Country · Europe
Albania
Republic of Albania
Albania is a country in Southeast Europe. About 2.9 million people live there, in an area of 28 748 square kilometres. Its capital city is Tirana.
Picture credit: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Pudelek (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Pudelek (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Albinfo (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Dori (CC BY 2.5) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Albania?
Albania lies in Southeast Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 564 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 362 km long.
It shares a border with 4 countries: Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
How big is Albania?
Albania covers 28 748 square kilometres.
That is about 11 times the size of Luxembourg.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 140th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 99.7 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Albania?
About 2.9 million people live in Albania.
That is the 135th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Albanian.
They pay with the Albanian lek (L).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 72 years.
The land of Albania
Its coast runs for about 362 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 18 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Albania different?
A dish the country is known for: Tavë kosi.
Websites from here often end in .al.
Albania and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about one lives in Albania.
It takes up about 0.02 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe the country ranks 34th of 45 by size, and 29th by population.
Albania and its neighbours
Greece, its largest neighbour, is about 4.6 times bigger.
Greece has more people: 10.7 million against 2.9 million.
Nature and animals
The highest mountain in the country is Mount Korab, at 2 764 metres. The longest river in the country is the Drin. The largest lake in the country is Lake Skadar.
How big is Albania compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 326 times as big as Albania: 9 372 610 km² against 28 748 km².
- The United Kingdom is about 8.4 times as big as Albania: 242 900 km² against 28 748 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Albania?
The capital of Albania is Tirana. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Albania?
About 2.9 million people live in Albania, which makes it the 135th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Albania?
Albania borders Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia — 4 neighbours in total.
How big is Albania?
Albania covers 28 748 square kilometres, making it the 140th largest country in the world. That is about 11 times the size of Luxembourg.
What is the highest mountain in Albania?
The highest mountain in Albania is Mount Korab, 2 764 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Albania?
The longest river in Albania is the Drin, about 285 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Albania?
The largest lake in Albania is Lake Skadar. The whole lake covers about 370 km², and part of it belongs to neighbouring countries.
Which continent is Albania in?
Albania is in Europe, in the part called Southeast Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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