The Republic of Albania

Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912.

Albania’s national hero Skanderbeg led a 25-year resistance against the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century.

Albania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the ancient city of Butrint (1992) and the historic centres of Gjirokastra and Berat.

Albania became an EU candidate country in 2014 and formally began accession negotiations in 2022.

In 1967, Albania’s communist government banned all religious practice and declared the country an officially atheist state — the first in the world to do so.

Albania’s red flag features a black double-headed eagle, a symbol associated with the national hero Skanderbeg.

Hydropower represents more than 85% of Albania’s electricity-generation capacity.

Fearing a foreign invasion, Albania’s communist government built more than 170,000 concrete bunkers across the country, many of which still stand today.

In 2023, Albania’s Vjosa River became Europe’s first Wild River National Park, protecting one of the continent’s last major free-flowing rivers.

UNESCO recognizes Albanian folk iso-polyphony, a traditional multi-voice singing style, as intangible cultural heritage.

Mother Teresa, one of the world’s best-known figures of Albanian heritage, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and Albania named its main international airport in her honour.

The Blue Eye, one of Albania’s most famous natural attractions, is a crystal-clear spring named after its striking deep-blue centre, which resembles the pupil of an eye.