ACEN Publication No. 52 1964 ASSEMBLY OF CAPTIVE EUROPEAN NATIONS 29 West 57th Street, New York 19, N.Y. PLaza 1-3850 This is volume 1 in a series of nine booklets. The Assembly of Captive European Nations undertook the publica­ tion of the series in response to numerous demands. Also, since much of the existing literature on East-Central Europe has been written from the outsider’s point of view, there seems to be a need for informative material bearing the stamp of authenticity and first hand experience. Each booklet has been prepared by experts of the respective National Committee. ASSEMBLY OF CAPTIVE EUROPEAN NATIONS A L B A N I A by Athanas Gegaj and Rexhep Krasniqi Prepared by Free Albania Committee NEW YORK 1964 TIE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MAR 1G 1965 THE LIBRARY i imvAiyy UNIVl.H^llY <JI Tt XAS AUSTIN, TbXAS TABLE OF CONTENTS I. GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES 1. Location and Area.—2. Land Forms.—3. Climate.— 4. Vegetation.—5. Wild Life.—6. Water Resources.— 7. Agricultural Regions.—8. The Economy....................... 5 II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1. Origins.—2. The Illyrians under Rome.—3. The Great Invasions.—4. The First “Regnum Albaniae”................. 13 III. THE HEROIC AGE 1. First Appearance of the Turks in Albania.—2. Albania under Skanderbeg’s Leadership.—3. Albanian Literature. —4. Under Ottoman Domination.—5. Albanian Indepen­ dence............................................................................................. 17 IV. ALBANIA UNDER COMMUNIST REGIME 1. The Communist Take-Over.—2. A Series of Tests.— 3. “Socialist Achievements”.—4. The Communization of Albania.—5. The Cultural Life.—6. Religious Persecu­ tion.—7. The Economic Situation.—8. The Economic Situation of the Workers................................................ 27 V. THE BREAK BETWEEN MOSCOW AND TIRANA ... 37 VI. FOREIGN RELATIONS 1. Albania and the Western World.—2. Albania and Her Neighbors.—3. Albania and the Afro-Asian Countries. —4. Foreign Trade........................................................... 40 APPENDIX: Albania's Present Party and Government Line-Up (1963) 43 BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 45 MAPS GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES 1. Location and Area A LBANIA IS a country situated on the southwest coast of the Balkan Peninsula and along the eastern shores of the Adriatic and the Ionian seas, bounded on the north and east by Yugoslavia and on the south by Greece. It lies between 39°-4r north; and 190-16, and 21°-04’ east. This land comprises the territory of Albania today. The terrain occupied by the Albanian people, however, extends beyond this area and penetrates northeast into Yugoslavia and south and southeast into Greece. Present area: 10,757 square miles. 2. Land Forms Albania is generally a highland country, and nearly two thirds of its area is covered by mountains and forests. The Albanian mountains can be divided into five groups: a) the Northern Albanian Alps; b) the Eastern Range; c) the group from Drini i Zi to Lake Maliqi; d) the Costal Range; and e) the Southern Albanian Highlands. While the Northern Alps and the Southern Highlands form separate and distinct nuclei, the three central ranges extend along the length of the country from north to south, surrounding deep valleys and plains. The Northern Albanian Alps, beginning east of Shkoder, and extending from the southwest to the northeast, reach Bjeshket e Nemuna, or ‘The Cursed Mountains,” the highest summit of which rises to a height of 8,852 feet. Then, lying north of the region of Dukagjini and east of the river Valbona, the Alpine ranges attain a height of 8,524 feet at the Maja e Hekurave, or “The Iron Crest.” From this group, two mountains, breaking off to the west, encircle Shkoder from the northeast. The Sharri, or Eastern Range, extending from the southwest to the south of Prizren, enters present-day Albania to form two high peaks, Koritniku, which has a height of 7,872 feet, and Gjallica e Lumes, which rises to 8,144 feet. Between them flow the rivers Luma and Drini i Zi, the latter of which is an effluence of Lake Ohri. Extending from the Luma region, the Eastern Range reaches the country's highest altitude at Mt. Korabi, which soars to a height of over 9,000 feet. Breaking away from the Dibra region, the Eastern Range ends where the Drini i Zi enters Albania. From here it extends eastward from Lake Ohri, dividing it from Lake Prespa, and encircles the Plain of Korea, re-entering Albania as Malet e Thata or “The Barren Mountains,” and ending in Greece, near Fiorina. The Central Mountain Range, stretching from Drini i Zi to Lake Maliqi, runs almost parallel to the Eastern Range northward from the Dukagjini Mountains to the Lake. To this group belongs the Qermenika Chain of Elbasani, although it veers away southwest toward the Coastal Range. Another mountain range, cut by the Mati River, starts from the north, winds around the Skanderbeg Mountains, also known as the Kruja, runs parallel to the coastal range of Kruja-Dajti, and then separates from the northern Mirdita regional group. West of Lake Ohri are located the Mokrra Mountains, which end at the Devolli River along the Qafa e Thanes, or “The Pass of Cornel-Cherry.” Beyond the river they reunite as the Polisi and Shpati Ranges which face Guri i Topit, a peak rising to 7,803 feet at Grabova. The Central Range then turns westward and encircles the region of Kolonja and reaches the Qafa e Qarrit, where it joins the massif of Morava and Gramosh. The Coastal, or Western Mountain Range crosses Albania from Shkoder toward the region of Lesh-Mati and farther south near Kruja and Tirana, reaching in Dajti, east of Tirana, some 5,287 feet. There it joins the Tirana Central Mountains and continues on both sides of the Devolli River as far as the town of Berat. West of Berat lie the Mallakastra Mountains, which extend toward the port of Vlore and end near Tepelena. The Southern Albanian Ranges do not follow the same direction. They divide at the Leskoviku and Berati Mountains, where the Tomori Peak rises majestically to a height of 8,134 feet. Still farther southward lie the Kurveleshi Ranges, of the Laberia and Delvina group. 3. Climate Albania has a great number of climatic regions, which result chiefly from the country's topography. The tectonic fault, separating the mountain massifs and folded ranges from the hills and lowlands, forms a dividing line between a typically Mediterranean climate and the continental climate of the Balkan interior. The Mediterranean coastal lowlands are rainy, with mild winters followed by arid, hot, almost cloudless summers. The mountainous inner regions also have high temperatures, but lower on the average than along the coast- land, where cool nights bring relief from the heat. In winter, strong cold winds collide over the country with warm, humid air masses from the seaside, bringing heavy and frequent rainfalls. While the mountains are swept by cold waves and abundant snowfalls, freezing temperatures are seldom carried to the coastal region, and the average winter temperature remains rather high along the shores. 4. Vegetation The climatic, topographic, and geological diversity characteristic of Albania accounts for the variety of natural vegetation that has developed. Riverine forests extend along alluvial belts and into the delta regions, as well as within the lowland. These forests contain mixed stands of willow, poplar, elm, pine, oak, and white beech. Scrub is widely found in the drier lowland regions and in the hills. 5. Wildlife The mountainous areas of Albania are not a favorable habitat for wildlife, as they are heavily used for livestock grazing in summer and suffer from a shortage of spring water in that season. Moreover, the naturally scanty fauna has been depleted by huntsmen. Wolves, deer, and boar have been pushed back into the remote forests of the country. Chamois are rarely seen, although wild fowl is found in abundance in the forests and lowlands.