Flag of Albania
Officially Republic of Albania
Locally Shqipëria
What the flag looks like
A red field with a black double-headed eagle in the center.
What it means
Red stands for bravery, strength and the blood of patriots; the double-headed eagle comes from the seal of the 15th-century national hero Skanderbeg.
How to remember it
A black double-headed eagle spread across a blood-red field: Albania's
eagle is black and borderless, while Montenegro's
is gold inside a gold frame.
Fun facts
- Albanians call their country Shqipëri, a name popularly linked to the word for eagle, giving it the nickname 'Land of the Eagles'.
- The flag was raised in Vlorë on 28 November 1912 when Ismail Qemali declared Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire.
Albania at a glance
- Capital
- Tirana
- Region
- Southeast Europe
- Population
- 2.4 million
- Area
- 28,748 km²
- Languages
- Albanian
- Currency
- Albanian lek (L)
- Flag adopted
- 1992
Flags often confused with Albania
- Montenegro: Albania and Montenegro both show a double-headed eagle on red. Albania's eagle is black with no border; Montenegro's is gold and the flag has a gold border.