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{{Other uses|Macedonia (disambiguation){{!}}Macedonia|}}
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<!-- Note to editors: Please do not modify the country names used in the infobox below without first discussing the change on the talk page.-->

{{Infobox Country
|native_name = {{lang|mk|Република Македонија}}<br />{{lang|mk-Latn|''Republika Makedonija''}}
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Macedonia
|common_name = Macedonia (country)
|national_anthem = <center>[[File:Anthem of the Republic of Macedonia (Instrumental).ogg]]</center><br />''[[Denes nad Makedonija|Денес над Македонија]]''<br /><small>([[English language|English]]: {{lang|en|"''Today over Macedonia''"}})
|image_flag = Flag of Macedonia.svg
|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia.svg
|image_map = Europe-Macedonia.svg
|map_caption = Location of '''Macedonia''' (green), with [[Europe]] (green + dark grey)
|[[Skopje]]
|latd=42 |latm=0 |latNS=N |longd=21 |longm=26 |longEW=E
|capital = [[File:Coat of arms of Skopje.svg|15px]] [[Skopje]]
|official_languages = [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]]<ref name="language">{{cite news | url = http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/2507/1/ | title = Languages Law passed in Parliament | work = macedoniaonline.eu | date = 2008-07-26 | accessdate = 2008-07-27 | quote = 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.}}</ref>
|largest_city = capital
|government_type = [[Parliamentary republic]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of the Republic of Macedonia|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Gjorge Ivanov]]
|leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia|Prime Minister]]
|leader_name2 = [[Nikola Gruevski]]
|sovereignty_type = [[History of the Republic of Macedonia|Independence from]]
|sovereignty_note = [[Yugoslavia]]
|established_event4 =
|established_date4 =
|established_event5 = [[History of the Republic of Macedonia|Independence declared]]
|established_date5 = 8 September 1991
|established_event6 = [[History of the Republic of Macedonia#Road to Republic|Officially recognized]]
|established_date6 = 8 April 1993
|established_event7 =
|established_date7 =
|established_event8 =
|established_date8 =
|established_event9 =
|established_date9 =
|accessionEUdate =
|EUseats =
|area_km2 = 25,713
|area_sq_mi = 9,779 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|area_rank = 148th
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|percent_water = 1.9%
|population_estimate = 2,114,550
|population_estimate_year = 2009
|population_estimate_rank = 142nd
|population_census = 2,022,547
|population_census_year = 2002
|population_density_km2 = 82,2
|population_density_sq_mi = 205 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 113th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2008
|GDP_PPP = $18.831 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=962&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=38&pr.y=10 |title=Report for Selected Country|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=2009-10-01}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 119th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $9,163<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 81st
|GDP_nominal = $9.569 billion<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 123rd
|GDP_nominal_year = 2008
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $4,656<ref name=imf2/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 85th
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.817
|HDI_rank = 72nd
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090;">high</span>
|Gini = 29.3
|Gini_year = 2004
|Gini_category = <span style="color:#090;">low</span>
|currency = [[Macedonian denar]]
|currency_code = MKD
|time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|drives_on = right
|cctld = [[.mk]]
|calling_code = [[List of dialing codes in the Republic of Macedonia|389]]
|ISO_3166-1_alpha2 = EE
|ISO_3166-1_alpha3 =
|ISO_3166-1_numeric = ?
|alt_sport_code = MK
|vehicle_code = MK
|aircraft_code = MK
|demonym = [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonian]]
|footnote1 = [[Albanian language|Albanian]] is widely spoken in the [[Polog|west]] of the country.
In some areas [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Romani language|Romany]] and [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]] are also spoken.
}}
{{Coord|41.603|21.715|display=title}}
'''Macedonia''' ({{lang-mk|Македонија}}; {{IPA-en|ˌmæsɨˈdoʊniə|lang|en-us-Macedonia.ogg}} {{respell|mas-i|DOH|nee-ə}}), officially the '''Republic of Macedonia''' ({{lang|mk|Република Македонија}}, [[Romanization of Macedonian|transliterated]]: ''Republika Makedonija'' {{IPA-mk|rɛˈpublika makɛˈdɔnija||Mk-Republika Makedonija.ogg}}), is a country located in the central [[Balkans|Balkan peninsula]] in [[Southeastern Europe]]. It is one of the [[succession of states|successor states]] of the former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], from which it declared independence in 1991. It became a member of the [[United Nations]] in 1993 but, as a result of a [[Macedonia naming dispute|dispute with Greece]] over its name, it was admitted under the provisional reference of the '''former <!-- DO NOT CAPITALIZE "THE FORMER" - LOWER CASE IS CORRECT --> Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia''',<ref>[[United Nations Security Council Resolution 817|United Nations Security Council 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.<ref>FYROM on [http://www.google.com/search?q=FYROM&btnGNS=Search+un.org&oi=navquery_searchbox&sa=X&as_sitesearch=un.org&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=AKW&rls=org.mozilla%3Ael%3Aofficial un.org]</ref>

