Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, Greece to the south; and maritime borders with Greece, Montenegro and Italy to the west. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë and Shkodër.
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula and are identified by a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Turkey. They also constitute a large diaspora with several communities established across Europe, the Americas and Oceania. Diaspora based Albanians may self identify as Albanian, use hybrid identification or identify with their nationality, often creating an obstacle in establishing a total figure of the population.
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a partially-recognised state and disputed territory in Southeastern Europe. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia. It has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 98 UN member states.
Tirana or Tiranë is the capital and largest city by area and population of the Republic of Albania. It is located in the center of Albania enclosed by mountains and hills with Mount Dajt elevating on the east and a slight valley on the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location at the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.
Zog I, born Ahmet Muhtar Zogolli, taking the surname Zogu in 1922, was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. He first served as the Prime Minister of Albania (1922–1924), then as President (1925–1928), and finally as the country's King (1928–1939).
Ismail Kadare, also spelled Ismaïl Kadaré in French, is an Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright. He has been a leading literary figure in Albania since the 1960s. He focused on poetry until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army, which made him a leading literary figure in Albania and famous internationally. In 1996, France made him a foreign associate of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques of France.
The Albanian National Awakening, commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the Albanian people gathered strength to establish an independent cultural and political life as well as the country of Albania.
The Albania national football team represents Albania in men's international football competitions and governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania. It competes in the three major international tournaments; the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship and UEFA Nations League. Albania was the winner of the 1946 Balkan Cup and the 2000 Malta Rothmans International Tournament. At Euro 2016, Albania made its second appearance at a major men's football tournament after 50 years.
The Albanian Football Association is the governing body of football in Albania. The association is based in Tirana, Albania. It organises the national football leagues of the Albanian Superliga, the First Division, the Second Division, the Third Division, the Albanian Cup and Supercup. Albania women's national football team, Albanian women's football championship, and the Albanian Women's Cup are also overseen. The association also coordinates the activities of the Albania national football team and the Albania national youth football teams such as Under-21, Under-20, Under-19, Under-18, Under-17, Under-16 and Under-15.
The most common religion in Albania is Islam, the second-most-common religion is Christianity, however there are also many irreligious people. There are no official statistics regarding the number of practicing religious people per each religious group.
Albanians in Montenegro are an ethnic group in Montenegro of Albanian descent, which constitute 4.91% of Montenegro's total population. They are the largest non-Slavic ethnic group in Montenegro.
The Albanian mafia or Albanian organised crime are the general terms used for criminal organisations based in Albania or composed of ethnic Albanians. Albanian organised crime is active in Europe, North America, South America, and various other parts of the world including the Middle East and Asia. The Albanian Mafia participates in a diverse range of criminal enterprises including trafficking in drugs, arms, humans, and human organs. The Albanian criminal scenario is characterised by diversified criminal plans which, in their complexity, show one of the highest criminal capacities in the world. In Albania alone, there are over 15 mafia families that control organised crime.
International recognition of Kosovo, since its declaration of independence from Serbia enacted on 17 February 2008, has been mixed, and the international community is divided on the issue.
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and the Albanian diaspora in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. With about 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other language.
Alban Skënderaj is an Albanian singer, songwriter, composer, actor, recording producer and television personality. He was born in Lushnjë and has established himself as a viable alternative and pop rock artist in Albania and the Albanian-speaking world.
The Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë was an autonomous state established in 27/10 December 1916, by the local French forces, after the city of Korçë fell under their control, during World War I and lasted till 1920.
Independent Albania was a parliamentary state declared in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Its assembly was constituted on the same day while its government and senate were established on 4 December 1912.
Corruption in Albania is a problem. According to Global Corruption Barometer 2013, 66% of respondents indicated that level of corruption has increased in Albania.
Elvana Gjata, also known mononymously as Elvana, is an Albanian singer, songwriter, actress, composer and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Tirana, she has been referred to as the "Diva of Albanian music" and is noted for her versatility in music, performance and presentation. She rose to recognition in the Albanian-speaking Balkans following the release of her two albums, Mamës (2007) and Afër dhe larg (2011), both of which were influenced by r&b and dance-pop. Her success was further solidified with the later released extended play 3 (2018), which incorporated more pop-rock and folk elements. Gjata has received numerous awards and accolades, including two Balkan Music Award, a Festivali i Këngës Award, four Kënga Magjike Awards and a Top Fest Award.
The Albanian Basketball First Division is the men's second tier basketball league in Albania. It is the lower division of the Albanian Basketball League which is organised by the Albanian Basketball Association.
