30 Facts About Albania

1. Albania provides universal health care and free primary and secondary education to its citizens.

2. Albania is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, UNESCO, NATO, WTO, COE, OSCE, and OIC.

3. Term Albania is the medieval Latin name of the country.

4. Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912, accompanied with the establishment of the Senate and Government by the Assembly of Vlore on 4 December 1912.

5. Albania made donations of land to international organisations for the building of schools and hospitals.

6. In October 1940, Albania served as a staging ground for an unsuccessful Italian invasion of Greece.

7. In terms of phytogeography, Albania is part of the Boreal Kingdom and stretches specifically within the Illyrian province of the Circumboreal and Mediterranean Region.

8. Environmental issues in Albania include air and water pollution, climate change, waste management, biodiversity loss and nature conservation.

9. Albania is a parliamentary constitutional republic and sovereign state whose politics operate under a framework laid out in the constitution wherein the president functions as the head of state and the prime minister as the head of government.

10. Albania maintains strong ties with the United States ever after it supported the Albania's independence and democracy.

11. In 2007, Albania welcomed George W Bush who became the first President of the United States ever to visit the country.

12. Albania is a full member of numerous international organisations inclusively the Council of Europe, International Organisation for Migration, World Health Organization, Union for the Mediterranean, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization and La Francophonie.

13. Chief purpose of the armed forces of Albania is the defence of the independence, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the country, as well as the participation in humanitarian, combat, non-combat and peace support operations.

14. Albania reduced the number of active troops from 65,000 in 1988 to 14,500 in 2009.

15. Albania is a significant minerals producer and is ranked among the world's leading chromium producers and exporters.

16. Eagle, Vodafone and Telekom Albania are the leading telecommunications service providers in the country.

17. Highways and motorways in Albania are properly maintained and often still under construction and renovation.

18. The life expectancy at birth in Albania is at 77.8 years and ranks 37th in the world outperforming several developed countries.

19. Currently, the electricity generation sector of Albania is dependent on hydroelectricity simultaneously ranking fifth in the world in percentage terms.

20. Water resources of Albania are particularly abundant in all the regions of the country and comprise lakes, rivers, springs and groundwater aquifers.

21. In 2009, the government approved the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation in Albania covering the period 2009 to 2015.

22. Albania was ranked 84th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021.

23. Albania is nevertheless ranked among the least religious countries in the world.

24. Albania is a secular and religiously diverse country with no official religion and thus, freedom of religion, belief and conscience are guaranteed under the country's constitution.

25. Flag of Albania is a red flag with a black double-headed eagle positioned in the centre.

26. Architecture of Albania reflects the legacy of various civilisations tracing back to the classical antiquity.

27. Tave kosi is the national dish of Albania, consisting of lamb and rice baked under a thick, tart veil of yoghurt.

28. Radio Televizioni Shqiptar is the national broadcaster corporation of Albania operating numerous television and radio stations in the country.

29. Albania participated at the Olympic Games in 1972 for the first time.

30. Albania missed the next four games, two of them due to the 1980 and 1984 boycotts, but returned for the 1992 games in Barcelona.