Potted history of Albania

The Illyrians were the earliest known inhabitants. The area came under Roman control after a defeat in 165BC, and later became part of the Byzantine empire.

The area of today's Albania has been populated since prehistoric times. In antiquity, much of it was settled by the ancient Illyrians, possible ancestors of Albanians. Surrounded by powerful, warring empires, Albania has experienced considerable violence and competition for control throughout its history. Greeks, Romans, Serbians, Venetians and Ottomans swept through, leaving their cultural mark as well as their ruins.

The monument of Skanderbeg at the top of skanderbeg square in the centre of Tirana. [File photo]

It was subsequently ruled by the Ottoman Turks before independence in 1912. King Zog, then Italy, were subsequent rulers; the end of the second world war saw a communist state under Enver Hoxha.

Albania's former Communists were routed in elections March 1992, amid economic collapse and social unrest. Sali Berisha was elected as the first non-Communist president since World War II. The next crisis occurred in 1997, during his presidency, as riots ravaged the country. The State Institutions collapsed and an EU military mission lead by Italy was sent to stabilize the country. In summer 1997 Berisha was defeated in elections, winning just 25 seats from 155 available. He returned in power leading a coalition in the elections of 3 July 2005, ending 8 years of Socialist Party rule. In 2009, Albania, along with Croatia, joined NATO.