Central Albania


Central Albania is a subdivision of Albania as defined by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. It is one of the three classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Albania. The region incorporates the central parts of the country including the capital Tirana, and encompasses an area of. It incorporates the counties of Tirana, and Elbasan. With a population of nearly one million, it is the most populated of the all the regions in Albania.

Classification

The country of Albania is organized into 12 counties for administrative purposes. The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics organizes the country into three broader level sub-divisions. These are classified as a NUTS-2 statistical regions of Albania, and incorporate one or more counties within it. The regions form the NUTS-3 territorial units under them.

Geography

Central Albania incorporates the central parts of the country around the capital city of Tirana, encompassing an area of. The region is located in Southeastern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea. It shares an international land border with
Struga Municipality of North Macedonia. It is bordered by the counties of Dibër and Durres of North Albania to the north, and Berat, Fier and Korce of South Albania to the south.
The western part of the region consists of a narrow coast which reaches a maximum width of in the Elbasan county. It is made up of marshlands, and eroded low lying scrublands often with no vegetation. Moving towards the west, the elevation increases gradually, and consists of arable lands suitable for agriculture. These lands extend towards the foothills of the central uplands called Çermenikë, which consist of small hills with average elevation ranging between. The western part of the region lies on a faultline, and is in a seismically active zone.
The Albanian rivers that pass through the region flow from east to west due to the topography of the land. Due to its closeness to the sea, the western lowlands experience warm and humid summers, and milder winters. The precipitation increases while moving eastwards, with the central highlands experiencing the greatest rainfall.

Sub-regions

Central Albania consists of two counties: Tirana County and Elbasan County.

Demographics

With a population of nearly one million, it is the most populated of the all the regions in Albania. The population consists of 448,003 males and 543,090 females. With a GRDP of €7.647 billion, the region contributes to more than 50% of the country's GDP.