Albania Geography - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

Geographic coordinates

41 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 28,748 sq km

land: 27,398 sq km

water: 1,350 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries

total: 691 km

border countries (4): Greece 212 km; Kosovo 112 km; Macedonia 181 km; Montenegro 186 km

Coastline

362 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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

highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 708 m

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use

agricultural land: 42.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 22.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 17.4% (2018 est.)

forest: 28.8% (2018 est.)

other: 28.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

1,820 sq km (2020)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Lake Scutari (shared with Montenegro) - 400 sq km
note - largest lake in the Balkans

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Population distribution

a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

Geography - note

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

NOTE: The information regarding Albania on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Albania 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Albania 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.