| Location: |
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north |
| Geographic coordinates: |
41 00 N, 20 00 E |
| Map references: |
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| Area: |
total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km |
| Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land boundaries: |
total: 717 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Kosovo 112 km |
| Coastline: |
362 km |
| Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| 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 |
| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m |
| Natural resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower |
| Land use: |
arable land: 20.1%
permanent crops: 4.21%
other: 75.69% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: |
3,530 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water
resources: |
41.7 cu km (2001) |
| Freshwater withdrawal |
total: 1.71 cu km/yr (27%/11%/62%)
per capita: 546 cu m/yr (2000) |
| Natural hazards: |
destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought |
Environment - current
issues: |
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note: |
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) |
