Brooke's+Europe+Project

=Albania= toc

Albania is a country in Europe. Albania has a very beautiful landscape and geography. Albanian food is greatly influenced by other cultures. The history of Albania appears from the prehistory of the Balkan states around 3000 B.C. The capital of Albania is Tirana with a population of 433,000. Albania's government is an emerging democracy. Although Albania is a poor country, it is very interesting country.

(Map of Albania)

Geography
(Mountains in Albania)

Albania is in southeastern Europe. The total size of Albania is 28, 748 square kilometers. Albania is slightly larger than Maryland. The general Terrain is mostly mountains and hills and small plains along the coast. The climate in winter is cool, cloudy, and wet. The climate in the summer is hot, clear, and dry. Albania lies along the Adriatic Sea and is bordered by Montenegro and Kosovo to the north, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the southeast. Large cities in Albania include Durres, 113,900, and Elbasan, 97,000. Albania has two major regions, a mountainous highland and a lowland region. The lowland contains most of the agricultural land and is the most densely populated. Albania’s highest point is Mt. Jezerca (1,693 m/8,835 ft) in the Dinaric Alps in the north. The mountains in Albania are rich in mineral resources such as iron, nickel, chrome, and copper. Because mining requires an investment that Albania lacks. The largest lake in Albania is Lake Shkodra which borders between Albania and Montenegro in the southeast.

Food
(Spinach and Cheese Pie)

Albanian food is greatly influenced by Balkan, Italian, and Turkish cuisines. Albanian food is also influenced by Illyrian, Greek, and Roman foods. Traditional Albanian food consists of vegetables, meats, fish, vinegar, yogurt, spices, and herbs. Vegetables are used in almost every dish. Albanian meals use meats such as cow, rabbit, chicken, and lamb meats. Milk, it’s byproducts, and eggs are daily food. Each chef adds their own traditions and tastes to their dishes.

The most famous Albanian dish is Spinach and Cheese Pie. Albania’s pies are usually made of thin pastry leaves. Pastry leaves are lain inside the baking pan. Then spinach with salt and cheese are sprinkled on the pastry leaves. It is finished by covering the spinach with the rest of the pastry leaves and then baked. Bean Yahni Soup is a popular Albanian dish. The soup has dry white beans, chopped onions, salt, chopped parsley, chili powder, and olive oil. The soup is boiled in hot water for ten minutes until a thick sauce is formed. Another popular dish is stuffed peppers. Bell peppers are usually used in this dish. The peppers are stuffed with mince meat, fried onions, rice, chopped dill and parsley. Then it is placed on a tray for baking. Water is added until the rice and peppers are soft. Albania has many delicious desserts. The most famous dessert is Baklava. Baklava is made of rolled dough, sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and water.

History
(Albania's Flag)

The exact origin of Albania is not known. In ancient Albania, people learned how to use metal bronze in 2100 B.C. and iron in 1000 B.C. In ancient Albania or the Iron Age, Albanians were called the Illyrians. The Illyrians eventually went into conflict with Rome. The Romans conquered the Illyrians in 167 B.C. Although Albanians were under Roman rule, they prospered. In 395, the Roman Empire split into two parts; east and west. Albania became part of the eastern empire or the Byzantine Empire. Albania was weakly defended because Albania was on the edge of the empire. In the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries, Germanic people invaded Albania, but they always withdrew their forces. Later, in the 10th century, the Bulgarians conquered large parts of Albania. The Byzantines retrieved their territory in the early 11th century when they were led by Basil II.

In the Middle Ages, the Normans captured Sicily and southern Italy, turning their attention to Albania. The Crusaders captured Constantinople in 1204. When the Byzantine Empire set Albania free, there was a period of warfare with different powers fighting to take control of Albania. Venice seized control of central and southern Albania, but only ruled directly in the main ports. The Byzantines struggled with the kingdom of southern Italy and Sicily to regain control of Albania. In the 14th century, the Byzantines drove the Italians out and Albania fell to the Serbs. Stefan Dusan, the Serbian king, invaded Albania in 1343. After his death, in 1355, the Serbs lost control of Albania. A new threat was born to Albania, the Ottoman Turks. The Turks controlled central and southern Albania in 1415 through 1423. In 1443, a rebellion broke out, which was led by George Kastrioti. In the north, Albanians resisted the Turks until 1479.

In the 20th century, a nationalist movement promoted Albania’s culture and language. In 1912, a war broke out between the Turks and the Balkan League. The Balkan League consisted of Montenegro, Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Albania was still under the rule of the Turks. The Albanians feared their country would be divided up between the members of the Balkan League. To prevent this, Albanian leader met up in Vlora. On November 28th, 1912, Albania declared their independence. In 1913, the European great powers appointed a commission to set boundaries to Albania. William of Wied, a German prince, became king of Albania. William went to Albania in March 1914, but fled six months later. Then Albania split into regions without a central government. Albania held an election in 1918. The Albanians formed a provisional government. Religious freedom was introduced in Albania in 1990. The majority of Albanians today are Muslims. In 1995 and 1996 pyramid investment schemes rose in Albania. At the end of 1996, they began to collapse. The result was unrest that forced the government to hold a new election in June 1997. In the 21st century, stability returned to Albania. Since 1998, the Albanian economy has grown. Albanian remain a poor country. In 2009, Albania joined NATO. The population of Albania today is 3 million.