A [[landlocked country]], the Republic of Macedonia is bordered by [[Kosovo]]{{Ref label|status|a|}} to the northwest, [[Serbia]] 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> The country's capital is [[Skopje]], with 506,926 inhabitants according to a 2002 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 {{convert|2000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Macedonia is a member of the [[United Nations|UN]] and the [[Council of Europe]]. Since December 2005 it has also been a [[Accession of Macedonia to the European Union|candidate for joining the European Union]] and has [[Accession of Macedonia to NATO|applied for NATO membership]].

==History==
{{Main|History of the Republic of Macedonia}}

===Ancient history of the territory===
[[File:Map of ancient Epirus and environs.png|left|thumb|200px|Map of the area in classical antiquity (situation of ca. the 5th century BC).]]
In antiquity, most of the territory that is now the Republic of Macedonia was included in the kingdom of [[Paeonia (kingdom)|Paeonia]], which was populated by the Paeonians, a people of [[Thracians|Thracian]] origins,.<ref>Bauer, Susan Wise: ''The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome'' (2007),ISBN 039305974X, page 518: "... Italy); to the north, Thracian tribes known collectively as the Paeonians."</ref> It also included parts of ancient [[Illyria]]<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=4Nv6SPRKqs8C&pg=PA170&dq=illyrians+ohrid#PPA49,M1 |title=Wilkes, John: '&#39;The Illyrians'&#39;, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996, ISBN 0631198075, p. 49 |publisher=Books.google.com |date= 1995-12-28|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780631198079|pages=388|author1=Wilkes, John}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=kAvbhZrv4gUC&pg=PA442&dq=illyrian+lychnitis |title=Sealey, Raphael, '&#39;A history of the Greek city states, ca. 700-338 B.C.'&#39;, University of California Press, 1976 ISBN 0520031776, p. 442 |publisher=Books.google.com |year= 1976|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780520031777|pages=542|author1=Sealey, Raphael}}</ref> and [[Dardanii|Dardani]]a,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=4CpYot4N2PUC&pg=RA1-PA13&dq=dardania+today+republic+of+macedonia |title=Evans, Thammy, '&#39;Macedonia,'&#39; Bradt Travel Guides, 2007, ISBN 1841621862, p. 13 |publisher=Books.google.com |date= 2007-06-01|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9781841621869|pages=332|author1=Evans, Thammy}}</ref> inhabited by various [[Illyrian languages|Illyrian]] peoples,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=614pd07OtfQC&pg=PA99&dq=early+macedonia+upper++thracian |title=Borza, Eugene N., '&#39;In the shadow of Olympus: the emergence of Macedon,'&#39; Princeton University Press, 1992, ISBN 0691008809, pp. 74-75 |publisher=Books.google.com |date= 1992-09-08|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780691008806|pages=370|author1=Borza, Eugene N}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vx251bK988gC&pg=RA6-PA750&dq=ancient+macedon |title=Lewis, D.M. et al. (ed.), '&#39;The Cambridge ancient history: The fourth century B.C.'&#39;, Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0521233488, pp. 723-724 |publisher=Books.google.com |year= 1994|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780521233484|pages=1104|author1=Lewis, D. M|author2=Boardman, John}}</ref> and [[Lynkestis|Lyncestis]] and [[Pelagonia]] populated by [[Molossians|Molossian]]<ref>The Cambridge [[Ancient history|Ancient History]] Volume 3, Part 3: The Expansion of the Greek World, Eighth to Sixth Centuries BC by John Boardman and [[N. G. L. Hammond]],1982,ISBN 0521234476,page 284</ref> tribes. None of these had fixed boundaries; they were sometimes subject to the Kings of [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedon]], and sometimes broke away.

In [[336 BC]] [[Philip II of Macedon]] conquered [[Upper Macedonia]], including its northern part and southern Paeonia, which both now lie within the Republic of Macedonia.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ppbuavUZKEwC&pg=PA187&dq=dardania+today+republic+of+macedonia |title=Poulton, Hugh, '&#39;Who are the Macedonians?'&#39; C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000, ISBN 1850655340, p. 14 |publisher=Books.google.com |date= 2000-02-23|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9781850655343|pages=244|author1=Poulton, Hugh}}</ref> Philip's son [[Alexander the Great]] conquered the remainder of the region, reaching as far north as the Danube, and incorporated it in his empire. [[Roman Empire|The Romans]] included most of the area of the current Republic in their Province of [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia]], but the northernmost parts lay in [[Moesia]]; by the time of [[Diocletian]], they had been subdivided, and the area of the current Republic was split between [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia Salutaris]] and [[Moesia|Moesia prima]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068124/Skopje |title=Encyclopaedia Britannica — Scopje |publisher=Britannica.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

===Medieval period===
{{Main|South Slavs}}
{{See|Ottoman-era Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Macodnian Sklavinia.png|thumb|right|250px|''Sklaviniae in Medieval Macedonia'' c. 700 AD.]]

