North Macedonia: Difference between revisions
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'''Macedonia''' ({{Audio-IPA|en-us-Macedonia.ogg|/ˌmæsɨˈdoʊniə/}}, {{lang-mk|Македонија}}), officially the '''Republic of Macedonia''' ({{lang-mk|Република Македонија}}, [[Romanization of Macedonian|transliterated]]: ''Republika Makedonija'' {{Audio-IPA|help=no|Mk-Republika Makedonija.ogg|[rɛˈpublika makɛˈdɔnija]}}), is a country in the central [[Balkans|Balkan peninsula]] in southeastern [[Europe]]. It is one of the successor states of the former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], from which it declared independence in 1991. It was admitted to the [[United Nations]] in 1993 under the provisional reference of '''the former <!-- DO NOT CAPITALIZE "THE FORMER" - LOWER CASE IS CORRECT --> Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia''',<ref>UN Resolutions #817 of April 7 and #845 of June 18 of 1993, see [http://www.un.org/Docs/scres/1993/scres93.htm UN resolutions made on 1993]<!--don't change this link, direct links to resolutions won't work--></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/members/notes/yugoslavia.htm|title=Note on Yugoslavia|accessdate=2008-05-10}} "''By resolution A/RES/47/225 of 8 April 1993, the General Assembly decided to admit as a Member of the United Nations the State being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over its name.''"</ref> sometimes abbreviated as '''FYROM'''. |
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Of '''Macedonia''' (the modern, not |
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The ancient country, or whatever else) |
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A [[landlocked]] country, the Republic of Macedonia is bordered by [[Serbia]] and [[Kosovo]] to the north, [[Bulgaria]] to the east, [[Greece]] to the south and [[Albania]] to the west.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=288 The Republic of Macedonia - BASIC FACTS], Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs</ref> |
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We read in our most valued sources thus: |
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That it's a country centrally located |
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The country's capital is [[Skopje]], with 506,926 inhabitants according to a 2004 census. Other cities include [[Bitola]], [[Kumanovo]], [[Prilep]], [[Tetovo]], [[Ohrid]], [[Veles (city)|Veles]], [[Štip]], [[Kočani]], [[Gostivar]] and [[Strumica]]. It has more than 50 lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,550 [[30.48 cm|ft]]). |
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In [[Europe]]'s southernmost peninsula, |
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Known as the [[Balkans]]; that, in its own [[Macedonian language|language]] |
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Macedonia is a member of the [[United Nations|UN]] and the [[Council of Europe]]. Since December 2005 it has also been a [[Accession of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the European Union|candidate for joining the European Union]] and has applied for [[NATO]] membership. |
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Its name is written "Македонија", |
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While {{IPA|/ˌmæsɨˈdoʊniə/}} it is pronounced |
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In English; thirdly, that it used to be |
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Part of the state of [[Yugoslavia]] |
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Till Nineteen Hundred Ninety One, the year |
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In which its independence was declared. |
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It did accede to the [[United Nations]], |
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Not with the name it chose to call itself, |
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But with the somewhat convoluted title, |
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"'''the former Yugoslav Republic of...'''",<ref>UN Resolutions #817 of April 7 and #845 of June 18 of 1993, see [http://www.un.org/Docs/scres/1993/scres93.htm UN resolutions made on 1993]<!--don't change this link, direct links to resolutions won't work--></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/members/notes/yugoslavia.htm|title=Note on Yugoslavia|accessdate=2008-05-10}} "''By resolution A/RES/47/225 of 8 April 1993, the General Assembly decided to admit as a Member of the United Nations the State being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over its name.''"</ref> |
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(or "FYROM", short, for those who so prefer.) |
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A landlocked country, Macedonia |
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Is bordered first by [[Serbia]] to the north |
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(including [[Kosovo]]), then, to the east, |
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[[Bulgaria]], then [[Greece]], in clockwise fashion, |
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And, westwards, last not least, [[Albania]].<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=288 The Republic of Macedonia - BASIC FACTS], Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs</ref> |
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The country's capital is [[Skopje]], with |
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Just over half a million living souls, |
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(According to the latest census figures, from |
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Two thousand four). The country's largest cities, |
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Besides the capital, are [[Bitola]], |
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[[Kumanovo]] and [[Prilep]], followed by |
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[[Tetovo]], [[Ohrid]], [[Veles]], [[Štip]], [[Kočani]], |
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Fair [[Gostivar]], and [[Strumica]]. It boasts |
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Well over fifty lakes, and sixteen mountains |
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Whose snow-clad tops reach up to lofty heights |
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Of upwards of two thousand meters each. |
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[[Council of Europe]] and [[United Nations]] |
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Have both embraced this country in their midst; |
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While [[NATO]] and that most exclusive club, |
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The [[European Union]], have so far |
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Declined to welcome it amongst their number: |
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: The naming issue causes Greece some trouble, |
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: With NATO and EU, the trouble's double. |
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</poem> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{main|History of the Republic of Macedonia}} |
{{main|History of the Republic of Macedonia}} |
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===Ancient history of the territory=== |
===Ancient history of the territory=== |
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<poem> |
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The first recorded states in the area now comprising the Republic of Macedonia were the kingdoms of [[Paionia]] (which covered the northern and eastern regions of the [[Vardar]] river valley), [[Lyncestis]], and [[Pelagonia]]. They were populated by ancient [[ancient Macedonians|Macedonian]] and [[Thraco-Illyrian]] peoples and were later partly or entirely incorporated into the kingdom of [[Macedon]]. According to [[Strabo]], Queen [[Eurydice II of Macedon]], grandmother of [[Alexander the Great]], came from Lyncestis<ref>Strabo. Geography. Book VII, Chapter VII, 8 (Getae, Macedonia, Black Sea)</ref>. [[Philip II of Macedon]] took over the southernmost regions of Paionia in 336 BC and founded the city of [[Heraclea Lyncestis]], in what is now Bitola.<ref>Macedonian Center for Archaeological Research. The Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia in the Republic of Macedonia. [http://www.macar.org/projects/projects_kingdom_intro.html]</ref> Philip's son [[Alexander the Great]] conquered the remainder of the region and incorporated it in his empire. Subsequently the territory was conquered by [[Rome]], and the region became part of two [[Roman provinces]]. The greater part was within [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia Salutaris]], but the northern border regions, inhabited by the [[Dardani]], became a part of [[Moesia Superior]].<ref> Encyclopaedia Britannica — Scopje. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068124/Skopje]</ref> By 400 AD the [[Paeonians]] had lost their identity, and [[Paionia|Paeonia]] was merely a geographic term. |
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The first recorded states that grew and prospered |
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In what is now called Macedonia |
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Were of [[Paionia]] the kingdom (which |
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lay in the north and east of [[Vardar]] valley), |
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and [[Lyncestis]] and [[Pelagonia]]. |
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Inhabited they were of [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonians]], |
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[[Thracians|Thraco]]-[[Illyrians|Illyrian]] tribes, and sundry others, |
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and later partly, or entirely, |
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these were sucked up within that mighty realm |
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of ancient [[Macedon]]. Thus tells us [[Strabo]]:<ref>Strabo. Geography. Book VII, Chapter VII, 8 (Getae, Macedonia, Black Sea)</ref> |
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that Queen [[Eurydice II of Macedon|Eurydice]], of Macedon, |
