|
Albania
Settlement Patterns
In the early 1990s, Albania remained predominantly rural, with
about 65 percent of the population living in villages or the countryside.
Urban dwellers, whose proportion of the national population had
increased from one-fifth to almost one-third between 1950 and
1970, accounted for about 34 percent in the 1980s . Rural-to-urban
migration was contained as a result of the regime's aggressive
programs, initiated during the Third Five-Year Plan (1961-65),
to restrict urban growth, build up agriculture, and accelerate
rural development. (The campaign to improve rural living conditions
is best exemplified by the expansion of the electric-power network
to every village in the country by the winter of 1970.) The average
village grew from about 400 residents in 1955 to nearly 700 in
1980.
The most heavily settled areas were in the western part of the
country, in particular the fertile lowlands. In 1987 population
density ranged from 30 persons per square kilometer in the eastern
district of Kolonjė to 281 persons per square kilometer in the
coastal district of Durrės. The proportion of urban dwellers was
highest in the districts of Tiranė (67 percent), Durrės (49 percent),
and Vlorė, which had 47 percent .
Several factors contributed to the pattern of settlement. Large
expanses of mountains and generally rugged terrain complicated
construction of land transportation routes. In many areas, large
concentrations of people could not be supported because of poor
soil and a lack of water during part of the year. Minerals and
other natural resources generally were not readily accessible
or were otherwise difficult to exploit.
Of the sixty-six cities and towns in Albania, nine had populations
greater than 25,000 in 1987. Tiranė, the capital and largest city,
grew from about 60,000 inhabitants in 1945 to 226,000 in 1987,
largely because of the expansion of industry and government bureaucracy.
Located on the inner margin of the coastal plain, the capital
is surrounded by an area of relatively good soil. Tiranė was the
country's main political, industrial, educational, and cultural
center. Other major towns were Durrės, the principal port, Elbasan,
Shkodėr, and Vlorė. About 44 percent of all towns had fewer than
5,000 inhabitants.
Data as of April 1992
|
