Tirana (Listeni /tɪˈrɑːnə/, Albanian: Tiranë, Tirana or Tirona) is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and now it has a population of more than 600,000. The city is home to many universities and is the center of the political, economical, and cultural life of the country.

Geography
The Municipality of Tirana lies on the river Ishëm, about 32 kilometers (20 mi) inland and is located at (41.33°N, 19.82°E) in Tirana District, Tirana County. Tirana's average altitude is 110 meters (361 ft) above sea level and its highest point measures 1,828 m (5,997.38 ft) at Mali me Gropa. The city is on the same parallel as Naples, Madrid and Istanbul and on the same meridian as Budapest and Krakow. In addition to Ishëm, the Tiranë river also runs through the city, whereas the Lanë river, that runs through much of the city, is a brook. The city also contains a total of four artificial lakes: the Tirana Artificial Lake around which was built the Big Park, the Kodër-Kamëz Lake, Farka Lake, and Tufina Lake.