History of Albania in Timeline

Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a nation in Southeast Europe's Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. It shares land borders with Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Greece. Encompassing 28,748 km2, Albania's diverse geography includes the Albanian Alps, various mountain ranges, and fertile coastal plains. Tirana serves as its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.

November 1912: Declaration of Independence

On 28 November 1912, Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire.

December 1912: Establishment of the Senate and Government

On 4 December 1912, the Senate and Government were established by the Assembly of Vlorë.

1912: National Anthem Adopted

Following Albania's independence in 1912, "Himni i Flamurit", composed by Asdreni, was adopted as the national anthem.

1912: Declaration of Independence

In 1912, Albania declared its independence, and Ismail Qemali raised the Albanian flag in Vlorë.

1912: Albania Declares Independence

In 1912, Albania declared its independence, marking the beginning of significant political transformations.

1912: First Movie Theater

In 1912, the first movie theater exclusively devoted to showing motion pictures was built in Shkodër.

1912: Independence and political evolution

Since its independence in 1912, Albania has transitioned from a monarchy to a communist regime before becoming a sovereign parliamentary constitutional republic.

July 1913: Delineation of borders by Treaty of London

On 29 July 1913, the Treaty of London delineated the borders of the country and its neighbors, leaving many Albanians outside Albania.

October 1913: Establishment of the International Commission of Control

On 15 October 1913, the International Commission of Control was established in Vlorë to administer Albania until its own political institutions were in order.

November 1913: Offer of the throne to Ahmed Izzet Pasha

In November 1913, the Albanian pro-Ottoman forces offered the throne of Albania to Ahmed Izzet Pasha, the Ottoman war minister of Albanian origin.

February 1914: Proclamation of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus

In February 1914, the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was proclaimed in Gjirokastër by the local Greek population against incorporation to Albania.

June 1914: International Gendarmerie joined by Isa Boletini

In May and June 1914, the International Gendarmerie was joined by Isa Boletini and his men, mostly from Kosovo.

August 1914: Rebels capture Central Albania

By the end of August 1914, rebels captured most of Central Albania.

September 1914: Prince Wied leaves Albania

Prince Wied's regime collapsed, and he left the country on 3 September 1914.

1918: Congress of Durrës denied protection

In 1918, the Congress of Durrës sought protection from the Paris Peace Conference but was denied, complicating Albania's international position.

1919: Serb attacks on Albanians

In 1919, Serbs launched attacks on Albanian inhabitants, including massacres and large-scale displacement in areas like Gusinje and Plav.

1921: Incorporation of southern provinces

In 1921, the southern provinces were incorporated into the Albanian Principality.

1924: Fan Noli becomes prime minister

In 1924, Fan Noli became prime minister with a vision to institute a Western-style constitutional government.

1928: Transition to monarchy under Zog

In 1928, Zog transitioned Albania from a republic to a monarchy, backed by Fascist Italy, and assumed the title of King Zog I.

1939: Italy invades Albania

In 1939, Italy invaded the Kingdom of Albania, which then became Greater Albania and later a protectorate of Nazi Germany during World War II.

1943: Nazi Germany assumes control of Albania

In 1943, as Italy's control waned, Nazi Germany assumed control of Albania, subjecting Albanians to forced labour, economic exploitation, and repression.

1944: Liberation by Albanian partisan forces

In 1944, Albanian partisan forces, led by Enver Hoxha, successfully liberated Albania from German occupation.

1946: Nationalization of religious estates

In 1946, religious estates underwent nationalization in Albania, and religious institutions were closed or repurposed.

1946: Balkan Cup Win

The Albania national football team won the Balkan Cup in 1946.

1953: Release of "The Great Warrior Skanderbeg"

In 1953, the Albanian-Soviet epic film, "the Great Warrior Skanderbeg", was released chronicling the life and fight of the medieval Albanian hero Skanderbeg.

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1954: "The Great Warrior Skanderbeg" Wins International Prize

In 1954, the Albanian-Soviet epic film, "the Great Warrior Skanderbeg", went on to win the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

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1955: Albania Joins the United Nations

In 1955, Albania became a member of the United Nations (UN).

1961: Diplomatic separation from Soviet Union

In 1961, Albania experienced strained ties with Moscow, leading to diplomatic separation from the Soviet Union.

1962: Festivali i Këngës Inauguration

In 1962, the Festivali i Këngës, an Albanian song contest organized by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), was inaugurated.

1968: Withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact

In 1968, Albania withdrew from the Warsaw Pact in response to the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

1970: Relations with China stagnate

In 1970, relations between Albania and China stagnated, prompting both countries to reassess their commitment.

