Albania
Albania is also known for its delicious cuisine, influenced by Mediterranean and Balkan flavors. Visitors can sample local specialties such as fërgesë qofte, and baklava.
Located on strategic routes connecting the West and the East, Albania has been since Antiquity at the heart of the lusts of the great Mediterranean powers which have left their mark there. Even if the country did not officially become an independent state until the 20th century, Albania is an ancient nation with its own language and culture, that are more tha 2,000 years old.
The testimony of this rich past is first manifested in its varied heritage whose many sites will delight visitors who love culture: Butrint the ancient city, Berat the Ottoman wonder, Gjirokastra the fascinating stone city of Ismail Kadaré, but also perched citadels, mosques and churches built side by side.
Cultural life
Albania is one of the smallest European countries–smaller than the U.S. state of Maryland! The terrain is mostly mountainous, with rustic castles and white-sand beaches luring an increasing number of tourists each year. Albanians place a large value on families and their ethnic heritage. In fact, they honor a traditional code called besa, which translates to “keep the promise.” It is believed that observing besa, which includes family honor and hospitality, is the foundation for a successful life.
Traditional Kosovar society, for both Albanians and Serbs, has an important patriarchal tradition, with extended family members often living together in large groups. Family support networks remain very strong, even when some members live outside the country. Most business connections are made through these networks.
Reflecting Albanian customary law, blood feuds between families were a fairly common occurrence—especially in western Kosovo—until the 1990s, when University of Pristina professor Anton Çetta and other activists led an antivendetta campaign. The practice resurfaced, however, amid the political instability following the 1998–99 conflict.
Climate
In Albania, a small country of the Balkan peninsula overlooking the Adriatic Sea, the climate is Mediterranean on the coast (with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers), while it’s slightly more continental in the interior, though it’s really cold only in mountainous areas.
Rainfall amounts to about 1,000 millimeters (40 inches) per year on the coast, and is even more abundant in hilly and mountainous areas facing west and south, so much so that it often exceeds 2,000 mm (78 in) per year. The only sheltered areas, where it does not rain that much, are the inland valleys, such as that of Korçë, where 805 mm (32 in) of rain fall each year on average. Along the coast and in the plain, the rainfall regime is Mediterranean, with a maximum between autumn and winter and a minimum in summer, when it seldom rains. On the other hand, in mountainous areas, during summer, there can be some thunderstorms in the afternoon.
| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4 | 13 | 8.4 | 39 | 55 | 47.1 |
| February | 6 | 15 | 10.2 | 42 | 59 | 50.4 |
| March | 8 | 18 | 12.6 | 46 | 64 | 54.7 |
| April | 10 | 21 | 15.8 | 51 | 70 | 60.4 |
| May | 14 | 24 | 19.3 | 57 | 76 | 66.7 |
| June | 18 | 30 | 24 | 65 | 85 | 75.2 |
| July | 21 | 33 | 26.9 | 70 | 91 | 80.4 |
| August | 21 | 34 | 27.6 | 70 | 93 | 81.7 |
| September | 18 | 29 | 23.6 | 64 | 85 | 74.5 |
| October | 14 | 24 | 19 | 56 | 76 | 66.1 |
| November | 10 | 20 | 14.9 | 50 | 68 | 58.8 |
| December | 6 | 15 | 10.2 | 42 | 59 | 50.4 |
| Year | 12.5 | 23 | 17.7 | 54.5 | 73.4 | 64 |
Time & Date: GMT +1
Currency:
The lek (Albanian: leku shqiptar; indefinite singular lek, definite plural lekët, indefinite plural lekë; sign: L;[1] code: ALL) is the currency of Albania. Historically, it was subdivided into 100 qintars (Albanian: qindarka; singular qindarkë).
Languages:
Albanian (official)
Serbian (official)
Bosnian
Turkish
Roman
English – widely spoken especially by youth
Italian
With approximately more than 90% of the population of Kosovo being ethnic Albanians, the Albanian language is recognized as an official language along with Serbian. Other languages including Turkish, Romani, and Bosnian are also spoken.
English is widely spoken, especially by youth. English is also taught at schools starting from primary education.
Albanian is an Indo-European language that is spoken by numerous inhabitants of the Albanian culture especially those bordering the Albanian and Kosovo countries. The language is divided into two-main dialects used depending on the geographical area of the inhabitants. The first dialect, Tosk, which derives from southern Albania, is mostly used in Albania, Italy, Greece and Turkey, whereas Gheg, the second, is spoken by the majority of the Kosovar people and in places such as Macedonia and Montenegro and northern Albania.
Food & Drinks:
Albania has a Mediterranean cuisine with a strong influence from the Ottoman Empire, as in all Balkan countries. Albanians try to eat healthy food and families spend a lot of money on food, as it is top priority for parents to provide good meals for their children. Dieting has become popular among women and young people, especially before the summer starts. In Albania, Muslims do not eat pork or drink alcohol.
Traditional specialties include varieties of gjellë (boiled vegetables with meat), fasule (bean stew), turshi (pickled vegetables), byrek (a pastry) with vegetables, cottage cheese, or minced meat, and tavë kosi (meat or liver baked in yogurt).
Visa:A valid passport and visa are required for travel to India. The Indian government now offers two options for tourists, a traditional tourist visaor an e-Tourist Visa (eTV) issued electronically. A traditional Indiantourist visa is stamped inside the traveler’s passport.
International Airports:
Some distant facts:
Albania gains its independence in 1912, however, during the First World War, many European countries occupied Eastern Europe and the country will not be internationally recognized until the Treaty of Tirana in 1919.
In 1939, the fascist Italy of Mussolini invaded Albania and overthrew the government in place, with the aim of annexing this part of Europe. Germany also invades Albania and neighboring countries to instill a dictatorial system there. Thus, a protest movement is organized by the Albanian people, and at the heart of it, a name stands out, that of Enver Hoxha. He founded the Albanian Communist Party in 1941 and quickly became the Prime Minister of Albania in 1944.
More recently :
In 1985, Enver Hoxha died and it was the communist Ramiz Alia who took over the leadership of the country. He led a great campaign of democratization, in particular by authorizing the system of multiple political parties, or even freedom of movement and the opening of borders for Albanians.
However, the war in Yugoslavia which began in 1991 plunged the country into a real economic slump. The country is in direct conflict with its neighbours, notably Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo, because of political and religious tensions. The war marked the country a lot and left visible traces, which history buffs can see during a cultural trip to Albania. The country is now peaceful, and has a stable government.
Today, Albania is not a member of the European Union, yet it has been more than 15 years since the country made its request. In 2014, the country was recognized as an official candidate. The country has been a member of NATO since 2009.
Capital: Tirana
Currency: the Albanian lek (ALL).
Population: 7.9 billion
Official languages: Albanian
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