The Ghegs and Tosks are the two main ethnic groups of which country?

The Ghegs and Tosks are the two major dialectal subgroups of Albania. The Ghegs predominately live in the north of Albania (north of the Shkumbin river) but are also found in Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The Tosks tend to inhabit the south of Albania. The separate groups emerged after the Ottoman Empire invaded southern Albania in 1488 but failed to take the north.

Ghegs living north of the Shkumbin river refer to the area as Gegënia or Gegëria. The Ghegs speak Gheg Albanian, whereas the Tosks speak a different dialect, which is generally used by the majority of Albanians. Areas inhabited by the Tosks is often called Toskëria.

Ghegs tend to keep to themselves whereas Tosks are open to marrying Albanians outside of their tribe. Ghegs and Tosks generally do not integrate, therefore, their physical appearances have begun to differ over time. The Ghegs are often taller, more slender and lighter-skinned than the Tosks, who are described as a darker Mediterranean type. The Tosks tend to have smaller noses and rounder faces than Ghegs.