Albania's uniqueness in twelve aspects

Albania is a country located in southeast Europe and southwest Balkan Peninsula. Albania faces Italy across the Adriatic Sea and strait of otranto in the west, Greece in the south, Macedonia in the east, Serbia in the northeast and Montenegro in the north. The international code of Tirana, the capital, is al. China has a total area of 28,748 square kilometers and a population of 2.86 million. Mountains and hills account for 3/4 of the national area.

The ancestors of Albanians are Illyrians, and they are one of the ancient peoples in the Balkans. In the late 1980s, 14 began to form several feudal principalities. Since 14 15 was ruled by the Ottoman Empire for nearly 500 years, 1965438 became independent, and 1928 established the Kingdom of Albania. 1946 65438+1October 1 1, the People's Republic of Albania was founded and changed from 199 1 to the Republic of Albania.

The Albanian flag is painted with a black double-headed eagle with the seal of Skand, the leader who resisted the invasion of the Ottoman Empire since15th century, so the eagle is the symbol of the national hero Skand. Therefore, Albania is called "the country of Shan Ying". Albania is one of the least developed low-income countries in Europe, but it has improved significantly in recent years. 2065438+In June 2004, the EU accepted Albania as its candidate.

On March 2, 2065438, the Albanian Council of Ministers announced that citizens of China, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Georgia, Qatar, Oman, Thailand and Bahrain who hold ordinary passports can enter Albania visa-free from April 1 to June 1 for a period of no more than 90 years.

Albania is not the poorest country in the world or in Europe, but it belongs to one of the poorest countries in Europe. Among European countries, Albania is also called "the least European country", but its income is much higher than that of Ukraine, the poorest country. According to economic statistics, the total GDP of Nigeria in 20 17 years reached13.4 billion US dollars, and the per capita GDP exceeded 4,600 US dollars. In 20 19, Albania's GDP was159 billion USD, and its per capita GDP was 5540 USD (IMF), which was equivalent to 1 1.6% of Germany's per capita GDP.

Albania's monthly income reached US$ 447 in September 2020, equivalent to nearly RMB 3,000 (data from CEIC Data).

For the developed countries in Europe, Albania's per capita GDP is really stretched. Nevertheless, Albania's economy is much better than that of Ukraine, Moldova and other European countries, because the per capita GDP of Ukraine and Moldova is only about $3,000.

Albania is a very small country in Europe, which is in a corner of Europe (southwest Balkan Peninsula). It's hard to find it if you look at it on the map. Albania has an area of only 28,000 square kilometers and a population of less than 3 million. But this country is familiar to us. After all, Albania is one of the socialist countries and we have very good relations with it. Even Albania was once called "the beacon of European socialism". Albania has many unique features, which are described as follows:

Unique: the economy depends on aid.

From 1950s to 1970s, China's aid to Albania amounted to 9 billion RMB. For Albanians with a population of only 2 million at that time, the per capita aid amount exceeded 4,000 RMB. At that time, the purchasing power of RMB was very high. In fact, Albanians generally live an enviable life with the help of our country. In fact, Albania first received assistance from the Soviet Union/KLOC-0 for more than five years, and then China supported it for another 20 years.

Compared with other small countries in the world, Albania is very lucky because the superpower has provided generous economic and material assistance. The first big country Albania contacted was the Soviet Union. After World War II, the comprehensive national strength of the Soviet Union increased rapidly and became the real "big brother" in the Eastern Group.

At that time, the Soviet Union not only had strong military facts, but also far exceeded the average countries in the world in terms of economic aggregate. As a superpower, the Soviet Union is eager to expand its global influence and enhance its international prestige, especially to strategically enter the Balkans. Therefore, Albania became the best springboard for the Soviet Union to enter the peninsula.