During the 580s, [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] literature attests to the [[Slavic peoples|Slavs]] raiding Byzantine territories in the region of Macedonia, aided by [[Eurasian Avars|Avars]] or [[Bulgars]]. Historical records document that in c.680 a group of Bulgars, Slavs and Byzantines led by a Bulgar called [[Kuber]] settled in the region of Keramisian plain, centred on the city of [[Bitola]].<ref>"Acta Sancti Demetrii", V 195-207, Гръцки извори за българската история, 3, стр. 159-166
</ref> [[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 Tsar [[Boris I of Bulgaria]].

In 1014, Emperor [[Basil II]] finally defeated the armies of [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria]] and by 1018 the Byzantines restored control over Macedonia (and all of the Balkans) for the first time since the 7th century. However, by the late 12th century, Byzantine decline saw the region 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 [[Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia|Tsar Stefan Dusan]]'s empire.

With Dusan's death, a weak successor appeared and power struggles between nobles divided the Balkans once again. This coincided with the entry of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] into Europe. The [[Kingdom of Prilep]] was one of the short lived states that emerged from the collapse of the [[Serbian Empire]] in the 14th century.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=y2d6OHLqwEsC&pg=PA275&dq=KINGDOM+OF+PRILEP&q=KINGDOM%20OF%20PRILEP |title=The last centuries of Byzantium, (1261-1453) by Donald MacGillivray Nicol |publisher=Books.google.com |year= 1993|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780521439916|pages=500|author1=Nicol, Donald Macgillivray}}</ref> With no major Balkan power left to defend Christianity, central Balkans fell to Turkish rule&nbsp;— and remained under it for five centuries.

===The National Awakening===

{{Main|Macedonian nationalism}}
[[File:Bulgarian-Exarchate-1870-1913.jpg|thumb|right|200px|thumb|Map of the Bulgarian Exarchate (1870-1913).]]
Ottoman rule over the region was considered harsh. With the beginning of the [[Bulgarian National Revival]] in 18 c. many of the reformers were from this region, including [[Miladinov Brothers]],<ref name='Phillips'>{{cite book
| last =Phillips
| first =John
| title =Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans
| publisher =I.B.Tauris
| year =2004
| isbn =186064841X
| page =41 }}</ref> [[Rayko Zhinzifov|Rajko Žinzifov]], [[Yoakim Karchovski|Joakim Krčovski]],<ref>Becoming Bulgarian: the articulation of Bulgarian identity in the nineteenth century in its international context: an intellectual history, Ost-European studies, Janette Sampimon, Pegasus, 2006, ISBN 9061433118, p. 234.</ref> [[Kiril Peychinovich|Kiril Pejčinoviḱ]]<ref>James Franklin Clarke, Dennis P. Hupchick - "The pen and the sword: studies in Bulgarian history", Columbia University Press, 1988, ISBN 0880331496, page. 221 (...Peichinovich of Tetovo, Macedonia, author of one of the first Bulgarian books...)</ref> and others. The bishoprics of Skopje, Debar, Bitola, Ohrid, Veles and Strumica voted to join the [[Bulgarian Exarchate]] after it was established in 1870.<ref>Gawrych, George Walter (2006). The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913. I.B.Tauris. p. 28. ISBN 1845112873.</ref>

Several movements whose goals were the establishment of autonomous Macedonia, encompassing the entire region of [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], began to arise in the late 19th century; 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..."<ref name=glenny>M. Glenny, "The Balkans"</ref> The majority of its members however were [[Macedonian Bulgarians]]<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=AIET_7ji7YAC&pg=PA209&lpg=PA209&dq=Internal+Macedonian+Revolutionary+Organization+BULGARIAN+IMRO |title=History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 2, Reform, Revolution, and Republic: The Rise of Modern Turkey 1808-1975, by Stanford J. Shaw, 1977, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521291668, p. 209 |publisher=Books.google.bg |date= 1977-05-27|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780521291668}}</ref> In 1903, IMRO organised the [[Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising|Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising]] against the [[Ottoman Turks|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===
[[File:Balkan Wars Boundaries cleanup.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and Second [[Balkan Wars|Balkan War]].]]
Following the two [[Balkan Wars|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 ''{{lang|sr|Južna Srbija}}'', "[[Macedonia (terminology)|Southern Serbia]]". After the [[World War I|First World War]], Serbia became part of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]]. In 1929, the Kingdom was officially renamed the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] and divided into provinces called [[banovina (region)|banovinas]]. Southern Serbia, including all of what is now the Republic of Macedonia, became known as the [[Vardar Banovina]] of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]].

