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ALBANIA

is grown on 342,415 acres, other cereals on 249,500 acres, besides other buildings, the town hall, courts of justice, vines on 98,630, and olives on 26,738. Two salt-mines barracks, and provincial council palace. There are an institute, schools for teachers of both sexes, seven municipal are worked, and there are important lagoons. and fifteen private schools. Matches are included in the Albacete, the capital of the above province, has a manufactures. The population was 18,589 in 1887, and station on the Madrid-Alicante line. Modern erections are, 21,637 in 1897.

ALBANIA. ALBANIA, a portion of the Turkish Empire extend- Monastir, and the southern districts are comprised in the ing along the western littoral of the Balkan penin- vilayet of lannina. The boundaries of the three lastsula from the southern frontier of Montenegro to the named vilayets meet near Elbassan. The name Albania northern confines of Greece, is perhaps the least known (in the Tosk dialect Arberia, in the Gheg Arbenia), like region in Europe; and though more than a hundred Albania in the Caucasus, Armenia, Albany in Britain, years have passed since Gibbon described it as “ a country and Auvergne {Arvenia) in France, is probably connected within sight of Italy, which is less known than the in- with the root alb, alp, and signifies “ the white or snowy terior of America,” but little progress has yet been made uplands.” towards a scientific knowledge of this interesting land and The mountain system is extremely complex, especially its inhabitants. The wild and inaccessible character of that of the northern region. On the E. the great Shar the country, the fierce and lawless disposition of the range, extending in a south-westerly direction people, the difficulties presented by their language and from the neighbourhood of Prishtina to that of Matures s their complex social institutions, and the inability of the, Dibra, is continued towards the S. by the ' Turkish authorities to afford a safe conduct in the remoter ranges of Grammes and Pindos: the entire chain, a prodistricts, combine to render Albania almost a terra in- longation of the Alpine systems of Bosnia and Dalmatia, cognita to the foreign traveller, and many of its geo- may be described as the backbone of the peninsula; it graphical problems still remain unsolved. The region of forms the watershed between the Aegean and the Adriatic, the Mirdites, the Mat district, the neighbourhood of and culminates in the lofty peak of Liubotrn, near KalDibra, and other localities have never been thoroughly kandele, the highest summit in South-Eastern Europe explored. The northern boundary of Albania has under- (3050 metres). The country to the W. of this natural gone some alteration in consequence of the enlargement of barrier may be divided geographically into three districts— Montenegro, sanctioned by the Berlin Treaty (13th July Northern, Central, and Southern Albania. The river Shkumb 1878); owing to subsequent arrangements providing for separates the northern from the central district, the Viossa the cession of Dulcigno to Montenegro (25th November the central from the southern. The highland region of 1880) in exchange for the districts of Plava and Gusinye, Northern Albania is divided into two portions by the lower restored to Turkey, the frontier-line (finally settled Decem- course of the Drin ; the mountains of the northern portion, ber 1884) now ascends the Boyana from its mouth to Lake the Bieska Malziis, extend in a confused and broken series Sass, thence passes northward, and crossing Lake Scutari of ridges from Scutari to the valleys of the Ibar and separates the district of Kushka Kraina on the N. from White Drin; they comprise the rocky group of the Prothe territories of the Hot and Element tribes on the S. ; kletia, or Accursed Mountains, with their numerous ramileaving Gusinye and Plava to the S.E., it turns to the 1 fications, including Mouht Velechik, inhabited by the N.W. on reaching the Mokra Planina, and then follows Kastrat and Shkrel tribes, Bukovik by the Hot, Golesh the course of the Tara river. On the S., Albanian territory by the Element, Skulsen (2296 metres), Baba Vrkh (about has been curtailed owing to the acquisition of the Arta 2227 metres), Maranazh near Scutari, and the Bastrik district by Greece (May 1881), the river Arta now form- range to the E. South of the Drin is another complex ing the frontier. On the E. the chains of Shar, Grammes, mountain system, including the highlands inhabited by and Pindus constitute a kind of natural boundary which the Mirdites and the Mat tribe; among the principal does not, however, coincide with ethnical limits, nor with summits are Deia Mazzuklit, Mal-i Yelesh, Eraba, and the Turkish administrative divisions. Albania is inhabited Toli. Central Albania differs from the northern and by six different races: Albanians (who form the great southern regions in the more undulating and less rugged majority), Serbs, Bulgars, Greeks, Vlachs, and Turks, ^ character of its surface; it contains considerable lowland together with an inconsiderable number of gypsies and tracts, such as the wide and fertile plain of Musseki, Jews. The larger portion of the interior is occupied by a traversed by the river Simen. The principal summit is fairly compact Albanian population. Since about the Tomor (2413 metres), overhanging the town of Berat. year 1870 there has been a remarkable advance of the | Southern Albania, again, is almost wholly mountainous, Albanians in a north-easterly direction towards Prish- with the exception of the plains of lannina and Arta; the tina, Yrania, and Uskfib, the invaders inflicting much most noteworthy feature is the rugged range of the injury on the Serb and Bulgar inhabitants. Servian Tehika, or Ehimara mountains, which skirt the sea-coast settlements exist in various parts of Northern Albania; from S.W. to N.E., terminating in the lofty promontory there is a strong Bulgarian colony in the neighbourhood of Glossa (ancient Akrolceraunia). Further inland the of Dibra and Ochrida; farther south, Mount Zygos and Mishkeli range to the N.E. of Lake lannina and the the Pindus range—the “ Great Wallachia ” of the middle Nemertzika mountains run in a parallel direction. In the ages —are inhabited by Vlakhs or Tzintzars; several extreme S., beyond the basin of the Ealamas, the mounTurkish settlements are found in the south-eastern districts, tains of Suli and Olyzika form a separate group. The while in Southern Epiros there is a large admixture of the rivers, as a rule, flow from E. to W.; owing to the rapidity Greek element. North-western Albania forms part of the of their descent none are navigable except the Boyana and Turkish vilayet of Kossovo; the northern highlands are Arta in their lower courses. The principal rivers are the included in the vilayet of Shkodra (Scutari), the eastern Boyana, issuing from Lake Scutari, and consequently portion of Central Albania belongs to the vilayet of i regarded as a continuation of the Montenegrin Moratcha,