Memaliaj is a town and a municipality in
Gjirokastër County,
southern Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities
Buz,
Krahës,
Luftinjë, Memaliaj,
Memaliaj Fshat and
Qesarat, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Memaliaj. The total population is 10,657 (2011 census),
in a total area of .
The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 2,647.
[ It is entirely populated by ]Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
, both Muslim Bektashis and Eastern Orthodox Christians. The dialect of Albanian spoken in the region is Tosk.
History
In 2 December of 1942 in Memaliaj under the supervision of the Albanian National Liberation Council was founded the first National Liberation Committee of Tepelenë
Tepelenë ( sq-definite, Tepelena) is a city and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in the south of Albania. The town is on the left bank of the Vjosa River, about three kilometres downstream from its union with the Drino.
Until the abolition ...
.
In 1958 Memaliaj became famous for the newly established Coal Mine, which multiplied the coal profit of Albania by 64 times, in contrast with older mines of 1938.
Notable people
* Agron Llakaj, comedian
* Foto Strakosha, former goal keeper
* Thomas Strakosha, goal keeper, son of Foto Strakosha
References
Administrative units of Memaliaj
Municipalities in Gjirokastër County
Towns in Albania
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