Albania is in the southeastern region between Montenegro and Kosovo down to the north and the south of Greece, Europe. It is a nation that occupies a total area of approximately 28,748 square kilometers.
Once on the list of the poorest countries in the past, now it is a more developed country due to the actions taken by their government in implementing economic reforms which have boasted drastically the nation’s economy.
The government of Albania effectively implemented the reforms by properly making use of the natural resources available in the country. Natural resources include copper, petroleum, natural gas, land, gold, and others.
Let’s look at the top 10 natural resources in Albania.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Natural Resources in Albania
1. Natural Gas
Natural gas is one of the most important natural resources in Albania. It has many vital gas reserves: Ballaj kryevid, Kalm, and Durres Blocks.
It is one of the biggest gas offshore fields in Albania. The Durres Block was stumbled upon In 2003 by the Island oil and gas company.
2. Gold
Gold is an essential natural resource in the Middle Ages. The country’s modern method of mining gold was established in the 20th century.
According to the survey that was conducted in 2015, gold reserves in Albania were approximately 14 million tons.
Puke is a distinct main area in the country where gold is mined. Silver-Cobalt Copper Gold is located puke area and the Arian Resources company owns the mine.
3. Arable Land
Albania is a country that is heavily invested in agriculture. This is because of its arable land.
In a bid to optimize these resources, they set up the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which works to properly manage the sector.
24% of its arable land has been put to use for agriculture and this sector contributes a significant amount to its GDP.
Some of the staple foods grown there include plums, cucumbers, figs, and famously, grapes.
4. Petroleum
Albania has vast deposits of oil. The oil reserve in Albania is estimated to be about 220 million barrels.
Albania has several massive oil fields with the most prominent being the Patos-Marinza oil field.
The Patos-Marinza oil field is larger than any oil field in Europe and it produces an estimated 12.556 barrels per day.
5. Chromium
Chromium or chromite is the material used to produce stainless steel. In Albania, it is one of the most important minerals.
The Tekna mine is famous for its vast deposits of chromium and Albania is one of Europe’s leading producers.
According to the Albanian government, the chromium reserves of this mine alone are estimated to be 0.652 million tonnes.
Ophiolites of the Eastern Belt area, to TropojaKukës-Bulqiza-Shebenik-Pogradec direction, is where the major chromium deposit is located.
6. Coal
As of 2016, Albania held 575 million tonnes of proven coal reserves, ranking 36th in the world. This is aside from its unproven reserves.
This is an impressive amount compared to the world’s total coal reserves of 1,139,471 million tonnes. However, Albania’s coal mining is underdeveloped and grossly mismanaged.
It has proven reserves equivalent to six thousand times its annual consumption. This means, at the current consumption rate, it has about 6,000 years of Coal left from its proven reserves alone.
In 2021, the major production of coal in Albania was 265 thousand short tons.
Meanwhile, in 2002 the major production of coal production in Albania raised from 17 thousand short tons to 265 thousand short tons in 2021 it continues to progress at a median annual rate of 41.21%.
7. Water
Water is also a natural resource in Albania, their water supply is in excess, in almost every region of the country, with inconsistent seasonal dissemination.
The obtainable aggregate of surface water, and also a less area of groundwater, completely reduces during the months of summer. consequently, about 6-9 % of the yearly overflow is noticed throughout the dry season (July-September).
The average yearly rainfall in Albania is 1485 mm and the average yearly volume of water, emitted by all the groundwater in the sea, is 41 km³ of water.
It commensurate to an average discharge of 1300 m³/s, roughly with that of the Po river in Italy.
Albania has a rich supply of water that has helped its electricity generation, industrial purposes fishing, drinking, and agriculture. This is through bodies of water and rainfall.
But its water is mostly used by the government for electricity generation which is its most important power source.
The nation of Albania relies heavily on hydropower almost 100% from domestic generation. Some of Albania’s most important hydroelectric plants are situated along the River Drin such as Skavica, Fierza, Vau I Dejës, and Koman.
8. Limestones
Limestone is one of the natural resources in Albania, it is categorized as a sedimentary rock and consists of majorly calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in calcite formation which is also a kind of mineral.
There are some materials it also consists of such as feldspar, pyrite, siderite, clay minerals, and quartz. It is found organically in the earth’s environment.
It comprises carbonatic raw material, of different geological ages, in the form of belts, layers, and massifs, in eventually all regions of the country.
About 55 deposits of limestone are known, and an estimated amount of 450 million m3 of geological reserves, is to enlarge.
In Albania limestone is been used in the country in many places a few are industries, agriculture, construction, and architecture.
9. Dolomite
Dolomite is a natural resource in Albania, it is classified under limestone and is commonly known as dolomitic limestone.
It contains magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate. It is found in every part of the earth.
Dolomitic limestone consists of almost five times as much magnesium and five-eighths as much calcium as ordinary limestone.
Dolomite is also made of a small quantity of potassium, phosphorus, and chlorine. which has a trace of more than 20 elements in addition.
The Dolomites are commonly found in Albania. They are located in areas such as Delvine, Tomorr, Gjirokastra districts, Elbasan, Albanian Alps, Kurbin, Vlore, Gramsh, Kruja, Himare, Has, and Korab.
Due to the chemical compounds dolomites are located in the Vlora region(Dukat)
In the Gjirokastra region, Mali l Gjere and Delvina have high technological qualities with an average content of MgO, 20-21%.
About eight deposits with approximately 150 million m3 of geological reserves of dolomites are known.
Dolomite has been used for so long as a source of calcium and magnesium for animal feeds. It is also now obtainable in a dosage form in both wafer and tablet which is consumed as a supplement for dietary.
10. Travertine
Travertines are sediments formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate minerals from fresh water, especially in springs, rivers, and lakes.
In the broadest sense, travertine includes deposits in both hot and cold springs, e.g. the tufa rock.
Travertine is found in this area such as Gramsh, Bulqize, Has, Librazhd, Korce, Elbasan Diber, Saranda district, Permet, Delvine, Lushnje, Kolonje, and Gjirokastee.
The combination of limestones-dolomite-travertines forms a high-quality decorative deposit as the deposit of Kosova (Lushnja district).
The travertines of the Kosova deposit have been used to build some beautiful structures which include the squares in front of the National Museum, the colons of the palaces of the congress and the International Culture Centre, and many other buildings, etc.
The projects were completed in 18 deposits and are approximately 23 million m3 of reserves.
List of all Natural Resources in Albania
- Water
- Arable Land
- Petroleum
- Natural gas
- Fish
- Coal
- Copper
- Iron ore
- Chromium or Chromite
- Gold
- Ferronickel
- Bauxite
- Salt
- Bitumen
- Limestone
- Asphalt
- Cobalt
- Phosphorite
- Silver
- Kaolin
- Clay
- Asbestos
- Magnesite
- Dolomite
- Gypsum
- Travertine
10 Top Natural Resources in Albania – FAQs
What natural resource is most abundant in Albanian
Conclusion
The natural resources in Albania are numerous and each has the potential for national development. The top 10 include gold, natural gas, petroleum, chromite, water, arable land, limestones, dolomites, travertine, and coal. Each ranking high among the world reserves.
If these 10 are properly managed, the nation will be greatly developed in a short while. Beyond these 10, there are other natural resources listed above. It is truly a rich country.
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Precious Okafor is a digital marketer and online entrepreneur that got into the online space in 2017 and since then have developed skills in content creation, copywriting and online marketing. He is also a Green activist and hence his role in publishing articles for EnvironmentGo