LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Albania: Adriatic Sea
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Albania shares borders with Montenegro and Serbia to the north, with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the northeast, and with Greece to the south; to the west are the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Most of the country is wild and mountainous, with extensive forests. There are fine sandy beaches and, inland, many beautiful lakes.
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Albania lies on the eastern Adriatic coastline, bordered by Montenegro to the north, Serbia / Kosovo to the north-east, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and south-east. Two thirds of the interior is mountainous, while the main population centres lie on the coastal plain stretching from Shkodra in the north to Vlora in the south. The plains enjoy a Mediterranean climate in contrast to continental climate of the Balkan interior.
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With a total area of 28,748 sq km (11,100 sq mi), Albania is roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts. The greatest distance from north to south is about 345 km (about 215 mi) and from east to west about 150 km (about 95 mi). Albania is bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the west, Greece to the south, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to the east, Serbia to the northeast, and Montenegro to the northwest.
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Christianity was adopted in the region of Albania during Roman rule by the middle of the 1st century AD. At first, the new religion had to compete with Oriental cults such the worshiping Mithra - the Persian God of light, known in the region due to Rome's growing interaction with eastern regions of the Roman Empire. For a long time, it ... competed with gods worshiped by Illyrian pagans. The steady growth of the Christian community in Dyrrhachium (the Roman name for Epidamnus) led to the creation of a local bishopric in 58 AD. Later, episcopal seats were established in Apollonia, Buthrotum (modern Butrint), and Scodra (modern Shkodra). After the division of the Roman Empire in 395, Albania fall under the umbrella of the Eastern Roman Empire, but remained ecclesiastically dependent on Rome.
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Albania's capital and largest city, Tiranë is situated near the center of the country. Lying west of the city, separating it from the Adriatic Sea, is a fertile plain about 17 miles (27 kilometers) wide. The short Ishm River passes just north of the city as it flows down from the mountains that lie to the east.
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Albania is currently pursuing a path of greater Euro-Atlantic integration. Its primary long-term goals are to gain NATO and EU membership and to promote closer bilateral ties with its neighbors and with the U.S. Albania is a member of a number of international organizations, as well as multiple regional organizations and initiatives, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the UN, the Stability Pact, the Adriatic Charter, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). In June 2006, Albania and the EU signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step to EU membership, which will focus on implementing essential rule of law reforms and curbing corruption and organized crime.
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