Albania is located on the Balkan Peninsula of Europe, and shares its borders with Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, and Greece. Situated on the Adriatic Sea, the country is home to approximately 3.6 million people, according to a 2003 estimate. Albania's predominantly Islamic culture makes it unique in Europe, with 70 percent of the population identifying itself as Muslim and 30 percent as Christian (the remaining population is 20% Albanian Orthodox and 10% Roman Catholic). Albanian is the country's official language, and Greek is also spoken.

(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)

In the late twentieth century, Albania began making the difficult transition to an open-market economy. The country is poor in comparison with other European nations; in 2001 an estimated 30 percent of the population lived below the poverty line, with the unemployment rate ranging from 17 to 30 percent. As of 2002, 40 percent of households lacked access to necessities such as basic education, water, sanitation, and heating...