LANGUAGE OF THE MONTH: Albanian

LANGUAGE OF THE MONTH: Albanian

Albania: on Southeastern Europe s Balkan Peninsula, is a small country with coastlines on the Adriatic and Lonian seas and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps. Name: Albania (long form) Republic of Albania Capital City: Tirana (618,431 pop.) Albania Population: 3,011,405 (2013 est.) Currency: Lek

Geographical location: Albania is a country in South-eastern Europe: It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west and on the Ionian Sea to the Southwest. It is less than 72 km (45min) from Italy, across the strait of Otranto which connects the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.

Tirana: the capital.a Tirana became Albania s capital city in 1920 The city is host to many public institutions and public and private universities, and is the centre of the political, economic, and cultural life of the country. The city is mostly surrounded by hills, with Dajti Mountain on the east and a slight valley opening on the north-west overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. The Tirana river runs through the city, as does the Lane stream.

Main cities: Durres, Vlorë & Elbassan. Along its southern coast, the Albanian Riviera is known for its traditional Mediterranean villages, beach resorts and vibrant nightlife. With history stretching back to antiquity, Albania is also rich in castles and archaeological sites. Durres is an Albanian Adriatic port city. It serves ferries to Bari. It is one of the most ancient and economically significant cities of Albania. Elbassan is the city of the very center of Albania being this the reason why it is sometimes referred to as "Kurthiza e Shqipërisë" (The Bellybutton of Albania). Vlorë is a coastal town in southern Albania. It is the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës.

ALBANIAN LANGUAGE: the alphabet. Albanian is an Indo-European language which forms its own branch in the Indo- European family and has no close relatives. It is spoken by about 7.6 million people mainly in Albania and Kosovo, and also parts of Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Servia.

ALBANIAN LANGUAGE: dialects. The Albanian language is composed of many dialects, divided into two major groups: Gheg and Tosk. The Shkumbin river is roughly the geographical dividing line with Gheg spoken north of the Shkymbin and Tosk south of it.

Days of week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday {ditë të javas} E hënë E martë E mërkurë E enjte E premte E shtunë E diele

English Albanian Pronunciation Hello Tungjatjeta tune-jat-yet-ah Good morning Mirëmëngjes meer-mihn-jehs Good afternoon Merëdita meer DEE tah Yes Po poh No Jo joh Thank you Faleminderit FA-leh-meen-DEH-reet Do you speak English? A flisni anglisht? ah FLEAS-nee ahn-gleesht?

Religion: The Albanian people are Islamic and Christians. Officially 70% of Albanians are Muslim but the number who actively practice is much lower. Muslim 70% Albanian Orthodox 20% Roman Catholic 10%

Festivities: Every year on March 14 th, the people of Albania celebrate Summer Day (Dita e Veres), the country's largest pagan festival. It is intended to celebrate the end of Winter, the rebirth of nature, and a rejuvenation of spirit among the Albanians. On this day and even since March 1 st, many youngsters and unmarried people usually wear a traditional bracelet called Verore (a word derived from Summer) made of two thin braided strings usually red and white. At the end of the day, the bracelet is hanged on a tree branch for good luck, and is believed that birds use it to build their nests. In Rinia Park, a circus show is put on the evenings and is packed with circus performers, acrobats and magicians and people celebrating the festival.

Music: Albanian music, displays a variety of influences. Albanian folk music traditions differ by region, with major stylistic differences between the traditional music of the Ghegs in the north and Tosks in the south. One of the most important venues exhibiting traditional Albanian music is the Gjirokaster National Folklore Festival held every five years in Gjirokaster, southern Albania.

Albanian cuisine Albanian cuisine is characterized by the use of Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, mint, basil, rosemary and more in cooking meat and fish, but also chili pepper and garlic. Vegetables are used in almost every dish. It is Mediterranean, influenced by many including Italian and Turkish cooking. Boza is popular fermented beverage. It is a malt drink made from maize and wheat. Tarator is a chilled yogurt and cucumber drink and is popular in the summer months. It has a thick consistency and a low alcohol content and a slightly acidic sweet flavour.

Interesting facts about Albania: Tirana, the capital of Albania is one of the few European capital cities to not have a McDonalds. However, it does have a chain named Kolonat whose logo looks suspiciously familiar! Nodding your head in Albania is a disagreement while shaking the head means "yes", so it can get pretty confusing for tourists! Mountains are everywhere! Albania is very mountainous country. Mountains occupy 70% of its territory.

Did you know? Mother Teresa was an Albanian Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary. She was born in Skopje (modern Macedonia), then pat of the Kosovo in the Ottoman Empire. After having lived in Macedonia for some eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India where she lived for most of her life. She is generally celebrated as the only Albanian to have won a Nobel Prize.