Kuçovë | |
|---|---|
  .jpg) From the top, Boulevard leading to the main square in downtown Kuçovë, Kuçovë Cinema,ShenyangF-6 Fighter jets atKuçovë Aerodrome | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
.svg)  Kuçovë | |
| Coordinates:40°48′14″N19°54′52″E / 40.80389°N 19.91444°E /40.80389; 19.91444 | |
| Country |  Albania |
| County | Berat |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kreshnik Hajdari (PS) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 160.33 km2 (61.90 sq mi) |
| • Administrative unit | 2.73 km2 (1.05 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Population (2023[1]) | |
| • Municipality | 31,077 |
| • Municipality density | 193.83/km2 (502.02/sq mi) |
| • Administrative unit | 12,629 |
| • Administrative unit density | 4,630/km2 (12,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal Code | 5301-5304 |
| Area Code | (0)311 |
| Website | bashkiakucove |
Kuçovë (Albaniandefinite form:Kuçova) is amunicipality in south-centralAlbania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalitiesKozare, Kuçovë,Lumas andPerondi, which all became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town of Kuçovë.[2] The total population is 31,077 as of the 2023 census,[1] in a total area of 160.33 km2 (61.90 sq mi).[3] The population of the municipal unit as of the 2023 census is 12,629.[1]
Archaeologists found in the village ofKatundas near Kuçovë six phases of inhabitation dating to theNeolithic,Chalcolithic,Bronze Age,Iron Age, urbanIllyrian and theLate Antiquity era.[4]
Kuçova has been an industrial city since the Italian influence in the early 1920s. The first oil hole in Albania was drilled in 1928 in “Dikatër”, establishing theKuçova oil field. From this moment onwards the city has been on oil maps, housing workers and their families.[5] Since 1928, the Italian companyAIPA had an agreement with theZog I government that if the oil extraction would surpass 50,000 tonnes per year, this company would build a refinery in Albania. In 1939 Albania was occupied by Italians and therefore, though the oil extracted was more than 170,000 ton, the refinery was never built and the oil was transported to Italy.[6]
DuringCommunist Albania the city was renamed toStalin City (Albanian:Qyteti Stalin) and was aclosed military district. The city was extensively developed in the 1950s and is of interest to students of communist architecture, although following the collapse ofcommunism there has been much unauthorised building and modification to the original buildings.
It is home to theKuçovë Air Base of theAlbanian Air Force. Since 2005 the country's air force has ceased flying the agedMiGfighters provided by theSoviet Union andChina and has been reduced to rotary wing aircraft only. The airfield was refloated in 2024 asNATO-airbase in the context of the ongoing NATO-expansion into Eastern Europe.[7]
| Climate data for Kuçovë | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29.6 (85.3) | 32.6 (90.7) | 37.0 (98.6) | 41.0 (105.8) | 44.0 (111.2) | 42.0 (107.6) | 38.4 (101.1) | 35.2 (95.4) | 31.8 (89.2) | 29.0 (84.2) | 44.0 (111.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.2 (57.6) | 16.3 (61.3) | 18.7 (65.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 26.2 (79.2) | 31.5 (88.7) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.9 (94.8) | 30.8 (87.4) | 25.5 (77.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 24.2 (75.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) | 10.0 (50.0) | 12.1 (53.8) | 15.3 (59.5) | 19.4 (66.9) | 23.8 (74.8) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.4 (79.5) | 23.5 (74.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 17.3 (63.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) | 3.8 (38.8) | 6.9 (44.4) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.6 (54.7) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 16.2 (61.2) | 11.0 (51.8) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.1 (41.2) | 10.6 (51.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.2 (11.8) | −5.8 (21.6) | −5.0 (23.0) | −1.4 (29.5) | 5.2 (41.4) | 6.8 (44.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.4 (50.7) | 1.6 (34.9) | 0.0 (32.0) | −2.2 (28.0) | −6.8 (19.8) | −11.2 (11.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 89.9 (3.54) | 69.3 (2.73) | 70.9 (2.79) | 57.3 (2.26) | 69.6 (2.74) | 41.4 (1.63) | 19.1 (0.75) | 22.1 (0.87) | 57.3 (2.26) | 76.8 (3.02) | 94.7 (3.73) | 81.2 (3.20) | 749.6 (29.52) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 11.2 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 6.6 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 10.6 | 9.5 | 100.6 |
