Albania is a unitary parliamentary republic in the Balkans of Southeast Europe, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, with Tirana as its capital and largest city. It declared independence from centuries of Ottoman rule on 28 November 1912, and its twentieth century political history moved from monarchy to the communist regime of Enver Hoxha before a democratic system took hold after 1991. Covering 28,748 square kilometers with a 2026 population of about 2.3 million, Albania is classified as an upper middle income country whose economy rests on services, manufacturing and tourism, which drew more than eleven million visitors in 2024. The country provides universal health care and free primary and secondary education, and it has been an official European Union candidate negotiating accession since 2022.
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