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Albania is an all-encompassing package that is a delight to anyone who is willing to discover it. With its enticing historical sites, breathtaking scenery and friendly locals, there is something for everybody in this unspoilt country. With a culture that’s all its own, Albania allows great discoveries to history lovers who can spend hours exploring the sites of Bulrint and Byllis and the cities of Gjirokastra and Berati. Those with a thirst for adventure will love hiking in the Albanian Alps or braving the rapids of the Osumi river through magnificent canyons. In the heart of the Mediterranean this European country is truly unique.

In Albania you will find unique music that is sung without any musical instruments. This interpretation of music is called “iso-polyphony.” Iso-polyphony is sung in “Toskëria” in Southern Albania and especially in the Labëria region. It is under the protection of UNESCO and is registered as “Part of the Oral Traditions of Human Kind”.

Historically Speaking

Among the first people to set up an empire in what is now modern Albania were the Illyrians, ancestors of present-day Albanians. The Illyrians occupied the area sometime during the 2nd millennium BC, but were partly displaced by the invading Greeks in the 7th century BC and later by the Romans in 228 BC. The Romans were able to hold on to their empire in the Balkans only for a short while; the Slavs, the Ostrogoths, the Visigoths and the Huns soon tried to get a hold in the area. Many of the more powerful empires of the surrounding areas- in particular, those of the Byzantine empire, Bulgaria, Serbia and Venice- all invaded Illyria, but it was the Ottoman Turks who finally grabbed power in 1479 and held on till 1912. Increasing nationalism by the Illyrians finally resulted in the declaration of independence in 1912. Independence was a short lived pleasure for the Albanians, though; Greece, Serbia, France, Italy and Austria-Hungary occupied Albania in succession, and the country only returned to self-rule in 1920. This state of affairs continued till 1939, when Italy, followed by the Nazis, invaded. The Albanians communists, headed by Enver Hoxha, organised the local resistance and threw out the Axis armies in 1944. A communist regime was set up in Albania hand-in-hand with the USSR. Relations between the two countries soon soured and by 1960, Albania had broken off ties with the USSR and allied itself with China, a phase which lasted till 1978. Hoxha’s death in 1985 introduced liberalisation in Albania and by 1990 communism was on the way out. Even though elections in 1992 brought a complete end to communism, the country still faces a number of political problems.

Habitat

The tiny country of Albania is located on the southeastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, not too far from Italy - a country with which Albania has had ties- political, cultural and social- for centuries altogether. Albania is bordered by Greece on the south; by Macedonia on the east and by Kosovo to the north. Much of the country is quite wild and unspoilt with virgin forests and sandy beaches along the coasts. The inland areas of Albania have a number of lakes, and some of the most beautiful terrain you’re likely to see in the Mediterranean; the 'Riviera of Flowers’, between Vlora and Saranda, is particularly lovely. A large portion of Albania is volcanic, and subject to frequent earthquakes; terribly destructive tsunamis also hit some of the coastal regions. In addition to this, the country is suffering badly from environmental pollution; chemical effluents literally flood rivers, and soil pollution levels are alarming in some areas. Flora and Fauna Much of Albania- in fact about 38%- is forested, which is quite impressive for a European country. The main tree species include white beech, poplar, pine, elm, willow and oak. Less remote areas have, however, been heavily logged and deforested; all the vegetation that survives basically consists of grasses. The grasslands have lots of wildfowl, but wildlife as such is restricted to the more remote forests, which are the home for wild boar, deer and wolves, besides a host of rodents, smaller mammals and birds. The country has 6 National Forests, 24 nature reserves, and 2000 natural monuments- but nearly all of these are just on paper. Amongst the better-known wildlife reserves is the Divjake National Park, home to the endangered Dalmatian Pelican.