The concept of a [[United Macedonia]] was used by the [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]] (IMRO) in 1920-1934. its leaders - like [[Todor Alexandrov]], [[Aleksandar Protogerov]], [[Ivan Mihailov]], promoted the idea with the aim to liberate the territories occupied by Serbia and Greece and to create an independent and united Macedonia for all Macedonians, regardless of religion and ethnicity. The Bulgarian government of [[Alexander Malinov]] in 1918 offered to give Pirin Macedonia for that purpose after [[World War One]],<ref>Gerginov, Kr., Bilyarski, Ts. Unpublished documents for Todor Alexandrov's activities 1910-1919, magazine VIS, book 2, 1987, p.214 - Гергинов, Кр. Билярски, Ц. Непубликувани документи за дейността на Тодор Александров 1910-1919, сп. ВИС, кн. 2 от 1987, с. 214.</ref> but the Great Powers did not adopt this idea, because Serbia and Greece opposed.

IMRO followed by starting an insurgent war in Vardar Banovina, together with [[MMTRO]] (Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organisation) which also conducted guerilla attacks against the Serbian administrative and army officials there. In 1923 in Stip a [[paramilitary]] organisation called [[Union against the Bulgarian bandits]] was formed by Serbian chetniks, IMRO renegades and [[Macedonian federative organisation|MFO]] members to oppose IMRO and MMTRO.<ref>{{cite web|author=Vassil Karloukovski |url=http://www.promacedonia.org/ag/ag_4_6.html |title=Гиза, Антони, „Балканските държави и Македония“, Македонски Научен Институт ­ София, 2001 г |publisher=Promacedonia.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

===Yugoslav Macedonia in World War II===
{{History of the Republic of Macedonia}}
{{Main|National Liberation War of Macedonia}}

During World War II, Yugoslavia was occupied by the [[Axis powers|Axis Powers]] from 1941 to 1945. The Vardar Banovina was divided between [[Bulgaria]] and [[Italy|Italian]]-occupied [[Albania]]. [[Bulgarian Action Committees]] were established and prepared the region for the new Bulgarian administration and army.<ref>[http://www.kroraina.com/knigi/bugarash/bccc_1941/index.html Bulgarian Campaign Committees in Macedonia - 1941] Dimitre Mičev</ref> The Committees were mosltly formed by former members of IMRO, but some communists like [[Panko Brashnarov]], [[Strahil Gogov]] and [[Metodi Shatorov]] also participated.

Shatorov as leader of Vardar Macedonia communists switched from [[Yugoslav Communist Party]] to [[Bulgarian Communist Party]]<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=6WC5AAAAIAAJ&q=Shatorov+bulgarian&dq=Shatorov+bulgarian&lr=&hl=bg&pgis=1 Historical dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia, Valentina Georgieva, Sasha Konechni, Scarecrow Press, 1998, ISBN 0810833360, p. 223].</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=j_NbmSoRsRcC&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=Metodi+Shatorov+bulgarian+communist |title=Who are the Macedonians? Hugh Poulton, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1995, ISBN 1850652384, p.102 |publisher=Books.google.bg |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9781850652380|year=1995}}</ref> and refused to start military action against the Bulgarian army.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=HjSsAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA130&dq=Metodi+Shatarov+bulgarian+communist |title=Bulgaria during the Second World War, Marshall Lee Miller, Stanford University Press, 1975, ISBN 0804708703, p. 131 |publisher=Books.google.com |year= 1975|accessdate=2010-04-28|isbn=9780804708708|pages=314|author1=Miller, Marshall Lee}}</ref>
Bulgarian authorities, under German pressure,<ref>Bulgaria managed to save its entire 48,000-strong Jewish population during World War II from deportation to [[concentration camps]], but under German pressure those Jews from their newly annexed territories without Bulgarian citizenship were deported, such as those from Vardar Macedonia and [[Western Thrace]]. [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006804 ''The Holocaust in Macedonia: Deportation of Monastir Jewry''] [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]]</ref> were responsible for the round-up and deportation of over 7,000 Jews in Skopje and Bitola.<ref>Mark Cohen, [http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006803 The Holocaust in Macedonia: Deportation of Monastir Jewry], United States Holocaust Memorial Museum</ref> Harsh rule by the occupying forces encouraged many Macedonians to support the Communist [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisan]] resistance movement of [[Josip Broz Tito]] after 1943,<ref>This policy changed since 1943 with the arrival of the Tito's envoy Montenegrin Serb Svetozar Vukmanović-Tempo. He began in earnest to organise armed resistance to the Bulgarian rule and sharply criticized the Sharlo's pro-Bulgarian policy.At a meeting of the partisan brigades, as well as a group of battalions in the Resen region on 21 Dec 1943, Tempo makes the following comments about Shatorov and the leadership of the MCP: ...They thought that the Macedonian people were Bulgarians and that they were oppressed by the hegemony of Great Serbia and had to be transferred to Bulgaria. Their basic slogan is: "All non-Macedonians out of Macedonia". The capital J [Serbo-Croatian spelling of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavian, etc.] was deleted from all documents. In fact they did not want Yugoslavia, no matter where it stood politically. When the war started, the initial decision of this leadership was to be separate from Yugoslavia and from Tito. They declared that Macedonia would be free as soon as the Bulgarians came...</ref> and the [[National Liberation War of Macedonia|National Liberation War]] ensued, with German forces being driven out of Macedonia by the end of 1944.

