General Facts

• Total area: 28,748 sq. km, coastline 362 km
• Coastline bordering the Adriatic and Ionian Seas
• System of government: Parliamentary democracy
• Head of State: President, elected by parliament every five years
• Currency: Albanian Lek (ALL)
• Official Language: Albanian
• International telephone prefix: + 355
• Population: 3.64M (est. July, 2009)
• Median age ~ 30 years
• Life expectancy at birth 78 years
• Albanian capital: Tirana with 850K – 900K inhabitants

Additional Albanians in:

• Kosova (88%) =>1.87M
• Macedonia (25 %) => 0.52M
• Total Albanians in the region ~ 6 million

Natural resources:

• Mining: chromium, copper, iron ore, nickel, bauxite
• Petroleum, natural gas, coal
• Limestone, salt, timber
• Water

Vision & Strategic Goals by the Government

• To be the most attractive country for foreign investment in the region

Package of measures to encourage investments

• Move quickly towards a more open and liberal model
• Paving the way for European Integration
• Parliamentary Democracy
• Albania to become a member of the EU by 2014-15
• An agreement was signed in 2006 to enter into the EU
• Association process, and pending ratification from the 25 member states

Credit insurance rating:

• Political Risk: 3 (1 = best; 7 = worst),
• In global financial market: B1, Moody’s classified as a country of “stable outlook”, (Dec., 2009)
• The enactment rule of law is foundation of free society
• All new laws are in accordance with western standards