Greek minority in Albania

The Greek minority in Albania ( _el. Ελληνική Μειονότητα στην Αλβανία, Elliniki Mionotita sthn Alvania, _sq. Minoriteti grek në Shqipëri) is a Greek national minority situated in Southern Albania, a region known to Greeks as Northern Epirus.

History

The northern part of Epirus is closely linked to Greek history. The region was inhabited by the Greek tribes of Chaones and Molossians. Himara, Anchiasmos (modern Sarande), Antipatria, Finiki (Finiq), were some cities founded by these tribes. According to ancient Greek historians such as Strabo and Thoukudides, the first colonies in Epirus were established by the Corinthians in the 8th century BC. During the Roman period, the area that reached to Avlona was named "Epirus Nova" by Diocletian. Later on, the Turks incorporated the whole area into the "vilaeti" (βιλάετι) of Ioannina, thus proving the unity of this particular geographic area. The Byzantine period and the Ottoman Empire changed the synthesis of the populations inhabiting the Balkan Peninsula. The changes included not only ethnological differentiations but also a change of the religion; many Christians converted to Islam. This meant that Epirus was not inhabited solely by Greeks or Albanians but the population was rather mixed. This became clear during the Conference of Berlin in 1878, when the Greek state tried to add Epirus to its territory. However, the Greek demand was not satisfied by the Great Powers, as Italy was interested in controlling the greater territory surrounding the Adriatic Sea. The only territories given to the Greek state were those of Thessaly and a small area near Arta. [Konstantinos Ailianos, "The issue of Northern Epirus and Greek-Albanian relations" (Βορειοηπειρωτικό και ελληνοαλβανικές σχέσεις), Historical issues (Θέματα Ιστορίας), 1st edition, Athens 1998, p. 71]

Language and culture

Education

Demographics

Famous people

See also

Reference

External links