In Vardar Macedonia, after [[Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944]] the Bulgarian troops, surrounded by German forces, fought their way back to the old borders of Bulgaria. Three Bulgarian armies (some 455,000 strong in total) entered Yugoslavia in September 1944 and moved from Sofia to Niš and Skopje with the strategic task of blocking the German forces withdrawing from Greece. Southern and eastern Serbia and Macedonia were liberated within a month.<ref>Dr. Ivan Yanev ''Bulgaria's Foreign Policy During the Second World War as Reflected in Bulgarian Historic Literature'' 1938-1944 Варна, 2006 Издателство "Литернет", [http://bezmonitor.com/books06/yanev.htm Bezmonitor.com]</ref> Bulgarian government again in 1945 offered to give Pirin Macedonia to such a United Macedonia after [[World War Two]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macedonian.org/tribarch/1945/1945-02-08.PDF |title=Macedonian tribune, ed.18, 02.08.1945, page.1 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

===Macedonia in Socialist Yugoslavia===
{{Main|Socialist Republic of Macedonia}}
{{Multiple image
| align = left
| direction = vertical
| width = 150
| image1 = Flag of the SR Macedonia.svg
| caption1 =
| image2 = SFRY Macedonia.png
| caption2 = [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]] (dark red) was one of the republics within the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Socialist Yugoslavia]].
}}
In 1944 the [[ASNOM|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 Macedonian alphabet was codified by linguists of ASNOM, who based their alphabet on the phonetic alphabet of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić and the pricipes of [[Krste Misirkov|Krste Petkov - Misirkov]].

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]]. During the civil war in Greece (1946–1949) Macedonian communist insurgents supported the Greek communists. Many refugees later came in Socialist Republic of Macedonia from there. The state dropped the "Socialist" from its name in 1991 when it peacefully seceded from Yugoslavia.

===Declaration of independence===
The country officially celebrates 8 September 1991 as [[Independence Day (Republic of Macedonia)|Independence day]] ({{lang-mk|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 ([[Elijah|St. Elijah]]'s Day) on 2 August is also widely celebrated on an official level as the [[Republic Day (Republic of Macedonia)|Day of the Republic]].

[[Robert Badinter]] as a head of [[Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on the former Yugoslavia]] recommended EC recognition in January 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art8-02.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050215223455/http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art8-02.html |archivedate=2005-02-15 |title=Recognition of States: Annex 3 |publisher=Web.archive.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

Macedonia remained at peace through the [[Yugoslav Wars|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 [[Albanians|ethnic Albanian]] refugees from Kosovo took refuge in the country. Although they departed shortly after the war, soon after, [[National Liberation Army (Albanians of Macedonia)|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===
{{Main|Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia}}
A [[Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia|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 [[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==
[[File:R.o.Macedonia topography.svg|thumb|250|Republic of Macedonia.]]
[[File:Solunska glava.jpg|thumb|right|Solunska glava peak on [[Jakupica]] mountain in spring.]]

{{Main|Geography of the Republic of Macedonia}}
Macedonia has a total area of {{convert|25713|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}. It has some {{convert|748|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} of boundaries, shared with [[Serbia]] ({{convert|62|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) to the North, Kosovo ({{convert|159|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) to the northwest, [[Bulgaria]] ({{convert|148|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) to the east, [[Greece]] ({{convert|228|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) to the south, and [[Albania]] ({{convert|151|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) to the west. It is a transit way for shipment of goods from Greece, through the Balkans, towards Eastern, Western and [[Central Europe]] and through Bulgaria to the East. It is part of a larger region also known as [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], which also includes a [[Macedonia (Greece)|region of northern Greece]] known by the same name; and the [[Blagoevgrad Province|Blagoevgrad province]] in southwestern [[geography of Bulgaria|Bulgaria]].