Therefore, since the founding of 1946 Albania, the Soviet Union has provided huge economic assistance to Albania. Especially economically, the Soviet Union provided Albania with a large amount of start-up funds; In industry, the Soviet Union sent skilled workers and experts in many fields, and assisted Albania in establishing various infrastructures and factories. With the help of the Soviet Union, Albanians lived a very rich life in the past 15 years, with stable income and harmonious society.

However, in 196 1 year, the Soviet Union further strengthened its economic "control" over Albania, which was very dissatisfied. In the end, the two sides turned against each other, and the Soviet government directly announced the cessation of aid to Albania, thus interrupting the relations between the two countries.

Since then, Albania has taken the initiative to show kindness to China. Facing the international situation, China decided to provide Albania with assistance. During this period, China provided almost all walks of life with economic assistance every year. It also sent a large number of experts and workers to build government buildings, roads, railways and municipal facilities, and provided a lot of financial support, and even issued a large number of low-interest loans.

At that time, for the friendly assistance of China, Albanians specially wrote a song praising the friendship between the two countries, named Tirana Beijing. With the assistance of China, the life of Albanian local people is very good, even more comfortable than that of the Soviet Union.

Due to the lack of initiative of the Afghan government, the domestic economy has been stagnant. At the beginning, in order to support Albania, China was very generous, and even many high-quality special steels produced in China were unwilling to use them themselves, and all of them were used for its domestic construction. Albania unscrupulously uses these excellent industrial materials to make telephone poles.

As the saying goes, in the late 1970s, due to the need of reform and opening up, China stopped its economic assistance to Albania, which was ungrateful and cursed China. Time has become history, but Albania still stays in the position of insignificant small country, while China's economy has developed rapidly, becoming the second largest economy and manufacturing power in the world.

It is worth mentioning that in 1997, a civil war broke out in Albania because of pyramid selling, which attracted worldwide attention. How did Albania trigger the civil war through pyramid selling?

The reason is that 1992, the Albanian Democratic Party came to power, ending the ruling of the Albanian Labor Party, and Berisha, the former leader of the Labor Party, became president.

After Berisha came to power, he adopted the policy of being close to the West, vigorously carried out economic reforms and promoted the privatization of state-owned enterprises. At the beginning of the reform, the achievements were remarkable, especially from 1993 to 1995, and the average annual growth rate of Albania's GDP was even around 10%. However, the good times did not last long, and some deep-seated problems gradually surfaced in the process of reform.

During the planned economy period, the big banks in Albania mainly lent to large state-owned enterprises, but the business conditions of enterprises in the period of economic reform and transformation were generally not ideal, so banks formed a large number of bad debts. Funds can't be recovered, and banks can't lend to private enterprises. Therefore, all enterprises are short of funds and need to support. Although Albania has taken some necessary measures, the economic deficit of the whole country remains high, and the economic situation of enterprises is very embarrassing.

1At the end of 1994, the bad debts of the three major state-owned banks in Albania once accounted for 50% of the total loans and were almost bankrupt. Therefore, in order to prevent the bank from closing down, the government has implemented the policy of bank loan quota system while raising the loan approval standard. Even if the loan meets the requirements and passes the examination, the bank can only issue 45% of the loan application amount. Although preventive policies and measures have saved banks, they have made the enterprise economy worse. It can be said that the Albanian market was short of money at that time.

Unique feature 2: it once became a "country of pyramid selling"

Some flexible people have made up their minds to set up trading companies similar to "underground banks", that is, to attract customers' deposits with high interest rates, and then use the raised funds for loans and business operations. At first, the deposit interest rates of these "underground banks" were in a reasonable range, which really eased the pressure of domestic enterprises' tight funds. Therefore, the Albanian government has given necessary encouragement and support.

With the increase of fund-raising companies and funds, the nature of funds has changed. Some enterprises began to shift their funds from real economy loans to speculative projects such as foreign exchange and real estate, and some even illegally used the raised funds for smuggling, drug trafficking and smuggling activities.

