!Albania Albania is a country located in southeastern part of Europe, and borders on the Adriatic Sea. The United Nations has put it in Southern Europe region. Its capital city is Tiranë, also spelled Tirana, Population in 2003 - 3,166,000, Population density - 110 per sq km, Surface area - 28,748 sq km and Currency - lek. Albanian is the official language of the country. Politicaly, it is a republic. It was part of Byzantine empire and later came under the Ottoman empire. It gained independence in 1912. After the World War II, it became a Stalinist regime under Enver Hoxha and followed extremely isolationist policy. However, outlook of the people of this country changed in the late 1980s and 1990s, who thrown out the communists from power in 1992.