Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south. With an area of , it has a varied range of climatic, geological, hydrological and morphological conditions. Landscapes range from rugged snow-capped mountains in the Albanian Alps and the Korab, Skanderbeg, Pindus and Ceraunian Mountains, to fertile lowland plains extending from the Adriatic and Ionian sea coasts. Tirana is the capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.
Albania was inhabited by several Illyrian tribes, among them the Ardiaei, Bylliones, Dassaretii, Enchele, and Taulantians, with the Chaonians settled in the southwest. Several colonies were founded by the Ancient Greeks along the Albanian coast, most notably Apollonia. The Illyrians were the dominant power before the rise of Macedon. Following the Illyrian Wars, Albania was integrated into the Roman Empire and remained in the Byzantine Empire after its partition. During the Middle Ages, several Albanian principalities emerged, most notably the Principality of Arbanon, Kingdom of Albania, Principality of Albania and Albania Veneta. In the 15th century, Albania became a center of resistance against Ottoman expansion under the leadership of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, whose military campaigns repelled Ottoman advances for over two decades. Although incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, Albania retained distinct cultural and social identities throughout four centuries of foreign rule, culminating in the Albanian Renaissance in the 19th century. Albania declared independence in 1912, followed by a turbulent 20th century marked by monarchy, foreign occupation during both World Wars, and a communist regime under Enver Hoxha.
Since its independence in 1912, Albania has undergone many political changes, transitioning from a monarchy to a communist regime before becoming a sovereign parliamentary constitutional republic. Governed by a constitution prioritising the separation of powers, the political structure includes a parliament, a ceremonial president, a functional prime minister and a hierarchy of courts. Albania is a developing country with an upper-middle income economy driven by the service sector, with manufacturing and tourism—which attracted over 11 million visitors in 2024—playing significant roles. The illegal drug trade in Albania contributes around US$100 million to the economy per year. After the dissolution of its communist system, the country shifted from centralised planning to an open market economy. Citizens have universal health care access and free primary and secondary education. The country is an official candidate for membership in the European Union and has been negotiating accession since 2022.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Albania" can be traced back to medieval Latin and the association with the Illyrian tribe of the Albani. This connection is further supported by the writings of Ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy during the 2nd century AD, where he included the settlement of Albanopolis situated to the northeast of Durrës.Madrugearu A, Gordon M. The wars of the Balkan Peninsula. Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. p. 146. The presence of a medieval settlement named Albanon or Arbanon hints at the possibility of historical continuity. The relationship between these historical references and the question of whether Albanopolis was synonymous with Albanon remain subjects of scholarly debate.The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, , page 279,"We cannot be certain that the Arbanon of Anna Comnena is the same as Albanopolis of the Albani, a place located on the map of Ptolemy (3.12)"
Byzantine historian Michael Attaleiates, in his 11th-century historical account, provides the earliest undisputed reference to the Albanians, when he mentions them as participants in a revolt against Constantinople in 1079.. "It is still disputed by scholars that those Albanoi from 1042 were Normans from Sicily, [Southern Italy], or if they are in fact the Albanoi [a large clan of that belongs to the many clans of Albanians] found in Albanian lands during this time frame." He also identifies the Arbanitai as subjects of the Duke of Dyrrachium.Robert Elsei. The Albanian lexicon of Dion Von Kirkman. Earliest reference to the existence of the Albanian language, pp. 113–122. In the Middle Ages, Albania was denoted as or by its inhabitants, who identified themselves as or .
Albanians employ the terms or for their nation, designations that trace their historical origins to the 14th century. But only in the late 17th and early 18th centuries did these terms gradually supersede and among Albanians. These two expressions are widely interpreted to symbolise "Children of the Eagles" and "Land of the Eagles".Kristo Frasheri. History of Albania (A Brief Overview). Tirana, 1964.
History
Prehistory
Mesolithic habitation in Albania has been evidenced in several open-air sites which were close to the Adriatic coastline and in caves. Mesolithic objects found in a cave near Xarrë include flint and jasper objects along with fossilised animal bones, while discoveries at Mount Dajti comprise bone and stone tools similar to those of the Aurignacian culture.F. Prendi, "The Prehistory of Albania", The Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd edn., vol. 3, part 1: The Prehistory of the Balkans; and the Middle East and the Aegean World, Tenth to Eighth Centuries B.C., ed. John Boardman et al. (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1982), 189–90. The Neolithic era began around 7000 BC and is evidenced in finds which indicate domestication of sheep and goats and small-scale agriculture. A part of the Neolithic population may have been the same as the Mesolithic population of the southern Balkans, like in the Konispol cave, where the Mesolithic stratum co-exists with Pre-Pottery Neolithic finds. Cardium pottery culture appears in coastal Albania and across the Adriatic after 6500 BC, while the settlements of the interior took part in the processes that formed the Starčevo culture. The bitumen mines of Selenicë provide early evidence of bitumen exploitation in Europe, dating to Late Neolithic (from 5000 BC), when local communities used it as pigment for ceramic decoration, waterproofing, and adhesive for repairing broken vessels. The bitumen of Selenicë circulated towards eastward from the early 5th millennium BC. First evidence of its overseas trade export comes from the Neolithic and Bronze Age southern Italy. The high-quality bitumen of Selenicë has been exploited throughout all the historical ages since the Late Neolithic era until today.