===Topography===
{{Main|Mountains of the Republic of Macedonia}}

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&nbsp;— [[Lake Ohrid]], [[Lake Prespa]] and [[Dojran Lake]]&nbsp;— 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080119010740/http://www.moe.gov.mk/soer2/ohrid_a.htm |title=Macedonian Ministry of Environment |publisher=Web.archive.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> 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 range]]s: the first is the [[Šar Mountains]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Encyclop&aelig;dia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/523838/Sar-Mountains |title=Britannica's article about Sar Mountains |publisher=Britannica.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euratlas.com/Atlasphys/Sarplanina2.htm |title=Sar Mountains on the Euratlas map of the Europe's most significant mountain ranges |publisher=Euratlas.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> that continues to the West Vardar/Pelagonia group of mountains ([[Baba Mountain]], [[Nidže]], [[Kožuf|Kozuf]] and [[Jakupica]]), also known as the [[Dinaric Alps|Dinaric range]]. The second range is the [[Osogovo]]–[[Belasica]] mountain chain, also known as the [[Rhodope Mountains|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.

{{wide image|Panair Korab.jpg|600px|Panorama of [[Mount Korab|Korab]] mountain, the highest mountain in the country.}}

The highest mountains in Macedonia are:

{{Mountains in Macedonia}}

===Hydrography===
[[File:Pena Reiver in Tetovo.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The basin of [[Pena River]] in [[Tetovo]]]]
In the Republic of Macedonia there are 1,100 larger sources of water. The rivers flow into three different basins: the Aegean, the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] and that [[Black Sea]] basin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mymacedonia.net/links/geography.htm |title=Macedonia |publisher=Mymacedonia.net |date= |accessdate=2010-01-25}}</ref>

The Aegean basin is the largest. It covers 87% of the territory of the Republic, which is 22,075&nbsp;km. sq. [[Vardar]], the largest river in this basin, drains 80% of the territory or 20,459&nbsp;km. sq. Its valley plays an important part in the economy and the communication system of the country. The project named 'The Vardar Valley' is considered to be crucial for the strategic development of the country.

The river [[Black Drin]] forms the Adriatic basin, which covers an area of about 3,320&nbsp;km. sq., i. e. 13% of the territory. It receives water from Lakes Prespa and Ohrid.

The Black Sea basin is the smallest with only 37&nbsp;km. sq. It covers the northern side of Mount [[Skopska Crna Gora]]. This is the source of the river Binachka Morava, which joins the [[Great Morava|Morava]], and later, the [[Danube]] which flows into the Black Sea.

Even though it is a landlocked country, Macedonia has three lakes and around fifty ponds. [[Lake Ohrid]], [[Lake Prespa]] and [[Lake Dojran]] are the three natural lakes of the country.

The Macedonian word for [[spa]] is бања, transliterated as banja. In the country there are 9 spa towns and resorts: Banište, Banja Bansko, Istibanja, Katlanovo, [[Kežovica]], Kosovrasti, Banja Kočani, Kumanovski Banji and Negorci.

===Climate===
{{See also|Geography of Republic of Macedonia#Climate|l1=Climate of the Republic of Macedonia}}

[[File:LakeMavrovo.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Mavrovo Lake]].]]
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 {{convert|1700|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in the western mountainous area to {{convert|500|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} 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 [[Radoviš]] the climate is temperate Mediterranean. The warmest regions are [[Demir Kapija]] and [[Gevgelija]], where the temperature in July and August frequently exceeds {{convert|40|°C|°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.

===National parks===

The country has 3 [[national park]]s:

<center>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- class="hintergrundfarbe5"
! Name
! Established
! Size
! class="unsortable" | Map
! class="unsortable" | Picture
|-
| [[Mavrovo (region)|Mavrovo]]
| style="text-align:center" | 1948
| style="text-align:center" | 73.088 ha
| style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
{{location map|Macedonia|label=|position=left|float=left|width=80|lat=41.7|long=20.77|caption=}}
| style="text-align:center; padding:0;"| [[File:Mavrovo-Lake-Autumn.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Galičica]]
| style="text-align:center" |
| style="text-align:center" | 227&nbsp;km²
| style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
{{location map|Macedonia|label=|position=left|float=left|width=80|lat=40.94|long=20.81|caption=}}
| style="text-align:center; padding:0;"| [[File:Galichitsa.jpg|100px]]
|-
| [[Baba Mountain|Pelister]]
| style="text-align:center" | 1948
| style="text-align:center" | 12.500 ha
| style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
{{location map|Macedonia|label=|position=left|float=left|width=80|position=left|lat=41|long=21.18|caption=}}
| style="text-align:center; padding:0;"| [[File:Mount Pelister MK.jpg|100px]]
|}
</center>

== Flora ==
{{Main|Flora of Macedonia}}
[[File:Pinus peuce Habitus BotGardBln0906.jpg|thumb|150px|left|''[[Pinus peuce]]'', the Macedonian Pine or Molika, one of Macedonia's most recognizable trees.]]

