Fier County (Albanian pronunciation: [fieɽ]; Albanian: Qarku Fier), officially the County of Fier (Albanian: Qarku i Fierit), is a county in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the eighth largest by area and the third most populous of the twelve counties, with more than 286,000 people within an area of 1,890 km2 (730 sq mi). The county borders on the Adriatic Sea to the west, the counties of Tirana to the north, Elbasan to the northeast, Berat to the east and Vlorë to the south, Gjirokastër Country to the sud east. It is divided into six municipalities, Fier, Divjakë, Lushnjë, Mallakastër, Patos and Roskovec, with all of whom incorporate forty-two administrative units.[3]
Fier County
Qarku i Fierit (Albanian)
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Vjosa Valley
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Emblem | |
Map of Albania with Fier County highlighted
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| Coordinates: 40°45′N 19°35′E / 40.750°N 19.583°E / 40.750; 19.583 | |
| Country |  Albania |
| Seat | Fier |
| Subdivisions | 6 municipalities: |
| Government | |
| • Council chairman | Evis Sema (PS) [1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,890 km2 (730 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 8th |
| Population
(2021[2])
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| • Total | 286,002 |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| • Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| HDI (2021) | 0.769 high · 10th of 12 |
| NUTS Code | AL032 |
| Website | Official Website |
Until 2000, Fier County was subdivided into three districts: Fier, Lushnjë, and Mallakastër. Before 2015, it consisted of 42 municipalities.[3]
According to the last national census from 2011, Fier County had 310,331 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the county include:[4]
Islam is the largest religion in the county, forming 48.52% of the total population (150,559 people). There are also some Bektashi Muslims with 1.01% (3,137 people), 7.15% percent consisting of believers without a denomination (22,186 people) and Christians forming 15.91% of the county's population (Orthodox (13.76%) (42,993 people), Evangelists (0.11% (331 people) (and Roman Catholics) (1.98%) (6,149 people).
