sq km land: 27,398 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: total: 720 km border countries: Greece 282 km, The
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Yugoslavia 287 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry
summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point:
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
timber, nickel, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 21% permanent crops: 4% other: 75% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,400 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along
southwestern coast; floods; drought

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links
Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

People Albania

Population: 3,544,841 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.8% (male 528,678; female 493,531) 15-64
years: 64% (male 1,094,034; female 1,175,024) 65 years and over: 7.2%
(male 111,524; female 142,050) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.06% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 18.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 38.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 75.14 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.27 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 100 (2000 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Alba