Macedonia is a country of Southeast Europe. Located within the Balkan peninsula, it covers an area of 25 333 km2. It borders Serbia and Kosovo to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. The main cities are Skopje, the capital, with 399 000 residents (2004), Bitola (81 300 residents), Prilep (63 900 residents), Kumanovo (81 600 residents) And Tetovo (56 600 residents). The main river that runs through the country is the Vardar River, which flows south and flows into the Aegean Sea, near Thessaloniki, Greece.
Most of Macedonia’s territory is situated on a plateau located between 600 and 900 meters above sea level. The soil is composed of shale and volcanic rocks.
Climate
The climate is temperate Mediterranean, with a strong continental influence. The summer is hot and dry and the winter is relatively cold and snowy.
Economy
Agriculture is an important activity in the country’s economy, occupying about 20% of the active population. Maize, tobacco, rice, fruit and wine are produced. Macedonia has an industry linked to lead, zinc, copper and chromium. Macedonia’s main trading partners are Germany, Russia, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 5.6.
Population
It has a population of 2,050,554 residents, (2006), which corresponds to a population density of 80.74 residents/km2. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 12.02% and 8.77%. Average life expectancy is 73.97 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.784 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) was not assigned (2001). Macedonia is ethnicly composed of Macedonians (64.2%), Albanians (25.2%), Turks (3.8%), Roma (2%) and Serbs (2%). In religious terms, they are Serbian Orthodox Christians (54%) and Sunni Muslims (30%). The official language is Macedonian.
History
Macedonia was first colonized by the Slavs in the 6th century and suffered a series of conquests. In the 7th century it was conquered by the Bulgarians, in 1014 by the Byzantines and by Serbia in the 14th century. It became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1355 and was divided between Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece after the Balkan war, already in 1912-13. After the First World War, the Macedonian Serbs became part of the Federal State of Yugoslavia. During the Second World War it was occupied by Bulgaria between 1941-44 and in the post-war period it was part of Yugoslavia, which did not lessen the tensions between ethnic Macedonia and Serbia that dominated the Federal Government. For Macedonia democracy and rights, please check intershippingrates.
After the death of Yugoslav President Tito in 1980, it became clear that the federal structure was not going to stay together. Macedonia tried to achieve independence but the presence of a large Albanian minority and the objections imposed by the Greek Government on the idea of the birth of a state with the same name as a region in northern Greece made the transition difficult. After Croatia and Slovenia separated from Yugoslavia, Macedonia was also driven, by fearing Serbian rule, to declare independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, the year in which a new constitution enshrined in multiparty rule. The new state was admitted to the United Nations in April 1993 under the name of the Republic of Macedonia. Greece did not like it and blocked the recognition of this country from the European Union, contesting the name of the country and the use, on the flag,the Great. Six member countries of the European Union recognized the new nation in December 1993, as did the United States in February 1994. Greece responded with a trade embargo on the Republic. In April 1994 the European Commission initiated proceedings against Greece at the European Court of Justice after its refusal to lift the embargo.
After independence, President Kiro Gligorov was re-elected in October 1994 and only in December 1999 was he replaced by Boris Trajkosvski, a center-right politician with pro-European tendencies who managed to avoid civil war in his country in the summer of 2001 After his death in an air accident in February 2004, Branko Crvenkovski, former prime minister, was elected on April 28, 2004.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Macedonia, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Macedonia. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Macedonia
Browse a collection of country, political, shaded relief and historical maps of this European country. Check out the maps of Central Balkan region and former Yugoslavia.