| Average snowy days | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 |
| Source: MeteoManz (May 2011- June 2025)[8] | |||||||||||||
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Kuçova is one of Albania's cities known for itsoil industry along withPatos-Marinza Oil Field andBallsh-Hekal oil field. The oil industry was originally developed by the Italians during theKing Zog period, and much of the infrastructure is outdated. Following the end of the communist period, the town suffered a severeindustrial decline, with the closure of many factories and the destruction of the town’s power plant in the1997 riots following the failure of the pyramid banks. Today there is some evidence of a recovery with a large number of micro-businesses operating from former state run factories, although unemployment remains high. There are also a number of foreign owned banks and a small number of ATMs. Like many towns in Albania many young people immigrate abroad to seek employment.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,585 | — |
| 1960 | 10,337 | +552.2% |
| 1969 | 14,000 | +35.4% |
| 1979 | 17,200 | +22.9% |
| 1989 | 21,709 | +26.2% |
| 2001 | 18,038 | −16.9% |
| 2011 | 12,654 | −29.8% |
| 2023 | 12,629 | −0.2% |
| Source:[9][10][1] | ||
As of the 2023 census, Kuçova municipality has a population of about 31,000.[1] Of this population around 12,000 live in the city of Kuçova, classifying it as 12th of 65 municipalities on a national scale.[citation needed] Population density is 567 inhabitants/km2, which ranks the Kuçova district as the most heavily populated on a national scale. Another feature of this district compared with others in Albania is that city dwellers comprise 63% of the general population, the remainder living in villages nearby.
The city of Kuçova has 5 neighbourhoods (Albanian:lagje), Lgj. "11 Janari", Lgj. "Llukan Prifti", Lgj."11 Shkurti", Lgj. "Tafil Skendo", and "1 Maji". One of the largest parks in Kuçovë is called "Pishat" (The Pines). Like many other Albanian cities, Kuçova has a lot of coffee bars, restaurants and some hotels.
There are two public high schools in the city, General High School (Shkolla e Mesme e Përgjithshme) "Myrteza Kepi" and General High School Kuçovë (Shkolla e Mesme e Përgjithshme Kucovë) and one non public high school. There are also five 1st to 9th grade schools; "18 Tetori", "28 Nentori", "Gaqi Karakashi", "23 Nentori" and "Deshmorët e Kombit". High school graduates who want to pursue a higher education go to otherAlbanian cities or outside the country.
Thefootball club isKF Naftëtari Kuçovë, currently playing in theAlbanian Second Division. Their stadium isBashkim Sulejmani Stadium with a capacity of 5,000 spectators.
Kuçovë istwinned with:
Ramla, IsraelThe municipalities of Albania are the country's administrative divisions consisting of local administrative units and their inclusive villages. | ||
| Berat County |  | |
| Dibër County | ||
| Durrës County | ||
| Elbasan County | ||
| Fier County | ||
| Gjirokastër County | ||
| Korçë County | ||
| Kukës County | ||
| Lezhë County | ||
| Shkodër County | ||
| Tiranë County | ||
| Vlorë County | ||
Subdivisions ofBerat County | ||
|---|---|---|
County seat:Berat | ||
| Municipality ofBerat |  | |
| Municipality ofDimal | ||
| Municipality ofKuçovë | ||
| Municipality ofPoliçan | ||
| Municipality ofSkrapar | ||
Subdivisions ofKuçovë municipality | ||
|---|---|---|
Municipal seat:Kuçovë | ||
| Administrative unit ofKozare |
|  |
| Administrative unit ofKuçovë | ||
| Administrative unit ofLumas | ||
| Administrative unit ofPerondi |
| |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
