Saranda Travel Guide

Sarandë (Albanian: Sarandë, "Forty Saints"; Greek: Άγιοι Σαράντα or Ágii Saránda, Italian: Santi Quarantaˈaʝiː saˈɾanda), is the capital of the District of Sarandë in Albania, and it is one of the most important tourist attractions of the Albanian Riviera. In ancient times, the area around Saranda was inhabited by the tribe of the Chaonians, one of the three main tribes of Epirus and formed part of the region of Chaonia. Today, Saranda's population is a mixture of ethnic Albanians and Greeks. There are different percentages presented from the two main ethnic groups. Albania declares that a lot of ethnic Albanians have declared themselves Greeks in order to get a pension given by Greek Government toward ehtnic minority in Albania. On the other hand, Greeks declares that there has been an albanization of the Greek minority. Albanians today are thought to amount to 27,000 or 93% of the total population of the town to 3,000 or 7% people of the Greek minority. This is due to the large urbanization of the area from 1990, when the communist regime collapsed. Before that, Albanians were 78% of the population, with the rest made up of Greek and Vlach minority.http://www.southeasteurope.org/documents/0009albminorities.pdf 1 The city was known by a Latin name, Onchesmos, prior to Byzantine times. In Byzantine times, the city was renamed "Agioi Saranda" (meaning "Forty Saints" in Greek), after the Forty Martyrs of Sebastea, traditionally commemorated by the Albanian Orthodox Church on 10 March. During the period of Italian annexation in World War II, the city was renamed "Porto Edda" in honour of Edda Mussolini, the eldest daughter of Benito Mussolini. (...) more....

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