Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë, meaning “sons of eagles,” and to their country as Shqipëria. Descended from the ancient Illyrians, they have a rich history and culture. Owing to its location on the Adriatic Sea, Albania has long served as a bridgehead for various nations and empires seeking conquest abroad. In the 2nd century BC the Illyrians were conquered by the Romans, and from the end of the 4th century AD they were ruled by the Byzantine Empire. After suffering centuries of invasion by Visigoths, Huns, Buglers, and Slavs, the Albanians were finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.

Turkish rule cut off Albania from Western civilization for more than four centuries, but in the late 19th century the country began to remove itself from Ottoman Orientals and to rediscover old affinities and common interests with the West. Albania was declared independent in 1912, but the following year the demarcation of the boundaries of the new country by the Great Powers of Europe assigned about half its territory and people to neighboring states.

Ruled as a monarchy between the world wars, Albania emerged from the violence of World War II as a communist state (November 1944) in which the ruling party controlled almost all aspects of life. But with the collapse of other communist regimes beginning in 1989, new social forces and democratic political parties emerged in Albania. This shift reflected the country’s continuing orientation toward the West, and it accorded with the Albanian people’s long-standing appreciation of Western technology and cultural achievements—even while retaining their own ethnic identity, cultural heritage, and individuality.