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by-named the Second, glorious [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s |
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grand-dame, was born in Lyncestis. Then [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip]], |
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her mighty son, did conquer Paionia |
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(the southern parts of it, to be precise) |
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in three hundred and thirty-six BC. |
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Of [[Heraclea Lyncestis]] the city, |
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Now known as [[Bitola]], he was the founder,<ref>Macedonian Center for Archaeological Research. The Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia in the Republic of Macedonia. [http://www.macar.org/projects/projects_kingdom_intro.html]</ref> |
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And the remaining parts of these fair lands |
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Fell shortly afterwards to Alexander, |
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Like a ripe fruit. Subsequently, the [[Romans]], |
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Passed by, and saw, and conquered. Thus, the country |
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Became divided finally between |
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Two Roman provinces: the greater part |
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Was called [[Macedonia Salutaris]], |
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Whereas the northern border regions, which |
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Were home to the [[Dardani]], joined the province |
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then known as [[Moesia Superior]].<ref> Encyclopaedia Britannica — Scopje. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068124/Skopje]</ref> |
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By 400 AD, the [[Paeonians]] |
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Had lost identity and language too. |
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</poem> |
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===Medieval period=== |
===Medieval period=== |
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{{main|South Slavs}} |
{{main|South Slavs}} |
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[[Image:Macodnian Sklavinia.png|thumb| |
[[Image:Macodnian Sklavinia.png|thumb|right|250px|''Sklaviniae in Medieval Macedonia'' c. 700 AD.]] |
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[[Image:Ohrid in Macedonia3.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[Samuil's Fortress, Ohrid|Samuil's Fortress]]]] |
[[Image:Ohrid in Macedonia3.jpg|thumb|180px|right|[[Samuil's Fortress, Ohrid|Samuil's Fortress]]]] |
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<poem> |
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During the 580s, [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] literature attests to the Slavs raiding Byzantine territories in the region of Macedonia. [[Presian I of Bulgaria|Presian's]] reign apparently coincides with the extension of Bulgarian control over the Slavic tribes in and around Macedonia. The Slavic peoples that settled in the region of Macedonia accepted Christianity as their own religion around the 9th century, during the reign of prince [[Boris I of Bulgaria]]. |
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The late 6th century first saw the [[Slavs]] |
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Raiding the Roman territories – thus |
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In 1014, Emperor [[Basil II]] finally defeated the armies of [[Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria]] and by 1018 the Byzantines restored control over Macedonia (and all of the Balkans) for the first time since the 600s. However, by the late 12th century, inevitable Byzantine decline saw the region become contested by various political entities, including a brief [[Normans|Norman]] occupation in the 1080s. In the early 13th century, a revived [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]] gained control of the region. Plagued by political difficulties the empire did not last and the region came once again under Byzantine control in early 14th century. In the 14th century, it became part of the [[Serbian Empire]], who saw themselves as liberators of their Slavic kin from Byzantine despotism. [[Skopje]] became the capital of [[Tsar Stefan Dusan]]'s empire. |
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We're told by Byzantine historians. |
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The reign of [[Presian]] apparently |
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With Dusan's death, a weak successor and power struggles between nobles divided the Balkans once again. This coincided with the entry of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] into Europe. With no major Balkan power left to defend Christianity, the entire Balkans fell to Turkish rule — which would remain so for five centuries. |
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Brought the extension of [[Bulgars|Bulgarian]] |
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Control throughout the Slavic settlements |
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Of Macedonia. The Slavic peoples, |
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Who settled in the region, finally |
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Turned Christian, Orthodox, during the reign |
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Of famous [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris of Bulgaria]]. |
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In 1014, then, the emperor |
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Of mighty Rome, [[Basil II|Basil the Second]], fought |
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And won a crucial victory against |
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[[Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria|Tsar Samuil]], the ruler of Bulgaria, |
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And thus by 1018, Byzantines |
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Had once again control of all the Balkans. |
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However, by the late 12th century, |
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It was already being lost again: |
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First, [[Normans]] occupied, then, soon enough, |
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Bulgarians restored their reign, but only |
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To lose it all as quickly as they gained it; |
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The Byzantines returned, and then the [[Serbs]], |
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Who saw themselves as liberators of |
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Their Slavic kin from Byzantine oppression, |
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Appeared and put the Byzantines to flight. |
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The Serbian Tsar, called [[Stefan Dusan]], chose |
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The town of Skopje as his capital. |
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When Dusan died, and left but weak successors, |
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And power struggles raging in their midst, |
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The Balkans were again divided, falling |
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An easy prey, to yet another empire: |
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The [[Ottoman Turks|Ottomans]], victorious warriors, entered |
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And conquered all the Balkans, and much more. |
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: Resistance proving futile, hopes in vein, |
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: Five centuries ensued of Turkish reign. |
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</poem> |
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===The National Awakening=== |
===The National Awakening=== |
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Revision as of 15:40, 12 June 2009
![]() | The current title of this article, Macedonia, is disputed. Wikipedia articles may have only one unique title; the use of the current title does not imply an endorsement of that title. The title of this article is currently the subject of a final decision issued by the Arbitration Committee. |
Republic of Macedonia | |
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Anthem: Денес над Македонија (English: ["Today over Macedonia"] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) | |
![]() | |
Capital and largest city | Skopje |
Official languages | Macedonian1[1] |
Demonym(s) | Macedonian |
Government | Parliamentary republic |
Gjorge Ivanov | |
Nikola Gruevski | |
Independence from | |
Area | |
• Total | 25,713 km2 (9,928 sq mi) (148th) |
• Water (%) | 1.9% |
Population | |
• 2009 estimate | 2,114,550 (142nd) |
• 2002 census | 2,022,547 |
• Density | 822/km2 (2,129.0/sq mi) (113th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2008 estimate |
• Total | $18.818 billion[2] |
• Per capita | $9,157[2] |
GDP (nominal) | 2008 estimate |
• Total | $9.569 billion[2] |
• Per capita | $4,656[2] |
Gini (2004) | 29.3 low inequality |
HDI (2005) | ![]() Error: Invalid HDI value (68th) |
Currency | Macedonian denar (MKD) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Drives on | right |
Calling code | 389 |
ISO 3166 code | MK |
Internet TLD | .mk |
Of Macedonia (the modern, not
The ancient country, or whatever else)
We read in our most valued sources thus:
That it's a country centrally located
In Europe's southernmost peninsula,
Known as the Balkans; that, in its own language
Its name is written "Македонија",
While /ˌmæsɨˈdoʊniə/ it is pronounced
In English; thirdly, that it used to be
Part of the state of Yugoslavia
Till Nineteen Hundred Ninety One, the year
In which its independence was declared.
