Albania Municipalities

An Albanian county narrows a round down to a slice of the country, and the municipality is the tier that names a place. Until 2015 there were over 370 communes and municipalities, most of them tiny, and then the country merged them into 61, so any map or quiz drawn before that year, or one that still uses the old districts, is the wrong one to learn from.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: County: all twelve, from Berat to Vlorë
In the game: 61 municipalities

Start

What you are looking at

The bashkitë, Albania's only local tier: 61 municipalities, each named for its main town and drawn to take in the villages around it. Most of them are larger than a single old district's town and smaller than a county, so a county holds between three and seven.

The groups are the twelve counties, so the game lets you drill them one at a time. Each county answers under the same name in Albania Counties.

How to place one

Pick one county and learn it. Durrës, Kukës and Lezhë have three municipalities each, which makes them the shortest rounds to start on.
Anchor on the big towns. Tirana, Durrës, Shkodër, Elbasan and Vlorë are the large shapes that the municipalities around them are placed against.
Read the coast. From Shkodër down to Sarandë the coast is a string of municipalities that run in a line, and learning them in order beats learning them at random.
Treat Elbasan, Gjirokastër and Vlorë as the dense ones. They have seven municipalities each, many of them narrow and next to each other, so they pay off last.

Every municipality, by county

Shkodër County5 municipalities: Fushë Arrës, Malësi e Madhe, Pukë, Shkodër, Vau i Dejës
Dibër County4 municipalities: Bulqizë, Dibër, Klos, Mat
Tirana County5 municipalities: Kamëz, Kavajë, Rrogozhinë, Tiranë, Vorë
Kukës County3 municipalities: Has, Kukës, Tropojë
Durrës County3 municipalities: Durrës, Krujë, Shijak
Elbasan County7 municipalities: Belsh, Cërrik, Elbasan, Gramsh, Librazhd, Peqin, Prrenjas
Lezhë County3 municipalities: Kurbin, Lezhë, Mirditë
Fier County6 municipalities: Divjakë, Fier, Lushnje, Mallakastër, Patos, Roskovec
Korçë County6 municipalities: Devoll, Kolonjë, Korçë, Maliq, Pogradec, Pustec
Berat County5 municipalities: Berat, Dimal, Kuçovë, Poliçan, Skrapar
Vlorë County7 municipalities: Delvinë, Finiq, Himarë, Konispol, Sarandë, Selenicë, Vlorë
Gjirokastër County7 municipalities: Dropull, Gjirokastër, Këlcyrë, Libohovë, Memaliaj, Përmet, Tepelenë

Worked examples

Tiranë

The biggest of them

Tiranë is the largest municipality by area, and by far the largest by population, holding nearly a quarter of all Albanians. It reaches from the capital out into the mountains to the east.

Kamëz

The smallest of them

Kamëz is the smallest municipality on the map, a compact town just north of Tirana that has grown into the capital's suburb. It is easy to miss because it sits against a much larger neighbour.

Sarandë

The one at the southern end

Sarandë faces Corfu across a narrow strait, at the end of the Albanian coast before the Greek border. It is a small municipality on the sea, backed by Delvinë and Finiq.

Frequently asked questions

How many municipalities does Albania have?

61. The number has been stable since the territorial reform of 2015, which merged 373 communes and municipalities into the current set.

Are the municipalities the same as the districts?

No. The 36 districts (rrethe) were abolished by the same reform, and some data sources still draw them. The municipalities here are the 61 that took over.

What are the county names called locally?

Each county is a qark, and the local name is a switch in the start dialog. The municipalities are named for their main town and use the same spelling in both.

The tier above this one is Albania Counties. For another small country at this level, see Estonia Municipalities.