World Factbook
Albania
Republika e Shqiperise
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
27,398 sq km
water
1,350 sq km
total
28,748 sq km
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
Land use
other
27.5% (2023 est.)
forest
34.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
38.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 21.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 3.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 13.4% (2023 est.)
Location
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece to the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north
Coastline
362 km
Elevation
lowest point
Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point
Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
mean elevation
708 m
Irrigated land
1,907 sq km (2022)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
691 km
border countries
Greece 212 km; Kosovo 112 km; North Macedonia 181 km; Montenegro 186 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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)
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower, arable land
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than Maryland
Geographic coordinates
41 00 N, 20 00 E
Population distribution
a fairly even distribution, with somewhat higher concentrations of people in the western and central parts of the country
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)