1972: Olympic Games Debut

Albania participated in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1972.

1972: World Weightlifting Championships Gold

In 1972, the Albanian weightlifting team won a gold at the World Weightlifting Championships.

July 1973: Highest Recorded Temperature in Kuçovë

On July 18, 1973, the highest temperature ever recorded in Albania, 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), was observed in Kuçovë.

1976: Albania becomes a constitutionally atheist state

In 1976, Albania became the world's first constitutionally atheist state, forcing citizens to renounce their religious beliefs.

1980: Olympic Boycott

Albania missed the 1980 Olympic Games due to boycotts.

1984: Olympic Boycott

Albania missed the 1984 Olympic Games due to boycotts.

1987: Mediterranean Games Participation

Since 1987, Albania participated at the Mediterranean Games for the first time in Syria.

1988: Albania Reduces Troop Numbers

In 1988, Albania had 65,000 active troops.

1989: Rise in political activism

Following the revolutions of 1989, Albania witnessed a rise in political activism, especially among students, which transformed the prevailing order.

1990: Albania Forest Cover Statistics

In 1990, Albania had 788,800 hectares of forest.

1991: Decrease in Human Resources

After the fall of communism in 1991, human resources in sciences and technology in Albania have drastically decreased.

1991: First multi-party elections

After the first multi-party elections of 1991, the communist party maintained a stronghold in parliament.

1991: Fall of communism

In 1991, the Revolutions of 1991 concluded with the fall of communism in Albania, leading to the establishment of the current Republic of Albania.

1991: Urban Transformation

Subsequent to the collapse of communism in 1991, Albania has undergone a remarkable transformation in its urban landscape, emerging as one of the fastest urbanising countries in Europe.

1992: Return to Olympic Games

In 1992, Albania returned to the Olympic Games in Barcelona.

1992: Democratic Party victory

In 1992, the Democratic Party directed by Sali Berisha won the parliamentary elections.

1994: Albania Joins the Convention on Biological Diversity

In 1994, Albania became a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its associated Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols.

1996: Albania Military Spending

In 1996, Albania's military spending was estimated at 1.5% of the country's GDP.

1996: Collapse of pyramid schemes

In late 1996, the pyramid schemes began to collapse, leading investors to protest against the government.

February 1997: Violent protests

In February 1997, protests turned violent when government forces fired on demonstrators.

April 1997: Operation Alba

In April 1997, Operation Alba, a U.N. peacekeeping force led by Italy, entered Albania to assist with evacuation and secure the ground for international organisations.

1998: Albania Transitions to a Parliamentary Republic

In 1998, Albania transitioned into a sovereign parliamentary constitutional republic.

July 2000: Counties Recreated to Unify Districts

On July 31, 2000, counties were recreated in Albania to unify the 36 districts of that time.

2000: Rising interest in languages

After 2000, among young people aged 25 or less, there was a rising interest in English, German, and Turkish. Italian and French had stable interest, while Greek lost much of its previous interest.

2000: Healthcare Performance

In 2000, Albania had the world's 55th-best healthcare performance, as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

2000: Malta Rothmans International Tournament Win

The Albania national football team won the Malta Rothmans International Tournament in 2000.

2001: Urban Demographic

In 2001, the proportion of the urban demographic in Albania was 47%.

2002: World Weightlifting Championships Silver

In 2002, the Albanian weightlifting team won a silver at the World Weightlifting Championships.

2003: Press Freedom Score Decline

Albania's score on the Press Freedom Index steadily declined since 2003.

2003: Tirana International Film Festival Established

In 2003, the Tirana International Film Festival was established, becoming the largest film festival in Albania.

2005: Scientist Emigration

Between 1991 and 2005, approximately 50% of the professors and scientists of the universities and science institutions in Albania had left the country.

2005: Visitor Count

In 2005, Albania had 500,000 visitors.

2006: Winter Olympic Games Debut

In 2006, Albania made their Winter Olympic Games debut.

2006: Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU

In 2006, Albania signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU).

February 2008: Albania Participates in NATO's Operation Active Endeavor

In February 2008, Albania officially began participating in NATO's Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea.

April 2008: Albania Invited to Join NATO

On April 3, 2008, Albania was invited to join NATO.

2008: Albania Recognizes Kosovo's Independence

In 2008, Albania demonstrated its support for Kosovo by recognizing its sovereignty early on.

2008: Religious Buildings

In 2008, Albania had 694 Catholic churches, 425 Orthodox churches, 568 mosques, and 70 Bektashi takyas.

April 2009: Membership in NATO

In April 2009, Albania attained membership in NATO.

April 2009: Albania Becomes a Full Member of NATO

On April 2, 2009, Albania became a full member of NATO.

2009: Albania Secures NATO Membership

In 2009, Albania achieved a major foreign policy milestone by securing NATO membership.

2009: Fruit and Vegetable Supply

In 2009, Albania had a fruit and vegetable supply of 886 grams per capita per day, the fifth-highest supply in Europe.

2009: Wine Production

In 2009, Albania produced an estimated 17,500 tonnes of wine.

2009: Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with EFTA

In 2009, Albania signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

2009: National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation

In 2009, the Albanian government approved the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation in Albania covering the period 2009 to 2015.

2010: Military Service Becomes Voluntary

In 2010, military service in Albania became voluntary.

2011: Lonely Planet travel destination ranking

In 2011, Lonely Planet named Albania as a top travel destination.

2011: World Weightlifting Championships Bronze

In 2011, the Albanian weightlifting team won a bronze medal at the World Weightlifting Championships.

2011: Population Statistics

In 2011, the census in Albania recorded a population of 2,821,977.

2012: Albania's Highest Placement in the Environmental Performance Index

Albania's highest placement in the Environmental Performance Index was at position 15 in 2012.

2012: Visitor Count

In 2012, Albania had an estimated 4.2 million visitors, marking an increase of 740 percent from 2005.

2013: Mediterranean Games

From 1987 to 2013, the Albanian athletes have won a total of 43 medals at the Mediterranean Games.

2013: Edi Rama wins parliamentary elections

In 2013, Edi Rama of the Socialist Party won the parliamentary elections and became prime minister.

June 2014: Candidate status for EU membership

On 24 June 2014, Albania was granted official candidate status for membership in the European Union.

2014: Durrës Port

As of 2014, Durrës is one of the largest passenger ports on the Adriatic Sea, with annual passenger volume of about 1.5 million.

2014: Albania Obtains EU Candidate Status

In 2014, Albania obtained candidate status for European Union (EU) accession.

2014: The New York Times tourist destination ranking

In 2014, The New York Times placed Albania as number 4 global tourist destination.

2014: AHC Report on Female Murder Victims

In 2014, the Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC) reported that the number of female murder victims was still high.

2014: Inaugural Joint Meeting Between Albania and Kosovo

In 2014, the governments of Albania and Kosovo held their inaugural joint meeting to enhance bilateral cooperation and promote regional stability and prosperity.

2015: Access to Improved Sanitation

According to data presented by the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) in 2015, about 93% of Albania's total population had access to improved sanitation.

2015: National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation

In 2009, the Albanian government approved the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation in Albania covering the period 2009 to 2015.

2015: Albania Forest Ownership Statistics

In 2015, 97% of Albania's forest area was under public ownership, 3% under private ownership, and 0% with unknown ownership.

2015: Infant Mortality Rate

In 2015, Albania's infant mortality rate was estimated at 12 per 1,000 live births.

2015: Summer Tourism Increase

In 2015, summer tourism in Albania increased by 25 percent from 2014, according to the country's tourism agency.

2015: ILGA-Europe Ranking

In 2015, the association ILGA-Europe ranked Albania 19th in terms of LGBT rights out of 49 observed European countries.

2015: Municipalities Unified and Simplified

In 2015, the municipalities in Albania unified and simplified the previous system of urban and rural municipalities or communes.

June 2016: First Win at UEFA Euro

On June 19, 2016, Albania secured their first ever win in European Championship when they beat Romania by 1–0 in a UEFA Euro 2016 match.

2016: WHO data on overweight adults

According to 2016 WHO data, 21.7% of adults in Albania are clinically overweight, with a Body mass index (BMI) score of 25 or more.

2016: Textile production growth

As of 2016, textile production in Albania experienced an annual growth of 5.3% and an annual turnover of around 1.5 billion euros.

2016: Tourism Contribution to GDP

In 2016, tourism directly accounted for 8.4% of Albania's GDP, though including indirect contributions pushes the proportion to 26%. The country received approximately 4.74 million visitors.

January 2017: Lowest Recorded Temperature in Shtyllë, Librazhd

On January 9, 2017, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Albania, −29 °C (−20 °F), was observed in Shtyllë, Librazhd.

2017: Grammy Award Nomination

In 2017, Albanian opera singer Saimir Pirgu was nominated for a Grammy Award.

2017: Rama wins second parliamentary election

In 2017, Edi Rama of the Socialist Party won the parliamentary elections for the second time.

2017: FIFA Ranking

In 2017, The Albania national football team, ranking 51st in the World.

