his wisdom, character and bravery.
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.
Bardhasan is a village in the Dushkaja subregion of the Gjakova municipality of Kosovo. It is inhabited exclusively by Albanians.