Tirana County
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Tirana County Qarku Tiranë |
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| County | |||||||||
Clockwise from top: Tirana, Fortress of Bashtovë, Petrelë Castle, Golem Beach, Prezë Castle, Krrabë and View of Tirana from Mount Dajt
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 Tirana County on Albania's Map |
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| Coordinates: 41°15′N 19°45′E / 41.250°N 19.750°E | |||||||||
| Country |
 Albania
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| Communes | 5 | ||||||||
| Villages | 248 | ||||||||
| Established | 2000 | ||||||||
| County Seat | Tirana | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • Council Chairman | Aldrin Dalipi | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| • Total | 1,652 km2 (638 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Elevation | 156 m (512 ft) | ||||||||
| Population (2011) | |||||||||
| • Total | 749,365 | ||||||||
| • Density | 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||||||||
| NUTS Code | AL022 | ||||||||
| Website | Official Website | ||||||||
Tirana County is a county in central Albania. The Tirana County borders on the Durrës County in the north, Dibër County in the northeast, Elbasan County in the southeast, Fier County in the southwest and the Adriatic Sea in the west.
The central city Tirana is one of largest cities in the Balkan Peninsula and ranks 7th with a population of 610,070.
The area has been populated since Paleolithic times dating back 10,000 to 30,000 years ago. As argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with Illyrian toponyms as its precincts are some of the earliest regions in Albania to be inhabited. Tirana was founded as a city in 1614 although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity.
Mount Dajt National Park is located in Tirana County. From this area there is an excellent view of Tirana and its plain. This is the reason this place has been named as the Balcony of Tirana.
The area has been populated since the Paleolithic era, dating back 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, as suggested by evidence from tools excavated near Mount Dajt's quarry and in Pellumba Cave. As argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with Illyrian toponyms, as its precincts are some of the earliest inhabited regions in Albania. The Illyrians called the settlement Tërana.
The oldest discovery in downtown Tirana was a Roman house, later transformed into an aisleless church with a mosaic-floor, dating to the 3rd century A.D., with other remains found near a medieval temple at Shengjin Fountain in the eastern suburbs. A castle possibly called Tirkan or Theranda, whose remnants are found along Murat Toptani Street, was built by Emperor Justinian in 520 A.D. and restored by Ahmed Pasha Toptani in the 18th century. The area had no special importance in Illyrian and classical times. In 1510, Marin Barleti, an Albanian Catholic priest and scholar, in the biography of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg referred to this area as a small village.
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