Therefore, enterprises need more and more funds. In order to raise more funds, "underground money houses" began to raise funds in the form of pyramids, attracting new depositors by increasing the rate of return, and maintaining the company's operation by borrowing new ones and returning old ones. This is the beginning of the nightmare of pyramid selling in Albania.

In order to raise funds and tap private deposits, major financing companies compete with each other. In addition to increasing the rate of return, they also advertise in the news media, hyping up the idea of getting rich quickly. Some big companies also invite government officials to speak for their projects to enhance their credibility.

Therefore, vicious competition and pyramid-like fund-raising methods have made many people jealous. Eventually, fund-raising enterprises mushroomed and the market began to develop abnormally.

In order to control this abnormal development,1February 1995, the government issued a decree that "no enterprise or individual except banks has the right to accept residents' current deposits and time deposits of less than one year". However, this law has not been effectively implemented.

1996, there were nearly 100 pyramid selling fund-raising companies in Albania, among which eight companies were the largest, and the total liabilities of these eight companies were as high as1200 million US dollars, accounting for 64% of Albania's GDP in that year, which means that more than half of the people in the country had their money in these eight companies. Therefore, Albania has become a veritable "MLM country".

Albanians regarded these fund-raising companies as "money printing machines" at that time. Dreams come for nothing, and many people think that they can live a luxurious life as long as they leave their money in the company. Even many farmers no longer do farm work, generally sell their livestock, mortgage their land and houses, in exchange for cash deposited in the company to obtain high interest.

1995 12, the United Nations suspended economic sanctions against Yugoslavia, which led to the phenomenon that fund-raising companies that used to make money by smuggling could not turn over their funds. In particular, people have doubts about the national election of 1996, and a large number of ordinary people choose to withdraw cash to avoid risks, leading to a run.

The emergence of the "cash withdrawal tide" has stretched the sources of funds of many fund-raising companies. At that time, in order to retain depositors, the company tried its best to take the risk of raising interest rates sharply. By June 1996, 10, some companies even offered a very high monthly interest rate of 44%. The exaggerated rate of return pushed the whole country to the final madness. Of course, it also made many people dream of "getting rich overnight", once again sold their land and houses and deposited their money in fund-raising companies.

In fact, the false prosperity based on ultra-high interest rates lacked the support of real economic growth, and eventually the bubble burst. 1997 1 month, the first two big companies went bankrupt, the crisis began to spread in an all-round way, and the wave of bank runs broke out in the country instantly.

Under the one-sided crisis, a large number of companies chose to run away, resulting in a large number of Albanians suddenly penniless. In the end, angry depositors took to the streets, and anti-epidemic crowds appeared in major cities across the country, demanding compensation from the government, and even riots broke out in some areas.

In the face of the crisis, the Afghan government has taken a series of measures, such as limiting the daily withdrawal limit of enterprises in the central bank to 30 million leks (about 300,000 US dollars), freezing the accounts of many companies and preventing funds from flowing out of the country. But it was controlled by some companies that lacked background. Hard companies still broadcast advertisements on TV as usual, especially in such a tense situation. Some corrupt officials chose to turn a blind eye.

In the end, the mob was completely angered, demonstrations continued to escalate, and armed conflicts even broke out in many areas. The fiercest conflict occurred in the southern region dominated by the Socialist Party. Because after the Democratic Party came to power, socialist officials were marginalized. In order to save political influence, mass demonstrations were actively launched and the location of the arsenal was revealed to the person in charge of the demonstrations. 1On February 26th, 1997, in Vlora, the second largest port city, especially the parade robbed the armory, resulting in a large number of weapons falling into the hands of the masses and the whole city falling into anarchy.

In order to control the situation, Berisha declared a national emergency and sent troops to Vlora to quell the unrest. However, many soldiers are also victims of this deposit scam, and some of their relatives are in the demonstration team. Therefore, not a few soldiers chose to abandon their weapons and flee, and some even joined the demonstration team with weapons. Finally, demonstrators from all over the country flocked to Dinara.

