Tirana 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. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of 600,000, with metro area population of 763,634.

The city is host to many public institutions, public and private universities, and is the centre of the political, economic, and cultural life of the country.

The Municipality of Tirana is located in Tirana District, Tirana County, about 32 kilometers (20 mi) inland. Tirana's average altitude is 110 meters (360 ft) above sea level and its highest point measures 1,828 m (5,997.38 ft) at Mali me Gropa. The city is mostly surrounded by hills, with Dajti Mountain on the east and a slight valley opening on the north-west overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. The Tiranë river runs through the city, as does the Lanë stream. The city borders the surrounding municipalities of Paskuqan, Dajt, Farkë, Vaqarr, Kashar and Kamëz.

The city has four artificial lakes: the Tirana Artificial Lake around which was built the Big Park, Paskuqani Lake, Farka Lake, and Tufina Lake.

Tirana is on the same parallel as Naples, Madrid, Istanbul, and New York, and on the same meridian as Budapest and Kraków.