Cerje (, ) is a village at the southeastern end of Pustec Municipality which is officially recognised as a Macedonian minority zone located in the Korçë County of Albania, near the border with Greece. The village is composed of ethnic Macedonians, which form part of the larger Macedonian minority in Albania.
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.Vasil Kanchov (1901). Васил Кънчов. „Македония. Етнография и статистика“. София, 1900, стр. 241. (Macedonia: Ethnography and Statistics, p. 242 . Accessed 13 May 2018 (in Bulgarian) 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.Трайчев, Георги. Български селища в днешна Албания, в: Отецъ Паисий, 15-31 юли 1929 година, стр. 212.
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.Елдъров, Светозар. Българите в Албания 1913-1939. Изследване и документи, София, 2000, стр. 324-326.
Demographics According to a 2007 source, Cerje is the least populous village in Pustec Municipality, having only a small amount of elderly residents.Бело, Раки. Селищни имена в Мала Преска - Албания, в: Македонски преглед, ХХХ, №3, стр.135.
YearPopulation 1900 120 1926 98 1945 175 1960 250 1969 308 1979 308 1989 297 2000 252
References