It did accede to the United Nations,
Not with the name it chose to call itself,
But with the somewhat convoluted title,
"the former Yugoslav Republic of...",[3][4]
(or "FYROM", short, for those who so prefer.)
A landlocked country, Macedonia
Is bordered first by Serbia to the north
(including Kosovo), then, to the east,
Bulgaria, then Greece, in clockwise fashion,
And, westwards, last not least, Albania.[5]
The country's capital is Skopje, with
Just over half a million living souls,
(According to the latest census figures, from
Two thousand four). The country's largest cities,
Besides the capital, are Bitola,
Kumanovo and Prilep, followed by
Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, Kočani,
Fair Gostivar, and Strumica. It boasts
Well over fifty lakes, and sixteen mountains
Whose snow-clad tops reach up to lofty heights
Of upwards of two thousand meters each.
Council of Europe and United Nations
Have both embraced this country in their midst;
While NATO and that most exclusive club,
The European Union, have so far
Declined to welcome it amongst their number:
The naming issue causes Greece some trouble,
With NATO and EU, the trouble's double.
History
Ancient history of the territory
The first recorded states that grew and prospered
In what is now called Macedonia
Were of Paionia the kingdom (which
lay in the north and east of Vardar valley),
and Lyncestis and Pelagonia.
Inhabited they were of Macedonians,
Thraco-Illyrian tribes, and sundry others,
and later partly, or entirely,
these were sucked up within that mighty realm
of ancient Macedon. Thus tells us Strabo:[6]
that Queen Eurydice, of Macedon,
by-named the Second, glorious Alexander's
grand-dame, was born in Lyncestis. Then Philip,
her mighty son, did conquer Paionia
(the southern parts of it, to be precise)
in three hundred and thirty-six BC.
Of Heraclea Lyncestis the city,
Now known as Bitola, he was the founder,[7]
And the remaining parts of these fair lands
Fell shortly afterwards to Alexander,
Like a ripe fruit. Subsequently, the Romans,
Passed by, and saw, and conquered. Thus, the country
Became divided finally between
Two Roman provinces: the greater part
Was called Macedonia Salutaris,
Whereas the northern border regions, which
Were home to the Dardani, joined the province
then known as Moesia Superior.[8]
By 400 AD, the Paeonians
Had lost identity and language too.
Medieval period
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Ohrid_in_Macedonia3.jpg/180px-Ohrid_in_Macedonia3.jpg)
The late 6th century first saw the Slavs
Raiding the Roman territories – thus
We're told by Byzantine historians.
The reign of Presian apparently
Brought the extension of Bulgarian
Control throughout the Slavic settlements
Of Macedonia. The Slavic peoples,
Who settled in the region, finally
Turned Christian, Orthodox, during the reign
Of famous Boris of Bulgaria.
In 1014, then, the emperor
Of mighty Rome, Basil the Second, fought
And won a crucial victory against
Tsar Samuil, the ruler of Bulgaria,
And thus by 1018, Byzantines
Had once again control of all the Balkans.
However, by the late 12th century,
It was already being lost again:
First, Normans occupied, then, soon enough,
Bulgarians restored their reign, but only
To lose it all as quickly as they gained it;
The Byzantines returned, and then the Serbs,
Who saw themselves as liberators of
Their Slavic kin from Byzantine oppression,
Appeared and put the Byzantines to flight.
The Serbian Tsar, called Stefan Dusan, chose
The town of Skopje as his capital.
When Dusan died, and left but weak successors,
And power struggles raging in their midst,
The Balkans were again divided, falling
An easy prey, to yet another empire:
The Ottomans, victorious warriors, entered
And conquered all the Balkans, and much more.
Resistance proving futile, hopes in vein,
Five centuries ensued of Turkish reign.
The National Awakening
Ottoman rule over the region was considered harsh. Several movements whose goals were the establishment of autonomous Macedonia, encompassing the entire region of Macedonia, began to arise in the late 1800s; the earliest of these was the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees, later transformed to SMORO. In 1905 it was renamed as Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) and after World War I the organization separated into the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) and the Internal Thracian Revolutionary Organisation (ITRO). The early organization did not proclaim any ethnic identities; it was officially open to "...uniting all the disgruntled elements in Macedonia and the Adrianople region, regardless of their nationality..."[9] The majority of its members were however Slavic/Bulgarian-speakers.[9] In 1903, IMRO organised the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottomans, which after some initial successes, including the forming of the Krushevo Republic, was crushed with much loss of life. The uprising and the forming of the Krushevo Republic are considered the cornerstone and precursors to the eventual establishment of the Macedonian state.
Kingdoms of Serbia and Yugoslavia
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Balkan_Wars_Boundaries_cleanup.jpg/180px-Balkan_Wars_Boundaries_cleanup.jpg)
Following the two Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913 and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, most of its European held territories were divided between Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. The territory of the modern Macedonian state was then named Južna Srbija, "Southern Serbia". After the First World War, Serbia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929, the Kingdom was officially renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and divided into provinces called banovinas. Southern Serbia, including all of what is now the Republic of Macedonia, became known as the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Yugoslav Macedonia in World War II
During World War II, Yugoslavia was occupied by the Axis Powers from 1941 to 1945. The Vardar Banovina was divided between Bulgaria and Italian-occupied Albania. The Bulgarian 5th Army, based in Skopje, was responsible for the round-up and deportation of over 7,000 Jews in Skopje and Bitola. Harsh rule by the occupying forces encouraged many Macedonians to support the Communist Partisan resistance movement of Josip Broz Tito, and the National Liberation War ensued, with Axis forces being driven out of Macedonia by the end of 1944.
Macedonia in Socialist Yugoslavia
In 1944 the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) proclaimed the People's Republic of Macedonia as part of the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ASNOM remained an acting government until the end of the war.