2018: Mobile and Internet Users

As of 2018, Albania had approximately 2.7 million active mobile users with almost 1.8 million active broadband subscribers.

November 2019: Earthquake in Albania

On 26 November 2019, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake ravaged Albania, with the epicentre near Mamurras, affecting Durrës and Kodër-Thumanë.

2019: Global Competitiveness Index Ranking

In 2019, the Global Competitiveness Index assigned Albania a ranking of 81st.

2019: Passenger Traffic at Tirana Airport

In 2019, the international airport of Tirana carried more than 3.3 million passengers with connections to many destinations in other countries around Europe, Africa and Asia.

2019: UNESCO site

Since 2019, the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region is shared with North Macedonia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

March 2020: COVID-19 Confirmed to Have Spread to Albania

In March 2020, COVID-19 was confirmed to have spread to Albania, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency to limit its spread.

June 2020: End of State of Emergency Due to COVID-19

In June 2020, the state of emergency declared in response to the spread of COVID-19 came to an end in Albania.

2020: Press Freedom Index Ranking

Albania was ranked 84th on the Press Freedom Index of 2020 compiled by the Reporters Without Borders.

2020: Albania Forest Cover Statistics

In 2020, Albania had 788,900 hectares of forest, which accounts for around 29% of the total land area.

January 2021: Start of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

On January 11, 2021, Albania initiated its COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

August 2021: Vaccine Doses Administered

As of August 11, 2021, Albania had administered 1,280,239 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

2021: Socialist Party wins third consecutive victory

During the 2021 parliamentary elections, the ruling Socialist Party led by Rama secured its third consecutive victory.

2021: Birth Rate

In 2022 the birth rate was 20% lower than in 2021, largely due to emigration of people of childbearing age.

2021: Regional Contributions to National GDP

In the year 2021, Tirana County accounted for a significant 44% of the national GDP of Albania.

2022: Birth Rate

In 2022 the birth rate was 20% lower than in 2021, largely due to emigration of people of childbearing age.

2022: Albania's Environmental Performance Index Ranking

In 2022, Albania was ranked 62 out of 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index.

2022: ILGA-Europe Ranking

In 2022, Albania was ranked the 28th country in Europe by ILGA-Europe in terms of LGBT rights, among 49 countries observed, due to lack of progress.

January 2023: Satellite Launch

In January 2023, Albania launched its first two satellites, Albania 1 and Albania 2, into orbit.

December 2023: Collaboration with ChatGPT Announced

In December 2023, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced plans for collaboration between the Albanian government and ChatGPT, aiming to streamline the alignment of Albanian laws with the regulations of the European Union.

2023: Energy Transition Index Ranking

According to the World Economic Forum's 2023 Energy Transition Index (ETI), Albania ranked 21st globally, highlighting the progress in its energy transition agenda.

2023: Religious Demographics Census

As of the 2023 Census, the religious demographics of Albania included 1,101,718 (45.86%) Sunni Muslims, 201,530 (8.38%) Catholics, 173,645 (7.22%) Eastern Orthodox, 115,644 (4.81%) Bektashi Muslims, 9,658 (0.4%) Evangelicals, 3,670 (0.15%) of other religions, 332,155 (13.82%) believers without denomination, 85,311 (3.55%) Atheists and 378,782 (15.76%) did not provide an answer.

2023: Urban Demographic

By 2023, the proportion of the urban demographic in Albania had progressed to 65%.

2023: Albania's Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In 2023, Albania emitted 7.67 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, equivalent to 2.73 tonnes per person.

2023: Ethnic Composition Census

In 2023, the census recorded the ethnic composition as Albanians 2,186,917 (91.04% of the total), Greeks 23,485 (0.98%), Macedonians 2,281 (0.09%), Montenegrins 511 (0.02%), Aromanians 2,459 (0.1%), Roma 9,813 (0.4%), Balkan Egyptians 12,375 (0.5%), Bosnians 2,963 (0.12%), Serbians 584 (0.02%), Bulgarians 7,057 (0.29%), mixed ethnicities 770 (0.03%), other ethnicities 3,798 (0.15%), and 134,451 (5.60%) with unspecified ethnicity, out of a total population of 2,402,113.

2023: Economic Freedom of the World Report

The 2023 Economic Freedom of the World report placed Albania in the 31st position, noting economic independence and the adoption of market-oriented policies.

2023: Population Statistics

The 2023 census in Albania indicated a population of 2,402,113.

September 2024: Prime Minister's Plan for Bektashi Order Sovereign State

In September 2024, reports surfaced that Prime Minister Rama was planning to establish the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order, a microstate within Tirana specifically for the Order.