ALBANIA - SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS According to whether they live north or south of the River Shkumbi, the Albanians are called Ghegs and Tosks, the latter having attained a more advanced state of civilization. The social organization of Albania, with its clans and tribes, recalls that of feudal Europe. The cohesion of the Albanian family is very remarkable.
Albania is divided into nine prefectures, called after the princi pal centres of population :—Argyrokastron, Berat, Dibra, Durazzo, Elbasan, Koritsa (Korea), Kosovo, Scutari (Shkoder), Valona. In 1935, 688,280 of the population were Muslims; 210,313 Ortho dox Greek; and 104,184 Catholic. The Muslims, who represent 69% of the population, are in the majority in all prefectures, ex cept in that of Argyrokastron, where the majority is Orthodox, and in that of Scutari, where Catholicism is predominant. Orthodox Christians are numerous in the regions of Koritsa, Berat and Valona, while the prefectures of Dibra, Durazzo, Elbasan and Kosovo are almost entirely Muslim.
The principal towns, in order of importance, are : Tirana, 30, 8o6 inhabitants; Scutari, 29,209; Koritsa, 22,787; Elbasan, 13, 796 ; Argyrokastron, 10,836 ; Berat, 10,403 ; Valona, 9,100; Durazzo, ; Kavaja, 8,308.
Religion.—The Albanians are extremely tolerant in religious matters. In 1923, the Muslim Congress at Tirana broke with the Caliphate, and proclaimed the religious autonomy of Albanian Muslims. After the Congress of Berat in 1922, the Albanian Ortho dox Church constituted itself an independent Church, with the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople. This Church has four metropolitans, at Durazzo, Berat, Argyrokastron and Koritsa. At Scutari the Catholics have an apostolic delegate and an arch bishop. The country is divided into five Catholic bishoprics.
Education.—Underthe Turk ish domination, which prohibited teaching in the Albanian language, the Albanians remained in igno rance. The new State has suc ceeded in creating public instruc tion of all degrees. There are now in Albania 592 primary, and 14 secondary schools which include Albanian colleges at Scutari and Tirana, a French college at Koritsa, a normal school at Elbasan, schools of agriculture at Lushna and Kavaja, and a technical school at Tirana.
Finance.—Albaniais economically backward, and the State revenues, about 18,50o,000 gold francs in 1936, are insufficient to meet the cost of administration and public services. Loans have had to be raised in Italy. In 1925 an Italian group advanced 50,000,00o gold francs, and from 1931 to 1934 the Italian State granted 1 o,000,000 gold francs a year. The Italian State granted a further 40,000,00o loan in 1936, to be expended over a period of years on specified public works. The Company for the Economic Development of Albania is also Italian.
Production.—Albaniais a primitive country. Almost the whole population is engaged in agriculture and cattle-raising. Each household attempts to produce all the necessaries of life for its own purposes, including flax, wool and leather, for clothing.
Albania is a mountainous country, a great part of its area being over 3,000f t. above sea-level, the north and south offering vast districts unfit for cultivation. But the central region, the littoral, the shores of the great lakes, together with many wide valleys and high plateaus in the mountain districts, can be cultivated. The coast region is indeed very fertile, but it is for the greater part uncultivated, and indeed uninhabited, on account of the marsh fever arising from the undrained marshes. In northern and central Albania, only about one-tenth of the arable land is under crops. In the northern mountains, land is held in common by families, the pastures being the collective property of the tribes. In the centre are found the large estates of the Albanian beys. The State moreover possesses a vast stretch of land in this region. South Albania is the best cultivated region.
Albania possesses vast forests of oak, walnut, chestnut, elm and plane trees, and in the high regions forests of beech, pine and fir. These forests are almost exclusively owned by the communes and by the State. In 1923 the Germans began a timber industry in the forest of Mamuras, north of Durazzo. Later on the Forestry Concern of the Italian State Railways was authorized to survey and to utilize the forest resources of the country.
