When the communist party came into power, just like at the beginning of the 20th Century, the vast majority of Albanian society were inhabitants of villages. The northern part of the country, traditionally dominated by shepherding still had tribal structures. The social order in this area was determined by common law, and the basic form of social organisation remained clans. In the south, agriculture dominated south of the River Shkumbin. In this area, society recognized common law to a lower extent than in the north, and foreign influence meant that there was a corrosion in the institutions of clan and patriarchal family. The pre-war demographic structure in Albania was characterized by high birth and death rates. The average population density in 1938 equalled 38 people per square km and was clearly lower than in other countries, such as Greece and Yugoslavia.