12 In March, the capital Dinara fell into chaos and civil war. Some lawless elements took the opportunity to make trouble, and prisons, banks and the government became targets, and the whole country was completely out of control. The defense minister fled at the last minute, while President Berisha fled to the Adriatic Sea by boat for remote command.

The turbulent situation in Albania has aroused the vigilance of many countries. Authorized by the United Nations, a peacekeeping force composed of eight countries, including Italy, Greece and Turkey, launched a rescue operation codenamed "Operation Dawn", and 6,000 soldiers from various countries assisted the local Albanian government in defending important departments and maintaining the stability of the situation.

With the joint mediation of European countries, Albania held a new parliamentary election on June 29th. 1997. In the end, the Coalition of political parties dominated by the Socialist Party won a great victory, the Democratic Party lost its position as the ruling party, President Berisha stepped down, and the dust of the civil war in the past three months was settled.

Therefore, the crisis caused by pyramid selling has not eliminated the impact on Albanian economy. In particular, a large number of arms flowing to society not only pose security risks to society, but also bring potential motives to the whole of Europe. Therefore, pyramid schemes not only destroy small families, but also mislead everyone.

Unique three: the world's "bunker kingdom"

Albania has the largest number of bunkers per capita in the world and is known as the "bunker kingdom".

Albania, a country with an area of only 28,000 square kilometers and a population of only 3 million, is densely covered with hundreds of thousands of bunkers, which has become a very unique scene in Albania.

Albania spent more than 654.38 billion dollars to build bunkers, equivalent to 655 billion yuan. In the 1960s, Albania was both anti-American and anti-Soviet. At the same time, it has historical grievances or territorial disputes with Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia and other neighboring countries. It can be said that Albania has made enemies on all sides, which has given birth to a strong sense of crisis in this mountainous country.

At that time, Albanian leaders put forward the slogan "Keep the enemy out of the country". Albanians with rich experience in guerrilla warfare, in particular, even shouted a loud slogan of "pickaxe in one hand and gun in the other", and one of the concrete measures was to mobilize the whole people to build blockhouses.

Anyone who has been to Albania will be surprised by the scattered bunkers. Because in the vast rural fields, there is a row of bunkers every few hundred meters, and there are all kinds of bunkers on both sides of the road, halfway up the mountain, in front of and behind the house, and even on the holiday beach. These bunkers include open bunkers and hidden bunkers; There are secret passages as dense as cobwebs, dozens of regimental bunkers, solitary bunkers, command bunkers that can hide hundreds of soldiers, granaries and ammunition depots, and individual bunkers that can barely walk into one person. The most common is a semi-buried circular bunker with a diameter of 3 to 4 meters. To some people, these iron-gray round bunkers hidden in the grass are like iron pots with upside-down mouths, or just turtles.

The bunkers in Albania are all made of high-quality reinforced concrete. It is said that the average cost is $250, and there are hundreds of thousands of bunkers in China, with a total cost of over $65.438+75 billion, which consumes amazing manpower and material resources. According to the local people, the cost and consumables of a bunker can completely build a standard two-bedroom apartment. Because a lot of labor and materials are consumed in the bunker, Albanians have to endure the harsh living environment for a long time.

In 1990s, great changes have taken place in Albania's political situation and surrounding situation. Peaceful development has become the main theme. It is reasonable that these disabled bunkers are not only unsightly, but also occupy an area and should be demolished in large numbers. However, after more than ten years, many bunkers remain intact.

What is the reason? First of all, the first big problem is the lack of money and equipment. Because when the bunker was built, it was emphasized that the stronger the bunker, the better, and the shells could not be blown open, so it was very difficult to dismantle it. In order to develop tourism, Albania even hired NATO engineers to demolish hundreds of small bunkers on a beach, and finally used heavy equipment such as excavators, bulldozers and cranes, which took great efforts to dismantle. Even with the advanced NATO engineers, it is naturally more difficult for ordinary Albanian workers. Secondly, there is no right to dismantle it. Because 1992 began the "land reform" and distributed many bunkers and land to farmers, but farmers only got the "right to use" of the bunkers, and the property rights still belonged to the army. Therefore, no matter how many roads it blocks, no one dares to move as long as the army does not talk about dismantling them.