The new republic became one of the six republics of the Yugoslav federation. Following the federation's renaming as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963, the People's Republic of Macedonia was likewise renamed, becoming the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. It dropped the "Socialist" from its name in 1991 when it peacefully seceded from Yugoslavia.
Declaration of independence
The country officially celebrates September 8, 1991 as Independence day (Macedonian: Ден на независноста, Den na nezavisnosta), with regard to the referendum endorsing independence from Yugoslavia, albeit legalising participation in future union of the former states of Yugoslavia. The anniversary of the start of the Ilinden Uprising (St. Elijah's Day) on August 2 is also widely celebrated on an official level.
Robert Badinter as a head of Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on the former Yugoslavia recommended EC recognition in January 1992.[10]
Macedonia remained at peace through the Yugoslav wars of the early 1990s. A few very minor changes to its border with Yugoslavia were agreed upon to resolve problems with the demarcation line between the two countries. However, it was seriously destabilised by the Kosovo War in 1999, when an estimated 360,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo took refuge in the country. Although they departed shortly after the war, soon after, Albanian radicals on both sides of the border took up arms in pursuit of autonomy or independence for the Albanian-populated areas of Macedonia.
Albanian insurgency
A civil war was fought between government and ethnic Albanian insurgents, mostly in the north and west of the country, between March and June 2001. The war ended with the intervention of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ceasefire monitoring force. Under the terms of the Ohrid Agreement, the government agreed to devolve greater political power and cultural recognition to the Albanian minority. The Albanian side agreed to abandon separatist demands and to fully recognise all Macedonian institutions. In addition, according to this accord, the NLA were to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force.
Geography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/North_Macedonia-CIA_WFB_Map.png/220px-North_Macedonia-CIA_WFB_Map.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/KorabMountain2.jpg/220px-KorabMountain2.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Solunska_glava.jpg/220px-Solunska_glava.jpg)
Macedonia is has a total area of 25,333 km2 (9,781 sq mi). It has some 748 km (465 mi) of boundaries, shared with Serbia (62 km (39 mi)*) to the North, Kosovo (159 km (99 mi)*) to the northwest, Bulgaria (148 km (92 mi)*) to the east, Greece (228 km (142 mi)*) to the south, and Albania (151 km (94 mi)*) to the west. The country represents a major transportation corridor between Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe. It is part of a larger region also known as Macedonia, which includes a region of northern Greece known as Macedonia – administratively split into three peripheries, one of them comprising both Western Thrace and a part of Greek Macedonia – and the Blagoevgrad province in southwestern Bulgaria.
Topography
Macedonia is a landlocked country that is geographically clearly defined by a central valley formed by the Vardar river and framed along its borders by mountain ranges. The terrain is mostly rugged, located between the Šar Mountains and Osogovo, which frame the valley of the Vardar river. Three large lakes — Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Dojran Lake — lie on the southern borders, bisected by the frontiers with Albania and Greece. Ohrid is considered to be one of the oldest lakes and biotopes in the world.[11] The region is seismically active and has been the site of destructive earthquakes in the past, most recently in 1963 when Skopje was heavily damaged by a major earthquake, killing over 1,000.
Macedonia also has scenic mountains. They belong to two different mountain ranges: the first is the Šar Mountains[12][13] that continues to the West Vardar/Pelagonia group of mountains (Baba Mountain, Nidže, Kozuf and Jakupica), also known as the Dinaric range. The second range is the Osogovo-Belasica mountain chain, also known as the Rhodope range. The mountains belonging to the Šar Mountains and the West Vardar/Pelagonia range are younger and higher than the older mountains that are part of the Osogovo-Belasica mountain group. The ten highest mountains in Macedonia are:
Name | Height (m) | Height (ft) |
Mount Korab | 2,764 | 9,396 |
Šar Mountains | 2,747 | 9,012 |
Baba Mountain | 2,601 | 8,533 |
Jakupica | 2,540 | 8,333 |
Nidže | 2,521 | 8,271 |
Dešat | 2,373 | 7,785 |
Galičica | 2,288 | 7,507 |
Stogovo | 2,273 | 7,457 |
Jablanica | 2,257 | 7,405 |
Osogovo | 2,251 | 7,383 |
Mount Bistra | 2,163 | 7,096 |
Plačkovica | 1,754 | 5,754 |
Climate
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Macedonian_mountains.jpg/220px-Macedonian_mountains.jpg)
Macedonia has a transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. The summers are hot and dry and the winters are moderately cold. Average annual precipitation varies from 1,700 mm (67 inches) in the western mountainous area to 500 mm (20 inches) in the eastern area. There are three main climatic zones in the country: temperate Mediterranean, mountainous and mildly Continental. Along the valleys of the Vardar and Strumica rivers, in the regions of Gevgelija, Valandovo, Dojran, Strumica and Radovish the climate is temperate Mediterranean. The warmest regions are Demir Kapija and Gevgelija, where the temperature in July and August frequently exceeds 40 °C (104 °F). The mountainous climate is present in the mountainous regions of the country and it is characterised by long and snowy winters and short and cold summers. The spring is colder than the fall. The majority of Macedonia has a moderate continental climate with warm and dry summers and relatively cold and wet winters. There are 30 main and regular weather stations in the country.
Wildlife
Phytogeographically, Macedonia belongs to the Illyrian province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the European Environment Agency, Macedonia's territory can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the Pindus Mountains mixed forests, Balkan mixed forests, Rhodopes mixed forests and Aegean sclerophyllous and mixed forests.
Administrative regions
Regions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/MSR.png/250px-MSR.png)
Macedonia's statistical regions exist solely for legal and statistical purposes. The regions are:
Municipalities and cities
In August 2004, Macedonia's local government was reorganised into 85 municipalities (opštini; sing. opština), 10 of which comprise Greater Skopje. This is reduced from the previous 123 municipalities established in September 1996. Prior to this, local government was organised into 34 administrative districts.
Politics
Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a coalition of parties from the unicameral legislature ([Собрание, Sobranie] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) and an independent judicial branch with a constitutional court. The Assembly is made up of 120 seats and the members are elected every four years. The role of the President of the Republic is mostly ceremonial, with the real power resting in the hands of the President of the Government. The President is the commander-in-chief of the state armed forces and a president of the state Security Council. The President is elected every five years and he or she can be elected twice at most. The current President is Branko Crvenkovski. On the second run of the presidential elections held on 5 April 2009 Gjorge Ivanov was the elected as new Macedonian president:[14]
With the passage of a new law and elections held in 2005, local government functions are divided between 78 municipalities ([општини, opštini] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help); singular: [општина, opština] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)). The capital, Skopje, is governed as a group of ten municipalities collectively referred to as the "City of Skopje". Municipalities in Macedonia are units of local self-government. Neighbouring municipalities may establish co-operative arrangements.
