## 2 Seismicity of the Selected Countries
### Albania  
Albania is a country with moderate seismicity in the Western Balkans. Located on the Alpine-Mediterranean plate, this region has historically been affected by high-intensity earthquakes. Albanian seismic activity is characterized by intense seismic microactivity (3.0 > M > 1.0) by lots of small earthquakes (5.0 > M > 3.0), few mid-sized earthquakes (7.0 > M > 5.0) and very rarely by large earthquakes (M > 7.0). The most important tremors in the last century are given in Table 1.  
Figure 1: Location of selected countries in the active tectonic map (adopted from [49; 50]). Albania and its neighborhood are in a rather complicated seismotectonic region and are prone to earthquakes. A high frequency of earthquakes has been experienced, resulting in loss of life and property destruction in the region (Table 1). According to available records, this region sits in a high rate of seismicity, ranging from moderate to a high seismic risk level. It is characterized by noticeable micro-seismicity (a high number of small earthquakes), sparse mid-sized earthquakes, and very rare large earthquakes. Considering the recorded earthquakes from the accessible data, the earthquakes given in Table 1 were selected by the authors [51]. The first seismic zone intensity map of Albania dates back to 1952. Since then, it has been updated many times until 1979, which is at the moment that the map for seismic evaluation is enforced by the law. The KTP-1963 and KTP-1978 seismic guides were based on the pre-1979s map, which had lower seismic load requirements than the updated values due to a lack of information at the time. Few authors have studied this issue [52]. The largest earthquake in Albania occurred on June 1, 1905, in the North-Western part of Albania with a magnitude of Ms = 6.6. The duration of the tremor was 10-12 s and caused extensive damage to the built environment. In Shkodra alone, around 1500 residential buildings were completely destroyed and all other buildings were severely damaged. In addition, the walls of the historical Shkodra fortress were damaged and partially destroyed. The 15.04.1979 earthquake is one of the strongest earthquakes to occur in the Balkan Peninsula with a moment magnitude of 6.9. The epicenter of this tremor was the coastal area near Petrovac/Montenegro. Several tremors occurred about two weeks before the main shock, and aftershocks lasted for more than nine months. A strong aftershock of Ms = 6.3 occurred on May 24 [53]. This earthquake was one of the main reasons that led to amendments to the earthquake code and seismic zoning maps. Today's seismic zonation map is still based on regions of maximum intensity, not peak ground acceleration. Another strong earthquake occurred in Durres on November 26, 2019, with a magnitude of M\({}_{\rm s}\) = 6.4 [14]. The fact that the epicenter of the earthquake was so close to Albania's most populated and urban area increased the loss of life and injuries. In particular, the old masonry structures in the region were severely damaged and some of them were completely demolished. In this study, this earthquake and its losses will be examined and the results of all analyzes will be compared with the actual damage to the buildings. The seismic source zones of Albania, characterized by active faults and tectonic regimes, are the essential primary inputs for the estimation of seismic hazards [53]. The following nine earthquake zones have been defined in and around Albania: