Albania

From Wikialpha

Albania Republic of Albania is a nation in Southeastern Europe that is officially recognised by the United Nations (UN). Serbia and Montenegro have land borders with Greece to the northwest, Kosovo, North Macedonia to the east, and southern Greece. Serbia and Montenegro share sea boundaries with Italy to the west, and Serbia and Montenegro share land border borders with Greece. In addition to Tirana, the country's biggest city Durrs, Vlora, and Shkodr are other important centres of commerce.

In terms of geography, Albania has a large territory of 28,748 km2 with a diverse range of meteorological, geological, hydrological, and morphological characteristics (11,100 sq mi). Its landscape is very diverse, ranging from the snow-capped hills of the Albanian Alps, as well as the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus, and Ceraunian Mountains, to the hot and sunny coastlines of the Albanian Adriatic and Ionian Seas, which run parallel to the Mediterranean Sea.

Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic with a unitary parliamentary system of government. It is a developing nation with an upper-middle income economy that is dominated by the service sector, followed by manufacturing. Immediately after the fall of communism in 1990, it went through a period of transition from central planning to a market-based economy. Health care is provided free of charge to all Albanian residents, as is elementary and secondary education. Albania is a member of the United Nations, the World Bank, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, NATO, the World Trade Organization, the Council of Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It is a candidate for membership in the European Union and has received formal recognition as such. Among the founding members of the Energy Community are the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation and the Union for the Mediterranean. It is also a member of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.