The country's main political divergence is between the largely ethnically-based political parties representing the country's ethnic Macedonian majority and Albanian minority. The issue of the power balance between the two communities led to a brief war in 2001, following which a power-sharing agreement was reached. In August 2004, Macedonia's parliament passed legislation redrawing local boundaries and giving greater local autonomy to ethnic Albanians in areas where they predominate.
After a troublesome pre-election campaign, Macedonia saw a relatively calm and democratic change of government in the elections held on 5 July 2006. The elections were marked by a decisive victory of the centre-right party VMRO-DPMNE led by Nikola Gruevski. Gruevski's decision to include the Democratic Party of Albanians in the new government, instead of the Democratic Union for Integration - Party for Democratic Prosperity coalition which won the majority of the Albanian votes, triggered protests throughout the parts of the country with a respective number of Albanian population. However, recently a dialogue was established between the Democratic Union for Integration and the ruling VMRO-DMPNE party as an effort to talk about the disputes between the two parties and to support European and NATO aspirations of the country.[15]
After the early parliamentary elections held in 2008, VMRO-DPMNE and Democratic Union for Integration formed a ruling coalition in Macedonia. [16]
In April 2009, presidential and local elections in the country were carried out peacefully, which was crucial for Macedonian aspirations to join the EU [17] The ruling conservative VMRO-DPMNE party won a victory in the local elections and the candidate supported by the party, Gjorgi Ivanov, was elected as the new Macedonian president.
Parliament
The Macedonian parliament or Sobranie (Macedonian: Собрание) is the country's legislative body. It makes, proposes and adopts laws. The 120 members are elected for a mandate of four years through a general election. Each Macedonian citizen that is above 18 years can vote for one of the Macedonian political parties. The current president of the Macedonian Parliament is Trajko Veljanovski.
Government
Executive power in Macedonia is exercised by the Government, whose prime minister is the most politically powerful person in the country. The members of the government are chosen by the Prime Minister and there are ministers for each branch of the society. There are ministers for economy, finance, information technology, society, internal affairs, foreign affairs and other areas. The members of the Government are elected for a mandate of four years. The current Prime Minister is Nikola Gruevski.
Law and courts
Judiciary power is exercised by courts, with the court system being headed by the Judicial Supreme Court, Constitutional Court and the Republican Judicial Council. The assembly appoints the judges.
Foreign relations
Macedonia became a member state of the United Nations on April 8, 1993, eighteen months after its independence from Yugoslavia. It is referred to within the UN as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", pending a resolution of the long-running dispute with Greece about the country's name (for more info, see Macedonia naming dispute section).
The major interest of the country is a full integration in the European and the Trans-Atlantic integration processes in order to achieve a long-term stability, security, and well-being of the Republic of Macedonia. Five foreign policy priorities are:[18]
- NATO membership
- Getting date and commencing the negotiations for full-fledged membership of the European Union
- Lifting the visa regime for Macedonian nationals
- Resolving the naming issue with Greece
- Strengthening the economic and public diplomacy
Macedonia is member of the following international and regional organizations:[19] IMF (since 1992), WHO (since 1993), EBRD (since 1993), Central European Initiative (since 1993), Council of Europe (since 1995), OSCE (since 1995), SECI (since 1996), WTO (since 2003), CEFTA (since 2006), La Francophonie (since 2001).
In 2005, the country was officially recognized as a European Union candidate state.
On the NATO summit held in Bucharest in April 2008, Macedonia failed to gain an invitation to join the organisation because Greece vetoed the move after the dispute over the name issue.[20] The USA had previously expressed support for an invitation,[21] but the summit then decided to extend an offer only on condition of a prior resolution of the conflict with Greece.
In March 2009 the European Parliament expressed support for Macedonia's EU candidacy and asked the EU Commission to grant the country a date for the start of accession talks by the end of 2009. The parliament also recommended a speedy lifting of the visa regime for Macedonian citizens.[22]
Macedonia naming dispute
After the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, the name of Macedonia became the object of a dispute between Greece and the newly independent Republic of Macedonia.[23] In the south, the Republic of Macedonia borders the region of Greek Macedonia, which administratively is split into three peripheries (one of them comprising both Western Thrace and a part of Greek Macedonia). Because of that, Greece raised the issue of possible territorial aspirations and also historical concerns regarding the association of the country with the history of the Greek region.
From 1992 to 1995, the two countries also engaged in a dispute over the Macedonian state's first flag, which incorporated the Vergina Sun symbol, a symbol associated with the ancient Kingdom of Macedon. Its adoption by Macedonia, on 3 July 1992, was seen as a reaction by Skopje to Athens' pressure to change the name. This aspect of the dispute was resolved when the flag was changed under the terms of an interim accord agreed between the two states in October 1995.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Macedonia_%281992%E2%80%931995%29.svg/220px-Flag_of_Macedonia_%281992%E2%80%931995%29.svg.png)
The United Nations adopted the provisional reference "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (Macedonian: Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија) when the country was admitted to the organization in 1993.[24] Most international organizations, such as the European Union, the European Broadcasting Union, and the International Olympic Committee, adopted the same convention.[25][26][27][28][29] NATO also uses the reference in official documents but adds an explanation on which member countries recognize the constitutional name.[30] The same reference is also used in any discussion to which Greece is a party[31] but is inconsistently used by other countries. Bulgaria uses the name ‘Republic of Macedonia’ even if it is seen as interfering with the traditional use of the name ‘Pirin Macedonia’,[32] insisting however that any solution to the naming dispute with Greece should "take account of the historical, cultural, and other realities related to the geographic region of Macedonia".[33]
However, most United Nations member countries have abandoned the provisional reference and have recognised the country as the Republic of Macedonia instead. These include four of the five permanent UN Security Council members—the United States,[34] Russia, United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China; several members of the European Union such as Bulgaria, Poland, and Slovenia; and over 100 other UN members.[35] The UN has set up a negotiating process with a mediator, Matthew Nimetz, and the two disputed parties, Macedonia and Greece, to try to mediate the dispute. Negotiations continue between the two sides but have yet to reach any settlement of the dispute.
