Albania is a small, mountainous country in the Balkan Peninsula, with a long coastline divided between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
It is bordered by Montenegro in north, Kosovo in north east, the Republic of North Macedonia in the east, and Greece in south east. Albania shares also maritime borders with Croatia and Italy. With an area of 28,748 km² the country is a just a bit smaller than Belgium or the U.S. state of Maryland.
Albania has a population of nearly 3 million inhabitants, with the majority living in the capital city Tirana, the biggest city and the main economical center of all the country.
We, Albanians, refer to ourselves as “shqipetarë” and to the country as “Shqipëria”, meaning “the land of the eagles”. Descended from the ancient Illyrians, we have a rich history and culture. Owing to its location on the Adriatic Sea, Albania has long served as a bridgehead for various nations and empires seeking conquest abroad. In the 2nd century BC the Illyrians were conquered by the Romans, and from the end of the 4th century AD they were ruled by the Byzantine Empire. After suffering centuries of invasion by Visigoths, Huns, Bulgarians and Slavs, the Albanians were then conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.
Turkish rule cut off Albania from Western civilization for more than four centuries, but in the late 19th century the country began to remove itself from Ottoman Orientals and get closer to the West. Albania was declared independent in 1912, but the following year the demarcation of the boundaries of the new country by the Great Powers of Europe assigned about half its territory and people to neighboring states.
Ruled as a monarchy between the world wars, Albania emerged from the World War II as a communist state (November 1944) in which the ruling party controlled almost all aspects of life. Under communist, until the beginning of the 90”, Albania has done remarkable steps towards development.
Regarding tourism, it has been a key element to the country's economic activity and is constantly developing. It is characterized by archaeological heritage from Illyrian, Greek, Roman and Ottoman times, unspoiled beaches, mountainous landscape, several lakes, delicious traditional cuisine, unique traditions and hospitality. Lonely Planet ranked Albania as the no. 1 destination to be visited in 2011. Albania is considered to be “A New Mediterranean Love” and “Europe’s Last Secret”.