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The Albanians are an ethnic group primarily associated with a large section of the Western Balkans; most notably the national state Albania, but also Kosovo, and with the Albanian language. The Albanians are reputedly descendants of Illyrian, who were a tribe of the centum branch of Indo-Europeans. The Albanians settled in the region in ancient times.[14] Albanian language derives of language of Illyrians,[15] although some scholars argue instead that Albanian language derives from a dialect of the now-extinct Thracian language.[16] About half of today's Albanians live in the Republic of Albania, with the second largest group living in the UN administered province of Kosovo (an autonomous province of Serbia), central Serbia, Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia. There are also Albanian minorities and immigrant communities in a number of other countries. Many Albanians have the simular last names. When Albanians move to america some change their last name by dropping the "j" in the last name. Most Albanians have to last name with a "j" at the last letter in their name. Some names may include as "Dedaj" or "Vukaj" or "Rudaj."
PopulationDue to the high rate of migration of various ethnic groups throughout the Balkans in the last two decades, exact figures are difficult to obtain. A tenuous breakdown of Albanians by location is as follows:
SubgroupsThere are two major dialect groups, the Ghegs, to the north of the Shkumbin River, and the Tosks, to the south. Kosovar Albanians are Ghegs. There is a large intermediate area between the two regions, which includes the capital, Tirana. The Ghegs, who make up two-thirds of Albanians, are less intermarried with non-Albanians than the Tosks, who throughout history were more often subjected to foreign rule and other foreign influences. In the past, the Ghegs were organized in clans and the Tosks in a semifeudal society. Before World War II the Ghegs dominated Albanian politics, but after the war many Tosks came to power because the new Communist government drew most of its support from Tosks. During Enver Hoxha’s regime in Albania, the cultural and economic differences between the Ghegs and the Tosks were suppressed. The 1997 civil disturbances in Albania largely followed these ethnic lines, with Ghegs supporting Berisha and Tosks opposing him. CultureFamous persons of Albanian descentProminent individuals from Albania have included the defender of Albania during the mid-15th century Skenderbeg, the writer Ismail Kadare, the painter Ibrahim Kodra, the composer Simon Gjoni, the Nobel Prize winner Ferid Murad, the Olympic athlete Klodiana Shala, the Roman Catholic missionary Mother Teresa and Pope Clement XI.Other well known individuals include the prime minister of the Ottoman Empire Ferhat Pasha and Mehemet Ali the viceroy of Egypt. John Belushi and his brother Jim Belushi were of Albanian parents who immigrated in the USA after WWII. Also the American actress Eliza Dushku is born of an Albanian father and a half-Danish mother. LanguageMost Albanians speak the Albanian language, a member of the Indo-European language family. There are several variants of Albanian. The two main Albanian variants are Tosk and Gheg. Some members of the Albanian diaspora do not speak the language (mostly in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom) but are still considered Albanian by ethnic origin or descent. Non-Albanians who studied the Albanian language include prominent individuals such as Franz Bopp, Norbert Jokl and Robert Elsie. ReligionSince Ottoman rule, the majority of Albanians have been Muslim[citation needed]. Most of these are Sunni Muslims, and a minority (20% of total Muslims) are Bektashi. Significant numbers of Albanians are Albanian Orthodox or Roman Catholic, and some have no formal religious affiliation (c.f. religion in Albania). This rich blend of religions has rarely caused religious strife and fanaticism; today people of different religions are freely intermarrying. For most of its history, Albania has had a noticeable Jewish community. Most of this community was saved by the Albanian people during the Nazi occupation [4]. According to Yad Vashem's database, 67 Jews lost their lives in Albania. The German test for Jewish identification was circumcision (ie. if men were circumcised, then they were Jews). However, Muslims were also circumcised and due to the large population of Muslims in Albania this test was not valid. Furthermore, Germans remained for only 14 months in Albania, from September 1943 to November 1944. By that time, news on the Holocaust began spreading, causing more Jews to flee. The majority of Albanian Jews have left to settle in Israel, but a small number still remain.[5]. SymbolismImage:Flag of Albania.svg Albanian flag The flag of Albania depicts a double-headed eagle on a red background, which was raised by the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg in his Albanian rebellion against the Ottoman Turks and which bore Skanderbeg's heraldic emblem. The Albanians are called Shqiptarët (originally Shqyptarët) in the Albanian language, which freely translates as "The Sons of Eagles". HistoryThe Albanians are descendants of ancient Balkan people, but the exact identification is still under debate, see Origin of Albanians. Most historians and linguists support either an Illyrian or Daco-Thracian origin. They were first mentioned in the Balkans in 1043 AD. Islam replaced Christianity as the majority religion during the period of Ottoman Turkish rule from the 15th century until 1912, though Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism are also practiced. Among the poorest of Europe's nationalities, in the latter half of the 20th century Albanians experienced the highest rate of natural population growth of any of Europe's major indigenous ethnic groups, increasing their numbers from 1.5 million around 1900 and fewer than 2.5 million in 1950.[citation needed] Ethnic AlbaniansAlbanian is also a term often given to what would otherwise be called an ethnic Albanian. This is usually someone who is considered by himself or others to be Albanian or of Albanian descent. Several distinguishing characteristics might be:
There are ethnic Albanian communities in several European countries, as well as in the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia and Ukraine. Albanians outside the Republic of AlbaniaBoth Kosovo and the western regions of the Republic of Macedonia have in recent years seen armed movements (Kosovo Liberation Army, UCPMB, Macedonian NLA) aiming either for independence, greater autonomy, or increased human and political rights. Further clashes were also reported in the Preševo Valley for the period of 2000 to 2001 (in the lead-up to the Macedonian conflict). The fate of Kosovo remains uncertain owing to the reluctance of the Albanian majority to contemplate a restoration of Serbian sovereignty and of the United Nations and NATO to separate the territory definitively from Serbia in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 from 1999. The situation in the Republic of Macedonia seems to have been resolved by giving the Albanian minority greater government representation and the right to use the Albanian language in education and government. Notes and references
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