Tropojë District

Tropojë District
—  District  —
Map showing the district within Albania
Country	Albania
County
Capital	Tropojë

The District of Tropojë (Albanian: Rrethi i Tropojës) is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Kukës County. It has a population of 16,260^[1] (2010 estimate), and an area of 1,043 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Bajram Curri.^[2] The area is also known for its massive chestnuts forests and the Valbonë river, as well a rich folk culture. The district consists of the following communes:

• Bujan
• Bytyç
• Fierzë
• Lekbibaj
• Llugaj
• Margegaj
• Tropojë

International Perception

Within Albania, the Tropoje district has had a long reputation as one of the wildest and most conservative regions in Albania, virtually out of control of every government in Tirana, whether royalist, communist, or republican.

The Government of Canada currently advises against non-essential travel to the district of Tropojë and the city of Bajram Curri, where police assistance and protection is limited [1].

The Government of Australia advises travelers to reconsider travel to the north-east region including the cities of Bajram Curri and Tropoje because of the risk of criminal violence and unexploded ordnance along the Albania-Kosovo border [2].

The UK government has issued a similar warning to travelers advising against all travel to the north east border areas (the districts of Kukes, Has and Tropoje) between Albania and Kosovo because of the risk of unexploded ordnance placed during the 1999 Kosovo crisis and the poor condition of the roads.

The British newspaper The Guardian reported in 1999 that in Bajram Curri, the family arsenal often takes up a whole room and typically includes anti-tank mines, hand grenades and rocket launchers [3].

In 1999, chaos and lawlessness led every foreign aid team except the OSCE to pull out of Tropoje in November [4].

References

1. ^ "POPULLSIA SIPAS RRETHEVE, 2001-2010". Albanian Institute of Statistics. http://www.instat.gov.al/graphics/doc/tabelat/Treguesit%20Sociale/Popullsia/POP%202009/t2.xls. Retrieved 2010-09-09. 
2. ^ "Administrative Divisions of Albania". INSTAT. 2007. http://www.instat.gov.al/graphics/doc/downloads/publikime/Tregues%20sipas%20qarqeve2006.pdf. Retrieved 12 January 2011. 

Coordinates: 42°23′N 20°3′E / 42.383°N 20.05°E / 42.383; 20.05