Cerje, Albania

Cerje (Albanian definite form: Cerja, Macedonian: Церје) is a village at the southeastern end of Pustec Municipality which is officially recognised as a Macedonian minority zone^[1] located in the Korçë County of Albania,^[2] near the border with Greece. The village is composed of ethnic Macedonians,^[3] which form part of the larger Macedonian minority in Albania.^[4]

Cerje Церје
Village
Cerje
Coordinates: 40°44′58″N 20°58′32″E
Country	Albania
County	Korçë
Municipality	Pustec
Municipal unit	Pustec
Population  (2000)
• Total	252
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

History

In 1900, Vasil Kanchov gathered and compiled statistics on demographics in the area and reported that the village of Cerja (Церя) was inhabited by about 120 Bulgarian Christians.^[5] In 1904, following the Ilinden Uprising, Cerje came under the Bulgarian Exarchate.

In 1911, the village was recorded by Georgi Trajčev as a Bulgarian village having six houses and 54 inhabitants.^[6]

In 1939, on behalf of 15 Bulgarian houses in Cerje Fote Fotev signed a request by the local Bulgarians to the Bulgarian tsaritsa Giovanna requesting her intervention for the protection of the Bulgarian people in Albania - at that time an Italian protectorate.^[7]

Demographics

According to a 2007 source, Cerje is the least populous village in Pustec Municipality, having only a small amount of elderly residents.^[8]

Year	Population[9]
1900	120
1926	98
1945	175
1960	250
1969	308
1979	308
1989	297
2000	252