Albania

A country of southeast Europe on the Adriatic Sea. The region was settled in ancient times by Illyrians and Thracians and later came under Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman rule. Having declared independence in 1912, Albania became a republic in 1925, then a satellite of the USSR in 1944. Elections in 1992 transferred power from the Communist Party to a nominally democratic government. Tiranë is the capital and the largest city. Population: 3,600,000.