The [[flora]] of Republic of Macedonia is represented with around 210 [[family (biology)|families]], 920 [[genus (biology)|genera]], and around 3,700 [[plant]] [[species]]. The most abundant group are the [[flowering plant]]s with around 3,200 species, which is followed by [[moss]]es (350 species) and [[fern]]s (42).

[[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Macedonia belongs to the Illyrian province of the [[Circumboreal Region]] within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] and Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the [[European Environment Agency]], the territory of the Republic can be subdivided into four [[ecoregion]]s: the [[Pindus Mountains]] [[mixed forests]], [[Balkan]] [[mixed forests]], [[Rhodopes]] [[mixed forests]] and [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] [[sclerophyllous]] and [[mixed forests]].

[[Baba Mountain|National Park of Pelister]] in Bitola is known for the presence of the endemic [[Macedonian Pine]], as well as some 88 species of plants representing almost 30 percent of Macedonian dendroflora. The Macedonian Pine forests on Pelister are divided into two communities; pine forests with ferns and pine forests with junipers. The Macedonian Pine, as a specific conifer species, is a relic of tertiary flora and the five-needle pine [[Macedonian Pine|Molika]], was first noted on Pelister in 1893.
Macedonia's limited forest growth also includes [[Macedonian Oak]]s, the sycamore, weeping willows, white willows, alders, poplars, elms, and the common ash. Near the rich pastures on Šar Mountain and Bistra, Mavrovo, is another plant species characteristic of plant life in Macedonia—the poppy. The quality of thick [[poppy]] juice is measured worldwide by morphine units; while [[China|Chinese]] [[opium]] contains eight such units and is considered to be of high quality, Indian opium contains seven units, and [[Turkey|Turkish]] [[opium]] only six, Macedonian opium contains a full 14 morphine units and is one of the best quality opium in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macedonia.co.uk/client/index1.aspx?page=246 |title=Macedonian Flora |publisher=Macedonia.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2010-01-25}}</ref>

== Fauna ==
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 170
| image1 = Lynx lynx poing.jpg
| caption1 =
| image2 = Sardog.jpg
| caption2 = The [[Eurasian lynx]] and the [[Šarplaninac|Šarplaninec]].
}}

{{Main|Fauna of Macedonia}}

The [[fauna]] of Macedonian forests is abundant and includes [[bear]]s, [[wild boar]]s, [[wolf|wolves]], [[fox]]es, [[squirrel]]s, [[chamois]] and [[deer]]. The [[Eurasian lynx|lynx]] is found, although very rarely, in the mountains of western Macedonia, while deer can be found in the region of [[Demir Kapija]]. Forest birds include the [[blackcap]], the [[grouse]], the [[black grouse]], the [[Eastern Imperial Eagle|imperial eagle]] and the forest [[owl]].
The three artificial lakes of the country represent a separate fauna zone, an indication of long-lasting territorial and temporal isolation. The fauna of Lake Ohrid is a relic of an earlier era and the lake is widely known for its letnica trout, lake [[Lake whitefish|whitefish]], [[gudgeon]], [[Rutilus|roach]], podust, and pior, as well as for certain species of snails of a genus older than 30&nbsp;million years; similar species can only be found in [[Lake Baikal]]. Lake Ohrid is also noted in zoology texts for the [[European eel]] and its baffling reproductive cycle: it comes to Lake Ohrid from the distant [[Sargasso Sea]], thousands of kilometres away, and lurks in the depths of the lake for 10&nbsp;years. When sexually mature, the eel is driven by unexplained instincts in the autumn to set off back to its point of birth. There it spawns and dies, leaving its offspring to seek out Lake Ohrid to begin the cycle anew.

==Domestic Animals==
The shepherd dog of Šar Mountain is known worldwide as [[Šarplaninac|Šarplaninec]] (Yugoslav shepherd). It stands some 60&nbsp;centimeters tall and is a brave and fierce fighter that may be called upon to fight bears or wolf packs in guarding and defending flocks. The Šarplaninec originates from the shepherd's dog of the ancient Epirotes, the molossus, but the Šarplaninec was recognized as its own species in 1939 under the name of "Illyrian shepherd" and since 1956 has been known as Šarplaninec.