Some of the current bunkers have been changed into warehouses, some into sheepfolds, some into canteens, some into mushroom houses, and some have simply been changed into private houses. Some blockhouses in the scenic area were bought by the rich at low prices, and they were treated as their own villas with a little decoration. It was warm in winter and cool in summer, and it had a special atmosphere. It is said that the price of these bunkers is only about 50,000 RMB.

The bunkers on the edge of the city were occupied by farmers who went to work in the city, forming a "bunker version" of the working village. There are also some bunkers that are not good at "selling maps" or are in remote locations. Some have been transformed into toilets for the convenience of passers-by, while others have become the Garden of Eden for trysts. Some abandoned bunkers near the border have become hiding places for stowaways and even the starting point for digging secret tunnels abroad.

Although the bunker has poor lighting and is difficult to rebuild, it does not need rent or tax, so it is favored by smart businessmen. 1985, a man named Canadala took a fancy to a mother-child bunker on the beach that can accommodate dozens of people and transformed it into a "bunker hotel". The layout of the hotel is like a military canteen, and the waiters are from all walks of life. Not only did they behave like soldiers, but even the menus were written in the standard military telegraph format. Every tourist season is very popular, just book five "elegant rooms" one week in advance.

Inspired by the booming business of "Bunker Hotel", many people use Bunker to open bars, cafes and tourist shops. However, according to Albanian laws and regulations, once the war breaks out, the military has the right to recover the bunker within 4 hours and re-enter the battle.

Very interestingly, there is also a kind of "bunker", which can not only be bought for personal use, but also be taken out of the country with you. This is the famous ashtray in Albanian bunker. This ashtray is based on marble and has an inverted dome-shaped dust-proof shell at the top. Together, it is very similar to the real Albanian Dome. Many people who travel to this country often buy one and take it home for collection.

Unique four: the population abroad is much larger than that at home.

Albania has a population of less than 3 million, and now there are more Albanians living abroad than in its territory. The population living abroad is estimated to be between 7 million and100000.

Unique five: the first atheist country in the world

1967, Albania was declared as the first atheist country in the world. After that, religion is banned, and anyone who violates the law will be sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison.

Unique six: the oldest grape tree species

Albania is one of the countries with a long history of grape cultivation in Europe. As early as the Ice Age, vines were planted in this country, and the oldest seeds found in Albania have a history of 4,000 to 6,000 years.

Unique seven: there are 3250 species of plants, 9 1 endangered species.

Albania has discovered 3,250 species of plants, accounting for almost one third of all plant species in Europe. And 9 1 species of animals have been declared as endangered species in the world, including dwarf antelope, Mediterranean monk seal and Dalmatian pelican.

Unique eight: the oldest lake in Europe

The oldest lake in Europe was discovered in Albania, and Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Various unique plant and animal species and living fossils have been found in this lake, which is protected by UNESCO because of its heritage.

Unique nine: the largest oil storage in Europe

Albania is the second largest oil reserve country in the Balkans, ranking first in Europe. Albania is also one of the major producers and exporters of chromium in the world. It is also famous for producing coal, nickel and copper.

What makes it unique 10: the largest hydropower producer in the world.

Albania is the largest producer of hydropower in the world, and 100% of the country's energy is hydropower.

Unique eleven: tourism has grown rapidly by 740%

Most of Albania's income comes from service industry, especially tourism. Especially from 2005 to 20 12, the number of foreign tourists in Albania increased by 740%, which is incredible.

Unique 12: cultural custom "nodding is not shaking your head"

Albanians "nod their heads", and nod their heads to express negation and disapproval; Shaking your head means affirmation and approval. People in other countries can easily rebel.