Initially the European Community-nominated Arbitration Commission's opinion was that "that the use of the name Macedonia cannot therefore imply any territorial claim against another State",[36][dead link]; despite that Greece continued to object to the establishment of relations between the Community and the Republic under its constitutional name.[37]
In November 2008, Macedonia instituted proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Greece alleging violations of the 1995 Interim Accord that blocked its accession to NATO.[38] The ICJ is requested to order Greece to observe its obligations within the Accord, which is legally binding for both countries. The Macedonian side asserts that Article 11 of the 1995 accord obliges Greece not to object to Macedonia's application to join NATO and other international organizations, except if the country is going to be referred to in such organization with a name different than the provisional reference.[39]
In April 2009 the President-elect Gjorge Ivanov and opposition leader Zaev held a meeting about the name issue. Ivanov called for a state strategy regarding the negotiations with Greece on the name issue and also called for a reasonable compromise that will not bring harm to Macedonia's interests. SDSM accepts a name with a geographic determinant that will replace the reference FYROM in the organizations where it is currently used and guarantee the country's constitutional name, national identity and language.[40] Government of Greece expressed support for the name ‘Republic of North Macedonia’ as the basis for resolving the name issue.[41]
Military
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Mi-24_Macedonian.jpg/220px-Mi-24_Macedonian.jpg)
The Macedonian Armed Forces comprise the Macedonian Army, Macedonian Air Force and Macedonian Special Forces. The government's national defence policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state, the integrity of its land area and airspace and its constitutional order. Its main goals remain the development and maintenance of a credible capability to defend the nation's vital interests and development of the Armed Forces in a way that ensures their interoperabilit] with the armed forces of NATO and the European Union member states and their capability to participate in the full range of NATO missions.
The Ministry of Defence develops the defence strategy and works out the assessment of the possible threats and risks. The MOD is also responsible for the defence system, training, readiness of the Armed Forces, the equipment and the development and it proposes the defence budget.[42]
Economy
Recently ranked as the fourth 'best reformatory state' out of 178 countries ranked by the World Bank, Macedonia has undergone considerable economic reform since independence.[43] The country has developed an open economy with trade accounting for more than 90% of GDP in recent years. Since 1996, Macedonia has witnessed steady, though slow, economic growth with GDP growing by 3.1% in 2005. This figure was projected to rise to an average of 5.2% in the 2006-2010 period.[44] The government has proven successful in its efforts to combat inflation, with an inflation rate of only 3% in 2006 and 2% in 2007[43] and has implemented policies focused on attracting foreign investment and promoting the development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The current government introduced a flat tax system with the intention of making the country more attractive to foreign investment. The flat tax rate was 12% in 2007 and was further lowered to 10% in 2008.[45][46]
Despite these reforms, as of 2005 Macedonia's unemployment rate was 37.2%[47] and as of 2006 its poverty rate was 22%.[44] Corruption and a relatively ineffective legal system also act as significant restraints on successful economic development. Macedonia still has one of the lowest per capita GDPs in Europe. Furthermore, the country's grey market is estimated at close to 20% of GDP.[48]
In terms of structure, as of 2005 the service sector constituted by far the largest part of GDP at 57.1%, up from 54.2% in 2000. The industrial sector represents 29.3% of GDP, down from 33.7% in 2000 while agriculture represents only 12.9%, up from 12%.[49] Textiles represent the most significant sector for trade, accounting for more than half of total exports.[50] Other important exports include iron, steel, wine and vegetables.[51]
With a GDP per capita of $9,157 at purchasing power parity and a Human Development Index of 0.808, Macedonia is less developed and has a considerably smaller economy than most of the former Yugoslav states.
Resources
Infrastructure and e-Infrastructure
Macedonia, together with Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, belonged to the less developed southern region of the former Yugoslavia. It suffered severe economic difficulties after independence, when the Yugoslav internal market collapsed and subsidies from Belgrade ended. In addition, it faced many of the same problems faced by other former socialist East European countries during the transition to a market economy. Its main land and rail exports route, through Serbia, remains unreliable with high transit costs, thereby affecting the export of its formerly highly profitable, early vegetables market to Germany. Macedonia's IT market increased 63.8% year on year in 2007, wich is the Fastest Growing in the Adriatic Region[52].
Trade and investment
The outbreak of the Yugoslav wars and the imposition of sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro caused great damage to the Republic's economy, with Serbia constituting 60% of its markets prior to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. When Greece imposed a trade embargo on the Republic in 1994–95, the economy was also affected. Some relief was afforded by the end of the Bosnian war in November 1995 and the lifting of the Greek embargo, but the Kosovo War of 1999 and the 2001 Albanian crisis caused further destabilisation. Since the end of the Greek embargo, Greece has become the country's most important business partner. (See also: Greek investments in the Republic of Macedonia). Many Greek companies have bought former state companies in Macedonia, such as the oil refinery Okta, the baking company Zhito Luks, a marble mine in Prilep, textile facilities in Bitola etc. Other key partners are the United States, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Turkey.
Tourism
Tourism is an important part of the economy of the Republic of Macedonia. The country's large abundance of natural and cultural attractions make it an attractive destination of visitors. It receives about 700,000 tourists annually.[53]
Demographics
Macedonia has an estimated population of 2,061,315[54] citizens. The largest ethnic group in the country are the Slavic-speaking ethnic Macedonians. The second largest group are the Albanians who dominated much of western Macedonia. The largest Macedonian cities according to the 1994 census data (as the 2002 census data[55] does not list both city populations and municipality populations):
Largest Macedonian cities and municipalities | ||||
City | City Population |
Coat of arms |
Administrative division |
Division Population |
Skopje | 444,000 | File:OpstiniMK.png | Greater Skopje | 506,926 |
Bitola | 80,000 | Bitola municipality | 95,385 | |
Kumanovo | 71,000 | This file may be deleted after Thursday, 30 April 2009.|| Kumanovo municipality || align="right"| 105,484 | ||
Prilep | 68,000 | Prilep municipality | 76,768 | |
Tetovo | 60,000 | align="center" | Tetovo municipality | 86,580 |
Ohrid | 51,000 | File:Coat of Arms of Ohrid.png | Ohrid municipality | 55,749 |
Veles | 48,000 | ![]() |
Veles municipality | 55,108 |
Gostivar | 46,000 | File:Gostivarski grb.png | Gostivar municipality | 81,042 |
Štip | 42,000 | ![]() |
Štip municipality | 47,796 |
Strumica | 40,000 | File:Strumichki grb.jpg | Strumica municipality | 81,042 |
Kočani | 27,000 | Kočani municipality | 38,092 | |
Radoviš | 16,223 | File:Radovishi grb.jpg | Radoviš municipality | 28,244 |
Number | % | |
TOTAL | 2,022,547 | 100 |
Macedonians | 1,297,981 | 64.18 |
Albanians | 509,083 | 25.17 |
Turks | 77,959 | 3.85 |
Romani people | 53,879 | 2.66 |
Serbs | 35,939 | 1.78 |
Vlachs | 9,695 | 0.48 |
others | 38,011 | 1.88 |
The above table shows ethnic affiliation of the population according to the 2002 census:[55]
Religion
The majority (64.7%) of the population belongs to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. It declared autocephaly in 1968, though that is still not recognised by the Serbian and other Eastern Orthodox Churches, although the Archbishop's Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church has recognised the autonomy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.[56] Muslims comprise 33.3% of the population and other Christian denominations comprise 0.37%. The remainder (1.63%) is recorded as "unspecified" in the 2002 national census.[57] Most of the native Albanians, Turks and Bosniaks are Muslims, as are a minority of the country's ethnic Macedonian population, known as Macedonian Muslims.
