Our next discovery was a day in Albania. It’s a poor country (second poorest in Europe after Serbia) and the lack of other ships in the harbor should have been a clue that this is off the usual tourist trail! Like most of this area, this is an ancient land - inhabited for many centuries. And like its neighbors, it’s been under the Greeks, Romans, Ottoman Turks, the Hungarian Empire, and probably countless other dominating forces. Post WWII, while Yugoslavia had the good fortune to have Tito (a relatively enlightened leader), Albania had Enver Hoxha (who decidedly was not)!
Initially things went well - after the liberation from Nazi occupation, the country became a Communist State and the reconstruction was launched immediately. In 1947 Albania's first railway line was completed. Land reform laws were passed granting the land to the workers and peasants who tilled it. Agriculture became cooperative, and production increased significantly, leading to Albania becoming agriculturally self-sufficient. By 1955, illiteracy was eliminated among Albania's adult population. During this period Albania became industrialized and had rapid economic growth, making progress in the areas of education and health. The average annual rate of increase of Albania's national income was 29% higher than the world average and 56% higher than the European average. Unfortunately these early gains did not continue. Eventually the borders were closed and Albanians were isolated from the outside world. While they lived 8-10 people in a one or two bedroom apartment they were told they were much better off than their neighbors. Virtually all the country’s resources were put into building 750,000 bunkers designed to “protect” them from potential invasion and the people had practically nothing.
The 1992 elections ended 47 years of communist rule and while there has been economic progress the country remains one of the poorest in Europe. Today public debt stands at 60% of GDP and unemployment is about 30%. People here are hopeful, but government corruption is rampant so their future is bleak for the near future.
As we left Albania to sail to Corfu we left the Adriatic and entered the Ionian Sea.
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