Albania, officially the Republic of Albania, is a former communist country in southeast-europe on the Adriatic Sea. It shares borders with montenegro to the northwest, kosovo to the northeast, macedonia to the east, greece to the south, the Ionian Sea to the southwest, and the Adriatic Sea to the west. It is less than 72 kilometers (45 miles) from italy across the sea.

Albanian has a 476 kilometer (296 mile) coast line with surrounding low lands. The remaining 70% of the country is covered in rugged mountains with limited access. The Lake of Shkodër, on the Albanian-Macedonian border is the largest lake in Southern Europe.

The capital city of Albania is Tirana. Other principle cities include Durrës, Korçë, Elbasan, Shkodër, Gjirokastër, Vlorë and Kukës. There are two international airports, at Tirana (tia) and Kukës (ICAO: laku). There is limited train service between Tirana and Durrës; otherwise local transportation needs are mainly served by numerous bus companies.