THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

The Republic of Albania

The Republic of Albania is a country in Southeastern Europe. It borders Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece, and extends to the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

Albanians highly nurture culture, symbols, history and religion. These include the colors red and black, the golden eagle, folk costumes and fur coats worn at special events and celebrations, and plants such as olives and red poppies that grow all over the country. The country has many castles and archaeological sites.

As a tourist destination, Albania has become more and more attractive for tourists from Europe in recent years. Two seas - the Adriatic and the Ionian, 450 kilometers of coastline, sandy beaches, modern hotels, a picture that will surely surprise many who knew the old, very closed Albania during communism.

The capital of Albania is Tirana, and about 2.8 million people live in the country. If you’re going on a tour of Albania, Tirana is a must-visit. It is the political, cultural, economic and administrative center of Albania and in recent years it is very popular for tourists.

Although the remains of communism are seen throughout the country and even in the capital, it is going well on its way to developing into a very popular tourist destination.

The most interesting part of the city is the main Skanderbeg square (Et'hem Bey Mosque, Kulla e Sahatit (Clock Tower), Catholic St. Paul’s Cathedral and University of Tirana) and the National Museum of History.

The south of the country is growing rapidly, especially the port Durres and touristic places like Saranda and Vlora.

Durres is the main port in Albania, but also a very popular touristic place in the country. Many new buildings, hotels and restaurants are being built to serve the growing number of tourists visiting the city.

Just across the island of Corfu is the most popular Albanian resort of Saranda. Numerous landscaped and wild beaches, lemon and olive trees and over 300 sunny days during the year are quite sufficient reasons for a summer vacation in Saranda.

Saranda is also known for its incredible natural monument. The Blue Eye is the name for 18 karst water springs, which are located about 25 kilometers away from this small town.

If you’re visiting Albania, another very important city to see is Shkodra. Shkodra, with its narrow streets and ancient houses that unite with stone walls and modern buildings, is a town that lies on the shores of Lake Skadar and is very important culture and economic center of the country.

The main attraction of the city Shkodra is the Rozafa Fortress, which was built in the third century BC. The city center is paved with cobblestones and there are all three religions object that are the largest in Albania (St Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral, Ebu Bekr Mosque and Orthodox Cathedral of Navity.

A very important monument in Shkodra is the monument to Mother Teresa, Catholic nun and saint, who was Albanian. The Albanians are very proud of Mother Teresa, the biggest missionary who was of their origin.