Villages of Albania

Last updated
Albania's 373 units of local government, which now oversee village administration Harta e Njesive Vendore.svg
Albania's 373 units of local government, which now oversee village administration

Albania has 2,972 villages (Albanian : fshatra or fshatrat ) as of 2016. [1] Albania has reformed its internal 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, towns now oversee most government at the village level.

The Albanian Institute of Statistics stopped providing comprehensive population data for villages after the 1989 census, and as of now the administrative units comprise the lowest official level of division in Albania.

List

Related Research Articles

Administrative division, administrative unit, country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, independent sovereign state (country) is divided. Such a unit usually has an administrative authority with the power to take administrative or policy decisions for its area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County</span> Geographical and administrative region in some countries

A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French comté denoting a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count (earl) or a viscount. Literal equivalents in other languages, derived from the equivalent of "count", are now seldom used officially, including comté, contea, contado, comtat, condado, Grafschaft, graafschap, and zhupa in Slavic languages; terms equivalent to commune/community are now often instead used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local government</span> Lowest tier of administration within a sovereign state

Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-localised and has limited powers. While in some countries, "government" is normally reserved purely for a national administration (government), the term local government is always used specifically in contrast to national government – as well as, in many cases, the activities of sub-national, first-level administrative divisions. Local governments generally act only within powers specifically delegated to them by law and/or directives of a higher level of government. In federal states, local government generally comprises a third or fourth tier of government, whereas in unitary states, local government usually occupies the second or third tier of government.

Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government and the Prime Minister with its Cabinet. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Albania. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The political system of Albania is laid out in the 1998 constitution. The Parliament adopted the current constitution on 28 November 1998. Historically Albania has had many constitutions. Initially constituted as a monarchy in 1913, Albania became briefly a republic in 1925, and then a democratic monarchy in 1928. In 1939 Albania was invaded by Fascist Italian forces, imposing a puppet state, and later occupied by Nazi German forces. Following the partisan liberation from the Nazis in 1944 a provisional government was formed, which by 1946 had transformed into a Communist one party state. In March 1991 democracy was restored with multi-party elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Albania</span> Demographics of a country

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Albania, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The demography of the Albania is monitored by the Institute of Statistics of Albania. The institute has performed demographic censuses since the 1924s. The latest census in Albania was performed in April 2011, and has been deemed as unreliable both within and outside Albania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Township</span> Designation for types of settlement as administrative territorial entities

A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District</span> Administrative division, in some countries, managed by local government

A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions of municipalities, school district, or political district.

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 and 373 administrative units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subdivisions of Scotland</span> Present or former administrative subdivisions of Scotland

For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas", which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1997 of being known as a "comhairle" when opting for a Gaelic name; only Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has chosen this option, whereas the Highland Council has adopted its Gaelic form alongside its English equivalent informally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durrës County</span> County in central Albania

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirana County</span> County in central Albania

Tirana County, officially the County of Tirana, is a county in the Central Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the tenth largest by area and the most populous of the twelve counties, with more than 912,000 people within an area of 1,652 km2 (638 sq mi). The county borders on the Adriatic Sea to the west, the counties of Durrës to the northwest, Dibër to the northeast, Elbasan to the east and Fier to the southwest. It is divided into five municipalities, Tirana, Kamëz, Kavajë, Rrogozhinë and Vorë, with all of whom incorporate twenty-nine administrative units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Census geographic units of Canada</span> Term used in Canada

The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They exist on four levels: the top-level (first-level) divisions are Canada's provinces and territories; these are divided into second-level census divisions, which in turn are divided into third-level census subdivisions and fourth-level dissemination areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative divisions of Romania</span>

Romania's administration is relatively centralized and administrative subdivisions are therefore fairly simplified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative divisions of Albania</span>

The administrative divisions of Albania comprise 12 counties, 61 municipalities, and 373 administrative units. Since its 1912 Declaration of Independence, Albania has reorganized its 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. The most recent changes were made in 2014 and enacted in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cërrik</span> Municipality in Albania

Cërrik is a municipality in Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Gostimë, Klos, Mollas, Shalës with Cërrik constituting its seat. As of the Institute of Statistics estimate from the 2011 census, there were 6,695 people residing in Cërrik and 27,445 in Cërrik Municipality.

Municipalities are the second-level administrative divisions of Albania, below counties and above administrative units or communes. Since the most recent administrative reforms in 2014, Albania has 61 municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulqizë</span> Municipality in Albania

Bulqizë is a municipality in Dibër County, northeastern Albania. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Fushë-Bulqizë, Gjoricë, Martanesh, Ostren, Shupenzë, Trebisht, Zerqan with Bulqizë constituting its seat. As of the Institute of Statistics estimate from the 2011 census, there were 8,177 people residing in Bulqizë and 32,210 in Bulqizë Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties of Romania</span> Wikimedia list article

A total of 41 counties, along with the municipality of Bucharest, constitute the official administrative divisions of Romania. They represent the country's NUTS-3 statistical subdivisions within the European Union and each of them serves as the local level of government within its borders. Most counties are named after a major river, while some are named after notable cities within them, such as the county seat.

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 communes and 2,972 villages below them.

References

  1. "Albanian Institute of Statistics INSTAT" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-05-17.