Gjirokastër District
The circle Gjirokastra (Albanian: Rrethi i Gjirokastrës ) is one of the 36 administrative districts of Albania, located in the south of the country. The circle with an area of 1.137 km ² belongs to Qark Gjirokastra. It has 35,843 inhabitants ( 2011). It was named after the main town of Gjirokastra district.
Geography and population
This region is highly mountainous. Only the long valley of the Drino that runs from south to north through the circuit, provides large flat areas. Caught it on the west by the long mountain range of the Mali i Gjere ( 1,800 m) and to the east by the Lunxhëria - Buretoja - mountain range ( 2156 m), narrow in the north to a gorge through which the Drino leaves the area. The Lunxhëria Mountains have a hill foothills, so that the level in the Drino Valley may expand less here. The villages have expanded in the last few decades in the plane. Traditionally, they are at the edge of the valley, on a slope or hill. The Drino Valley is rich in cultural history, in particular the ancient cities Antigonea and Adrianapol are worth mentioning.
Behind the Lunxhëria - Buretoja mountain range is the remote high valleys of Zagoria and Pogon, which are difficult to reach. They are ( 2,485 m) bounded on the east by the steep mountain Dhëmbel - Nemërçka, which forms the border with the county Përmet. In the south and east of the county border is the border with Greece.
The circle Gjirokastra has a large Greek minority living in 33 villages south of Gjirokastra. They focus in Dropull, the southern Drino Valley, and the Pogon Valley. Even more than the rest of the population of the district, the Greeks emigrated in the 1990s to Greece. The rights of the Greeks has repeatedly led to disputes between Albania and Greece. In Greece, the claim was also repeatedly expressed the North Epirus, also the district of Gjirokastra belongs to incorporate the Greek State.
Exactly 50 percent the proportion of people who belong to the Orthodox Christians. The proportion of Muslims is 40 per cent, of which almost half are Bektashi.
History
The circle Gjirokastra has a long story to tell, from the numerous cultural assets. From numerous Illyrian ruins of the settlement Antigoneia are still preserved. In Sofratike witness the ruins of the theater of Adrian Opel by a significant Greco-Roman city. This is the only settlement that was built in the plane of Drino. St. Mary's Church in Labova e Kryqit dates from the 10th century. At the time of Turkish remember numerous castles, bridges, and in particular the excellent as a Unesco World Heritage Old City of Gjirokastra.
Economy
Outside of Gjirokastra, the economy is primarily characterized by agriculture. Here is the state with its government and educational institutions important employer. Due to the good road connection to Greece several commercial establishments and importers are in a circle emerged - particularly in the villages of the Greek minority along the road from Gjirokaster to the border. Close to the border is located in the village of Glina, the largest mineral spring and the largest bottled water producer in the country.
Tourism is gradually increasing in importance, but focuses still on the main town.
The Guardia di Finanza counted in 2013 in the village Lazarat south vonGjirokastra 500 cannabis plantations, which included 319 acres of land.
Traffic
The circle Gjirokastra is crossed by a main road, which leads from central Albania to the border crossing Kakavia. This road has been expanded in recent years to an expressway.