27 Facts About Albania

Outside of Albania, approximately 7-10 million Albanians live. Albanians live in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United States.

The country's transportation system is underdeveloped. The country has only four airports and 677 kilometers of railway. There are 18,000 km of roadways in total, but only 7000 km are paved. Buses are plentiful, but their schedules are not set. Buses cannot be relied on to arrive on time unless there are enough passengers on board.

To ward off evil spirits, Albanians hang stuffed animals and objects from half-finished homes and buildings.

Albania offers free elementary and secondary education.

Albania has a middle-income economy. The country's economy is dominated by the service sector, which is followed by the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Albania is known as "Shqipri" by its people.

The Albanians' national and ethnic symbol is the eagle. The symbol can be found in a stone carving from 1190.

Albania's current flag features a black, double-headed eagle on a red background.

The first traces of human presence in the country were discovered in the villages of Xarr and Mount Dajt.

Ardiaei is the name of one of the most powerful tribes that ruled modern Albania in the past.

The village of Lazarat is known as Albania's "cannabis capital." The village makes the country the largest cannabis exporter in Europe.

Albanians are not permitted to use speedboats. Speedboats were used to transport people and drugs from Albania to the coasts of Italy and Greece.

Prior to 1991, Albania had only 3000 cars for a population of three million. Private cars were illegal under communist rule at the time.

Crossing the streets in Tirana, the country's capital, should be done with caution. Look around and cross the street with caution. Crossing the street is an art form in the country.

Albanian cops are widely regarded as corrupt. This is visible on the roads, where these cops stop cars and fine them.

Albanians have terrible driving skills, to say nothing of the terrible road conditions. When visiting the country and driving on the roads, one must exercise extreme caution.

Albania is a mountainous country. 70% of the country's land area is covered by mountains.

During Albania's communist regime, nearly 700,000 bunkers were built. However, the majority of them have been demolished as of today, though 173,000 bunkers remain to provide proof of their previous existence.

Albania became the world's first atheist state in 1967. This occurred during Enver Hoxha's presidency.

When Communism fell in 1991, so did the local regime, and Albania finally opened its doors to the rest of the world. After being isolated for over 45 years, the country was backwards and had seen little development.

Albania does not have a McDonald's.

Albania has a literacy rate of 97.6%.

The national symbol of Albania is a double-headed eagle.

The national colors of Albania are red and black.

Albania gained independence on November 28, 1912, which is also known as Flag Day.

Petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, and arable land are among Albania's natural resources.

Albania has 43.8% of its land under cultivation.