Altogether, there are more than 1200 churches and 400 mosques in the country. The Orthodox and Islamic religious communities have secondary religion schools in Skopje. There is an Orthodox theological college in the capital. Macedonia has the largest proportion of Muslims of any country in Europe after Turkey, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Orthodox
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/55/Sv_trojca.jpg/210px-Sv_trojca.jpg)
The Macedonian Orthodox Church is the dominant church in the country. It has 10 provinces (seven in the country and three abroad), 10 bishops, and about 350 priests. Macedonians, who are the majority of the population, are generally Orthodox Christians. A total of 30,000 people are baptised in all the provinces every year. The church has issues with the Serbian Orthodox Church after the separation and self-declaration of autocephaly (not recognised by any other Orthodox church) in 1967. However, the Archbishop's Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church, with Decision No. 06/1959, has recognised the autonomy (self-dependence) of the Macedonian Orthodox Church). After the negotiations between the two churches were suspended, the Serbian Orthodox Church recognised a group led by Zoran Vraniškovski (also known as Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid, a former Macedonian church bishop, as the Archbishop of Ohrid. The reaction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church was to cut off all relations with the clergy of the Ohrid Archbishopric and to prevent bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from entering Macedonia. Bishop Jovan was jailed for 18 months for "defaming the Macedonian Orthodox church and harming the religious feelings of local citizens" by distributing Serbian Orthodox church calendars and pamphlets.[58]
Islam
Approximately 33% of Macedonia's total population are adherents of Islam. It has the fourth largest Muslim population in Europe by percentage after Kosovo (90%), Albania (70%), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (48%).[59] Some northwestern and western regions have Muslim majorities. Most Muslims are Albanian, Turkish, or Roma, although some are Macedonian Muslims. According to the 2002 census, there are about 600,000 Muslims in Macedonia. The Albanian Muslims live mostly in the Polog and western regions of the country. The Turkish population is scattered throughout the country, but mostly in the west.
Catholicism
The Macedonian Byzantine Catholic Church has approximately 11,000 adherents in Macedonia. The Church was established in 1918, and is made up mostly of converts to Catholicism and their descendants. The Church is of the Byzantine Rite and is in communion with the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its liturgical worship is performed in Macedonian.[60]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Catolic_church_bitola.jpg/160px-Catolic_church_bitola.jpg)
Protestant Christianity
There is a small Protestant community. The most famous Protestant in the country is the former president Boris Trajkovski. He was from the Methodist Community, which is the largest and oldest Protestant Church in the Republic, dating back to the late nineteenth century. Since the 1980s the small Protestant community has grown, partly through new confidence and partly with outside missionary help.
Judaism
The Macedonian Jewish community, which numbered some 7,200 people on the eve of World War II, was almost entirely destroyed during the War, with only 2% of Macedonian Jews surviving the Holocaust.[61] After their liberation and the end of the War, most opted to emigrate to Israel. Today, the country's Jewish community numbers approximately 200 persons, almost all of whom live in Skopje. Most Macedonian Jews are Sephardic - the descendants of 15th century refugees who had fled the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions.
Languages
The official and most widely spoken language is Macedonian, which belongs to the Eastern branch of the South Slavic language group. Macedonian is closely related to and mutually intelligible with Standard Bulgarian. It also has some similarities with standard Serbian and the intermediate Torlakian and Shop dialects spoken mostly in southern Serbia and western Bulgaria (and by speakers in the north and east of Macedonia). The standard language was codified in the period following World War II and has accumulated a thriving literary tradition. Although it is the only language explicitly designated as an official national language in the constitution, in municipalities where at least 20% of the population is part of another ethnic minority, those individual languages are used for official purposes in local government, alongside Macedonian.
A wide variety of languages are spoken in Macedonia, reflecting its ethnic diversity. Besides the official national language Macedonian, minority languages with substantial numbers of speakers are:[62][63][64][65][66][67] Albanian, Romani, Turkish (including Balkan Gagauz[68]), Serbian/Bosnian and Aromanian (including Megleno-Romanian). There are also smaller minorities of Adyghe and Greek speakers.[69]
Science
Education
The Macedonian education system consists of:
The higher levels of education can be obtained at one of the four state universities: Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, St. Clement of Ohrid University of Bitola, State University of Tetovo and Goce Delchev University of Shtip. There are a number of private university institutions, such as the European University,[70] Slavic University in Sveti Nikole, the South East European University and others.
The United States Agency for International Development has underwritten a project called "Macedonia Connects" which has made Macedonia the first all-broadband wireless country in the world. The Ministry of Education and Sciences reports that 461 schools (primary and secondary) are now connected to the internet.[71] In addition, an Internet Service Provider (On.net), has created a MESH Network to provide WIFI services in the 11 largest cities/towns in the country.
Society
Cinema and media
Culture
Macedonia has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry, and music. It has many ancient, protected religious sites. Poetry, cinema, and music festivals are held annually. Macedonian music styles developed under the strong influence of Byzantine church music. Macedonia has a significant number of preserved Byzantine fresco paintings, mainly from the period between the 11th and 16th centuries. There are several thousands square metres of fresco painting preserved, the major part of which is in very good condition and represent masterworks of the Macedonian School of ecclesiastical painting.
