Environment

A few thousand square km smaller than Belgium, Albania basks on the south-eastern shore of the Adriatic, just a hop, skip and a jump across the waves from Italy. It shares its southern border with Greece, Macedonia lies to the east, and Yugoslavia and the troubled province of Kosovo lie beyond its northern border. The interior of the country is mostly mountainous and over 36% is forested. Despite its position in Eastern Europe, you know you're in the Mediterranean as the plains are extensively planted with olives, citrus and vineyards. A few large lakes, one of them the deepest in the Balkans (Lake Ohrid, at 294m or 931ft) stretch along the borders with Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Greece. The Ionian coast, particularly the 'Riviera of Flowers' from Vlora to Saranda, has some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.

Albania has six National Forests, 24 nature reserves and 2000 natural monuments, but the protection for all of these areas is mainly on paper. All parks are under threat from human activities such as hunting and wood cutting, and Albania simply doesn't have the money to pay for adequate park management. In 1994 hunting was prohibited, which led to some improvements in protected areas such as the Karavasta Lagoon in the Divjake National Park, the most western nesting site in Europe of the endangered Dalmatian Pelican. Environmental pollution is a major cause for concern; nearly all raw sewage is pumped into the rivers untreated, and instances of leaking effluent and deliberate discharges of chemicals from industry have grown to nightmarish proportions.

Albania has hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Summers along the coast are moderated by sea breezes. Around 40% of the rain falls during the winter months, and in winter the central mountains are very cold as continental air masses move in. Even in the cities winter can be uncomfortably bracing, as most rooms are unheated and tap water can be icy.