Northern Albania

Northern Albania (Albanian: Shqipëria Veriore) is one of the three NUTS-2 regions of Albania, along with Central Albania and Southern Albania (Toskeria). It consists of the counties of Dibër, Durrës, Kukës, Lezhë and Shkodër.

Northern Albania Shqipëria Veriore Ghegeria
Region
Northern Albania in red
Country	Albania
Area
• Total	10,829 km2 (4,181 sq mi)
Population  (2023)[1]
• Total	649,902
• Density	60/km2 (160/sq mi)
NUTS code	AL01
HDI (2017)	0.771[2] high · 3rd of 3

Historically and in ethnography, Northern Albania has been called Ghegeria (Albanian: Gegëria), a name derived from a subgroup of Albanians known as the Ghegs.

Definitions

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is a geocode classification used by the European Union to divide up member states for statistical purposes. Albania has level 1, 2, and 3 divisions; Northern Albania is a second-level, or NUTS-2, region. Central Albania and Southern Albania are the other NUTS-2 regions of Albania.^[3] The NUTS-2 region of Northern Albania includes five counties: Dibër, Durrës, Kukës, Lezhë and Shkodër.^[4]

In ethnographical and historical contexts, Northern Albania is also known as Ghegeria (Gegëria) and includes parts of the Albanian-inhabited territories of Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.^[5][6] The name Ghegeria is derived from the Ghegs, a dialectical subgroup of Albanians who predominantly live in the mountainous areas north of the Shkumbin River.^[6]

Economy

Northeastern Albania has substantial deposits of minerals, including chromium, copper, and iron-nickel. Albania was a leading producer of chromium during the 1980s, but production steeply declined in the early 1990s as a consequence of the end of communism in the country.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1989	1,041,447	—
2001	962,081	−7.6%
2011	831,498	−13.6%
2023	649,902	−21.8%
Source: INSTAT[8]

The five counties of Northern Albania had a combined population of 649,902 as of the 2023 census.^[1]