The most important cultural events in the country are the Ohrid Summer festival of classical music and drama, the Struga Poetry Evenings which gather poets from more than 50 countries in the world, International Camera Festival in Bitola, Open Youth Theatre and Skopje Jazz Festival in Skopje etc. The Macedonian Opera opened in 1947 with a performance of the Cavalleria Rusticana under the direction of Branko Pomorisac. Every year, the May Opera Evenings are held in Skopje for around 20 nights. The first May Opera performance was that of Kiril Makedonski's "Tsar Samuil" in May 1972.[72]
Gallery
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National park Pelister
-
The city of Bitola
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Mount Korab – The highest mountain in the country
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St. Panteleimon church near Skopje
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The city of Bitola
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Beach near Ljubanista
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The city of Ohrid located on the shores of Lake Ohrid
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Morodvis (Crkvište — Morobisdon) archaeological site near Kočani
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Holy Trinity Orthodox church in Radoviš
See also
- Macedonia (terminology)
- Ethnic Macedonians
- Communications in the Republic of Macedonia
- Flora of Macedonia
- Foreign relations of the Republic of Macedonia
- Military of the Republic of Macedonia
- Transportation in the Republic of Macedonia
- Socialist Republic of Macedonia
- Public holidays in the Republic of Macedonia
Notes and references
- ^ "Languages Law passed in Parliament". macedoniaonline.eu. 2008-07-26. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
Using the Badenter principles, the Parliament had passed the use of languages law that will touch all ethnicities in Macedonia. The law doesn't allow for use of Albanian or any other minority language as a second official language on Macedonia's territory.
- ^ a b c d "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
- ^ UN Resolutions #817 of April 7 and #845 of June 18 of 1993, see UN resolutions made on 1993
- ^ "Note on Yugoslavia". Retrieved 2008-05-10. "By resolution A/RES/47/225 of 8 April 1993, the General Assembly decided to admit as a Member of the United Nations the State being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over its name."
- ^ The Republic of Macedonia - BASIC FACTS, Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs
- ^ Strabo. Geography. Book VII, Chapter VII, 8 (Getae, Macedonia, Black Sea)
- ^ Macedonian Center for Archaeological Research. The Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia in the Republic of Macedonia. [1]
- ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica — Scopje. [2]
- ^ a b M. Glenny, "The Balkans"
- ^ Recognition of States: Annex 3[dead link]
- ^ Macedonian Ministry of Environment
- ^ Britannica's article about Sar Mountains
- ^ Sar Mountains on the Euratlas map of the Europe's most significant mountain ranges
- ^ BalkanInsight:Ivanov Elected New Macedonian President
- ^ "Ahmeti accepts the invitation for dialog with Gruevski". Limun.hr. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ SeTimes:VMRO-DPMNE and DUI form ruling coalition in Macedonia
- ^ Irish Times:Macedonia elections pass off peacefully
- ^ "Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs". Mfa.gov.mk. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ "Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs". Mfa.gov.mk. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ M3 Web - http://m3web.bg (2008-04-03). "Bulgaria: Macedonia Remains Out of NATO Because of Greek Veto over Name Dispute - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". Novinite.com. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)|author=
- ^ "Greece stands by NATO veto threat for Macedonia". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ "EP Urges Accession Talks For Macedonia". BalkanInsight.com. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Floudas, Demetrius Andreas; ""A Name for a Conflict or a Conflict for a Name? An Analysis of Greece's Dispute with FYROM"". 24 (1996) Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 285. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ United Nations Resolution 225 (1993)
- ^ European Commission. "Background information — The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". Retrieved 2006-10-01.
- ^ European Broadcasting Union. "Members' Logos". Retrieved 2006-10-01.
- ^ EC report
- ^ "EUROPA - The EU at a glance - Maps - FYROM". Europa.eu. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ International Olympic Committee. "List of national olympic committees participating in the xix olympic winter games in salt lake city" (PDF). Retrieved 2006-10-01.
- ^ North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. ""The situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is critical"". Retrieved 2006-10-01.
- ^ Bid to settle Macedonia name row, BBC
- ^ Bulgarian Policies on the Republic of Macedonia. Sofia: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2008. 80 pp. ISBN 978-954-92032-2-6
- ^ Macedonia Press Blames Bulgaria for Anti-Macedonian Campaign, Sofia News Agency, 03.04.2008
- ^ "US snubs Greece over Macedonia". BBC News Online. 4 November 2004. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
- ^ "Naming the solution", Kathimerini English edition, 16 September 2005
- ^ European Journal of International Law
- ^ Floudas, Demetrius Andreas; ""Pardon? A Name for a Conflict? FYROM's Dispute with Greece Revisited"" (PDF). in: Kourvetaris et al. (eds.), The New Balkans, East European Monographs: Columbia University Press, 2002, p. 85.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ By Davorin - Ljubljana. "Macedonia sues Greece for blocking NATO entry". France 24. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ "Interim Accord" (PDF). United Nations. 1995. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ Macedonian Information Agency President-elect Ivanov meets SDSM acting leader
- ^ H.E. Amb. Al. Mallias: Greece backs “Republic of Northern Macedonia”. Emportal, 15 April 2009.
- ^ National Command Management
- ^ a b "Bot generated title ->". The World Bank<!. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ a b World Bank development data
- ^ Government of the Republic of Macedonia
- ^ Macedonia's Flat Tax
- ^ Macedonian unemployment rate
- ^ The 2006 CIA Factbook CIA Factbook Macedonia
- ^ Welcome to World Bank Group
- ^ "Macedonian Embassy London". Macedonianembassy.org.uk. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ Investment in Government, Finance, and Telecom Sectors Makes Macedonia's IT Market the Fastest Growing in the Adriatic Region, Says IDC - IDC -global provider of market intelligence
- ^ 101 facts about Macedonia
- ^ CIA World Factbook
- ^ a b [http://www.stat.gov.mk/pdf/kniga_13.pdf
, Macedonian "Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Macedonia, 2002 - Book XIII, Skopje, 2005"]. State Statistical Office of the Republic of Macedonia.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help); line feed character in|url=
at position 40 (help) - ^ History of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
- ^ CIA World Factbook
- ^ "Church Rivalry Threatens to Brim Over". Iwpr.net. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ "CIA - The World Factbook - Bosnia and Herzegovina". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ David M. Cheney. "Catholic Church in Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of [Catholic-Hierarchy]". Catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ Balkanalysis.com » Blog Archives » Macedonia's Jewish Community Commemorates the Holocaust, and Embraces the Future
- ^ "Core document forming part of the reports of States Parties : The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ "Macedonia ethnic and linguistic minorities". Eurominority. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ "Map of the European languages". Eurominority. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ "Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ^ "BBC: Languages across Europe - Macedonia". BBC. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ "Europe languages map". Eupedia. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005). "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition". SIL International. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005). "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition". SIL International. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
{{cite web}}
:|first=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ OIC
- ^ "U.S. Agency for International Development". Macedonia.usaid.gov. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ^ "Macedonian Opera Marks 60th Anniversary. Culture - Republic of Macedonia".
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