Country Facts About Albania for Kids Essay

Introduction to Albania

The nation of Albania is located in Southeastern Europe. It shares borders with Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro. It also borders the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea.

The form of government is a Parliamentary Democracy. Albanians elect representatives to make laws. The elected representatives make up the parliament, which makes the laws or rules people have to follow. The capital city is Tirana.

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. About 60 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Most are poor and engaged in subsistence farming. Subsistence farmers are only able to produce enough food to feed their families. They usually don’t have any farm equipment like tractors.

Demography

Albania has a population of 3.2 million people. The people are called Albanians. They speak a language called Albanian.

According to some surveys of religion, about 7 out of 10 people are Muslim. The rest are mainly Christian. According to other surveys atheists and agnostics make up about 40 percent of the population. Whatever the actual figures are, most Albanians say that religion isn’t important in their lives.

Most people in Albania are literate, which means they can read and write.

Climate and Topography

Albania has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters in lowland areas. Areas that are far from the Adriatic Sea have cold winters. Highland areas receive snowfall in winter.

Albania is a very mountainous country. About 70 percent of the country is covered by hills and mountains. Most arable or farm land is along coastal areas.

The Drin is the longest river in Albania and Mount Korab is the tallest mountain. About 30 percent of the country is covered by forests. People in the mountain areas depend on firewood for heating. This is causing deforestation. Forests covered 50 percent of the country as recently as 1990. Illegal logging is a big problem.

Economy

Albania was a communist country. Communism is a political and economic system. In communist countries, businesses, factories and farms are owned and run by the government and the wealth is divided up among the nation’s people. Albania has been making the change to a capitalist economy.

In capitalist economies, businesses, factories and farms are privately owned. This change can be very hard for ordinary people. In communist countries, jobs are provided by the government. When countries turn to capitalism, it can take a long time for the economy to grow and create enough jobs.

Albania imports textiles, cars, electronics, machinery and food and exports footwear, metals, oil, vegetables, fruits and tobacco. Natural resources include gas, oil, coal, iron and copper.

The lek is the currency of Albania.