Mines.—Themineral wealth of Albania, thought to be consider able, is not yet exactly known, no geological survey having yet been made. The results of the investigations made by the Austrians during the War have not been published. Almost the whole strip of coastline, about 4om. wide, shows indications of the presence of hydro-carbons. Asphalt and bitumen are worked at Selenitza, near Valona, by a formerly French, now Italian, company. Petro leum concessions were granted to the Italian State Rys., which exported 47,800 tons of mineral oil in the first 8 months of 1936, and to the French Credit General des Paroles. Coal is in the regions of Tepeleni, Koritsa and Tirana; iron in the basin of the Fani and around Tepeleni ; and copper in the Puka region.
Communications.—Theports of San Giovanni di Medua, Durazzo and Valona are good natural harbours, and these are being developed. With the exception of the Bojana, which is the outlet of the lake of Scutari to the Adriatic, there are no navigable rivers. Since the recovery of her independence, Albania has begun to construct much-needed roads. In 1936 there were about available for motor traffic. There are no railways of normal gauge, though during the War the Austrians constructed "Decauville" lines from Scutari to Durazzo, Lushna and Berat, with branches to Tirana, Elbasan and Fieri. These lines still exist for the most part, but need repair. In 1925 a German aeroplane service was started; in 1926 Italian air lines operated between Tirana and Rome, Salonica, Koritsa, Valona, Scutari, Kukes and Peshkopija, and a flying boat service from Durazzo to Trieste and Brindisi.
The Corporation for the Economic Development of Albania, supported by the Italian Government, has given Albania a 4o years loan of 5o million gold francs, guaranteed by the receipts of the Albanian customs and monopolies of salt, matches, cigarette paper and playing cards. The Italian Government has guaranteed the corporation the payment of the annuities of the loan. The money is to be used for important public works, as roads, bridges, harbour works at Durazzo, public buildings, and later on for the drainage of the large swampy malarious areas on the coast.
Trade.—Albania's trade balance since the war has been per sistently adverse. Imports in 1935 totalled 13,727,138 gold francs and exports 6,011,901, less than half the figures of the peak year 1929. The imports, principally textiles, groceries and metals, come chiefly from Italy (26%), Japan (ro%), Great Britain (10%) and Germany (7%). The greater part of the exports, consisting chiefly of olives, hides and wool, cheese, fish, bitumen and mineral oil, go to Italy (62%), Greece (25%) and America 03%). An Italian corporation holds the monopoly of purchase for exports to Italy. It is hoped to balance the trade deficit by encouraging tourists, a State Tourist Bureau having been set up. The maritime communications consist of two steamship lines, Italian and Yugoslay.
Currency.—Till1926 Albania had neither metallic nor paper money of her own. The unit was the gold franc, but payments were made in napoleons (20-franc gold pieces and 8-florin Austrian gold pieces) and in crowns (silver Austrian money). In Sept. 1925 there was formed the National Bank of Albania, with a capi tal of 12.5 million gold francs, of which 51% was subscribed by an Italian group. The National Bank created a gold currency with the Albanian or gold franc as a unit, and has issued bank notes (whose circulation amounted in 1936 to 7,556,000 gold francs), exchangeable for gold, and gold, silver, nickel and bronze coins. The Bank has also established general warehouses for credit purposes for the import and export trade.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.-F. Manek, G. Pekmesi and A. Stotz, Albanesische Bibliography.-F. Manek, G. Pekmesi and A. Stotz, Albanesische Bibliographie (1909) ; Spiridion Gopcevic, Das Furstentum Albanien, 2nd ed. (1914) ; C. A. Chekrezi, Albania Past and Present (19i 9) ; A. Calmes, The Economic and Financial Situation of Albania, Report to the Financial Committee of the League of Nations (Geneva, 1922) ; J. Godart, L'Albanie en 1921 (1922) ; W. Miller, The Ottoman Empire and Its Successors, 2nd ed. (1923) ; Rose Wilder Lane, Peaks of Skala (1924) . (A. C.)