Albania

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Country Name

Albania or officially The Republic of Albania.

Location

Albania lies in the southwestern portion of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south and southeast. The country's coast touches the Adriatic Sea to the west and the Ionian Sea to the southwest which forms the Albanian Riviera. It is less than 72 km (45 mi) from Italy across the Strait of Otranto, which connects the Adriatic to the Ionian Sea.

Capital

Tirana.

Reason for Naming

Albania is a Latin name for the country whose inhabitants are known as Shakiberi. It may be derived from the Illyrian tribe of Albani (Albanian: Albanët) recorded by Ptolemy, the geographer, and astronomer from Alexandria, who drafted a map in 150 AD which shows the city of Albanopolis located northeast of the city of Durrës. The term may have a continuation in the name of a medieval settlement called Albanon or Arbanon, although it is not certain that this was the same place. In his history written in the 10th century, the Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates was the first to refer to Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople in 1043 and to the Arbanitai as subjects of the Duke of Dyrrachium. During the Middle Ages, the Albanians called their country Arbëri or Arbëni and referred to themselves as Arbëreshë or Arbëneshë.

Flag

The first use of the current flag design was in 1444. ​The Flag of Albania was adopted in 1992. The flag of Albania is a Red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The flag was first adopted as the national flag of modern Albania in 1912. The flag that was used before in the Kingdom of Albania since 1946 was identical to the current flag with a yellow star at the top of the eagle. The eagle is sacred to the Albanians, who see themselves as descendants of the eagle and refer to themselves as "Shaktipari", meaning "sons of the eagle" The Red stands for bravery, strength, and valor, The double-headed eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania.