The central cityDurrës is one of largest cities on the Adriatic Sea and ranks 5th with a population of 175,110 and one of the world'soldest continuously inhabited cities. Durrës is home to Albania's main port, thePort of Durrës. Theport is also the 10th largest cargo port on theAdriatic Sea that handle more than 3.4 million tonnes of cargo per year. The historical city ofKrujë is the second largest city in Durrës County.
Because of its proximity to theMediterranean Sea, several rivers, large and small, flow throughout the county.[4] TheIshëm is the longest river in the county originating at theSkanderbeg Mountains inTirana County and flowing through the county until it reaches the Adriatic Sea at theCape of Rodon along theGulf of Drin.[4] TheErzen, the second longest river in the county, begins nearby the village ofShëngjergj, flows into northwest and empties into the sea at theGjiri i Lalzit.
The city of Krujë is found at an altitude of 600 m (1,969 ft) on the foot of Mount Krujë (Albanian:Mali i Krujës) of the Krujë Gorge, while south and west of the town is found the plain of theIshëm River. The town is located in the northern part of the outer Albanides tectonic unit, which consists of anticlines of Mesozoiccarbonate platforms.
The climate is generally Mediterranean but varies by local topography. There are diverse microclimates in the county. Summers are dry while heavy rains are experienced during the winter.
Ethnically, Durrës County is predominantly Albanian but small minorities ofBosniaks (nearShijak),Aromanians (inFllakë), Romani & Balkan Egyptians are present in the ethnic composition as well. By language, 99.5% spokeAlbanian as a first language. Other spoken languages wereRomani (0.12%),Greek (0.05%),Macedonian (0.05%),Italian (0.02%),Turkish (0.02%) andAromanian (0.02%).[7]
There are threemunicipalities (bashkia) and 16administrative units (njësi administrative) incorporated in Durrës County.[8] The majority of its population is predominantly concentrated in the county's capital city ofDurrës. As of the2011 Census, the population of the administrative unit Durrës stands at 113,249 with the adjacent eponymous municipality having a population of 175,110.[7] Other units with a population over 10,000 includeFushë-Krujë,Katund i Ri,Kodër-Thumanë,Krujë,Rrashbull,Sukth andXhafzotaj.
According to the 2023 census, Durrës was mainly home to Muslims, followed by Catholics and other Christian groups, alongside a notable non-religious population. Overall, 69.3% of residents identified with a religion. Between the 2011 and 2023 censuses in Durrës, there were notable shifts in religious affiliation. TheSunni Muslim population decreased significantly from 67.5% to 54.6%, whileBektashi Muslims saw a notable increase, rising from 1.6% to 5.3%. TheCatholic Christian population declined from 7.4% to 6.0%, andOrthodox Christians decreased slightly from 3.3% to 3.0%.Evangelical Christians saw a modest rise from 0.1% to 0.3%.
There was a very substantial increase in theirreligious population:atheists rose from 1.1% to 1.6%, and those identifying asbelievers without denomination grew dramatically from 3.5% to 13.3%. Meanwhile, the "Not stated/other" category remained relatively stable, slightly increasing from 15.5% to 15.7%.[9]
DurrësKrujë
Population of Durrës according to religious group (2011–2023)
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