Indo-European migrations in the western Balkans began after 2800 BC. The presence of Early Bronze Age tumuli in the vicinity of Apollonia dates to 2679±174 calBC (2852–2505 calBC). These burial mounds belong to the southern expression of the Adriatic-Ljubljana culture (related to the later Cetina culture), which moved southwards along the Adriatic from the northern Balkans. The same community built similar mounds in Rakića Kuće, Montenegro and Shtoj, Albania. The first archaeogenetic find related to Indo-Europeans involves a man with predominantly Yamnaya ancestry buried in a tumulus of northeastern Albania, which dates to 2663–2472 calBC. During the Middle Bronze Age, Cetina culture sites and finds appear in Albania. Cetina culture moved southwards across the Adriatic from the Cetina valley of Dalmatia. Cetina finds are concentrated around southern Lake Shkodër and appear typically in tumulus cemeteries, such as in Shkrel and Shtoj, and hillforts like Gajtan (Shkodër), as well as cave sites like Blaz, Nezir, and Keputa (central Albania) and lake basin sites like Sovjan (southeastern Albania).
Antiquity
The territory was historically inhabited by Indo-European peoples, amongst them numerous Illyrian and Epirote tribes. There were also several Greek colonies. The territory referred to as Illyria corresponded roughly to the area east of the Adriatic Sea in the Mediterranean Sea, extending in the south to the mouth of the Vjosë.The Illyrians (The Peoples of Europe) by John Wilkes, 1996, , page 92, "Appian's description of the Illyrian territories records a southern boundary with Chaonia and Thesprotia, where ancient Epirus began south of river Aoous (Vjose)" also mapCambridge University Press. The Cambridge ancient history. 2000. , page 261,"... down to the mouth of Aous" The first account of the Illyrian groups comes from the Periplus of the Euxine Sea, a Greek text written in the 4th century BC. The Bryges were also present in central Albania, while the south was inhabited by the Epirote Chaonians, whose capital was at Phoenice. Other colonies, such as Apollonia and Epidamnos, were established by Greek city-states on the coast by the 7th century BC.
The Illyrian Taulanti were a powerful Illyrian tribe among the earliest recorded tribes in the area. Taulanti ruler Glaucias and Dardanian ruler Cleitus fought against Alexander the Great at the Battle of Pelium in 335 BC. Cassander of Macedon, captured Apollonia and crossed the river Genusus () in 314 BC. A few years later, Glaucias laid siege to Apollonia and captured the Greek colony of Epidamnos.Justin, Epitome, 17.3
The Illyrian Ardiaei tribe, centred in Montenegro, ruled over most of the territory of northern Albania. Their kingdom reached its greatest extent under King Agron, the son of Pleuratus II. Agron extended his rule over other neighbouring tribes as well. Following Agron's death in 230 BC, his wife, Teuta, inherited the kingdom. Teuta's forces extended their operations further southwards to the Ionian Sea. In 229 BC, Rome declared war on the kingdom for extensively plundering Roman ships. The war ended in an Illyrian defeat in 227 BC. Teuta was succeeded by Gentius in 181 BC. Gentius clashed with the Romans in 168 BC, initiating the Third Illyrian War. The conflict resulted in the Roman conquest of the region by 167 BC. The Romans split the region into three administrative divisions.Marjeta Šašel Kos, "The Illyrian King Ballaeus – Some Historical Aspects", Épire, Illyrie, Macédoine: Mélanges offerts au professeur Pierre Cabanes, ed. Danièle Berranger (Clermont-Ferrand: Presses Universitaires Blaise Pascal, 2007), 127.
Middle Ages
The Roman Empire was split in 395 upon the death of Theodosius I into an Eastern and Western Roman Empire, in part because of the increasing pressure from threats during the Barbarian Invasions. From the 6th century into the 7th century, the Slavs crossed the Danube and largely absorbed the indigenous Greeks, Illyrians, and Thracians in the Balkans; thus, the Illyrians were mentioned for the last time in historical records in the 7th century.
In the 11th century, the Great Schism formalised the break of communion between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Church, which is reflected in Albania through the emergence of a Catholic north and Orthodox south. The Albanian people inhabited the west of Lake Ochrida and the upper valley of the River Shkumbin and established the Principality of Arbanon in 1190 under the leadership of Progon of Kruja. The realm was succeeded by his sons Gjin Progoni and Demetrio Progoni.