==Politics==
{{Main|Politics of the Republic of Macedonia}}
Macedonia is a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]] with an [[executive (government)|executive government]] composed of a coalition of parties from the [[unicameralism|unicameral legislature]] ({{lang|mk|Собрание, ''Sobranie''}}) and an independent [[judiciary|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 [[National security|state Security]] Council. The President is elected every five years and he or she can be elected twice at most. On the second run of the [[Macedonian presidential election, 2009|presidential elections held on 5 April 2009]], [[Gjorge Ivanov]] was elected as new Macedonian president.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17924/ |title=Ivanov Elected New Macedonian President |publisher=BalkanInsight |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

With the passage of a new law and elections held in 2005, local government functions are divided between 78 municipalities ({{lang|mk|општини, ''opštini''}}; [[Grammatical number|singular]]: {{lang|mk|општина, ''opština''}}). 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 [[Macedonian parliamentary election, 2006|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|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://limun.hr/en/main.aspx?id=127474 |title=Ahmeti accepts the invitation for dialog with Gruevski |publisher=Limun.hr |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref>

After the early parliamentary elections held in 2008, [[VMRO–DPMNE|VMRO-DPMNE]] and [[Democratic Union for Integration]] formed a ruling coalition in Macedonia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2008/07/08/feature-02 |title=VMRO-DPMNE and DUI form ruling coalition in Macedonia |publisher=SeTimes |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

In April 2009, presidential and local elections in the country were carried out peacefully, which was crucial for Macedonian aspirations to join the [[European Union|EU]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0322/breaking39.htm |title=Macedonia elections pass off peacefully |publisher=Irish Times |date=2009-03-03 |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> The ruling conservative [[VMRO–DPMNE|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===
{{Main|Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Parliament interior.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The interior in the Parlament Building in Skopje.]]
The Macedonian parliament or ''Sobranie'' ({{lang-mk|Собрание}}) is the country's [[legislature|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&nbsp;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|Supreme Court]], Constitutional Court and the Republican Judicial Council. The assembly appoints the judges.

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of the Republic of Macedonia}}
{{See also|List of diplomatic missions of the Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Embassy of Macedonia United States.JPG|thumb|right|200px|[[Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in Washington, D.C.|Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]
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 [[#Macedonia naming dispute|long-running dispute]] with [[Greece]] about the country's name.

The major interest of the country is a full integration in the European and the [[Transatlantic|Trans-Atlantic]] integration processes. Five foreign policy priorities are:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=308 |title=Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs |publisher=Mfa.gov.mk |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref>

* NATO membership

* Commencing negotiations for full-fledged membership in the European Union

* Lifting the [[visa (document)|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:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=314 |title=Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs |publisher=Mfa.gov.mk |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] (since 1992), [[World Health Organization|WHO]] (since 1993), [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|EBRD]] (since 1993), [[Central European Initiative]] (since 1993), [[Council of Europe]] (since 1995), [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]] (since 1995), [[Southeast European Cooperative Initiative|SECI]] (since 1996), [[World Trade Organization|WTO]] (since 2003), [[Central European Free Trade Agreement|CEFTA]] (since 2006), [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|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.<ref>{{cite web|author=M3 Web – http://m3web.bg |url=http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=91875 |title=Bulgaria: Macedonia Remains Out of NATO Because of Greek Veto over Name Dispute – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency |publisher=Novinite.com |date=2008-04-03 |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> The [[United States|USA]] had previously expressed support for an invitation,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/2/worldupdates/2008-04-02T203446Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-328122-1&sec=Worldupdates |title=Greece stands by NATO veto threat for Macedonia |publisher=Thestar.com.my |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/17331/ |title=EP Urges Accession Talks For Macedonia |publisher=BalkanInsight.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref>

====Macedonia naming dispute====
{{Main|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.<ref>Floudas, Demetrius Andreas; {{cite news |publisher= 24 (1996) Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 285|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_199601/ai_n8752910 | title= "A Name for a Conflict or a Conflict for a Name? An Analysis of Greece's Dispute with FYROM” |accessdate=2008-02-11 | year=1996}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> In the south, the Republic of Macedonia borders the region of [[Macedonia (Greece)|Greek Macedonia]], which administratively is split into three [[Peripheries of Greece|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 [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|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.
[[File:Flag of the Republic of Macedonia 1991-1995.svg|thumb|The first [[Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Macedonia#.22Vergina_Flag.22_.281992-1995.29|flag of sovereign Macedonia]] was also part of the dispute with [[Greece]]]]
The [[United Nations]] adopted the provisional reference "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" ({{lang-mk|Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија}}) when the country was admitted to the organization in 1993.<ref name="UN">{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/47/a47r225.htm |title=United Nations Resolution 225 (1993) |publisher=Un.org |date=1993-04-08 |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> Most international organizations, such as the [[European Union]], the [[European Broadcasting Union]], and the [[International Olympic Committee]], adopted the same convention.<ref>{{cite web | author = European Commission | title = Background information&nbsp;— The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | url = http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/international/bilateral/background/mk1_en.html | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071223150634/http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/international/bilateral/background/mk1_en.html | archivedate = 2007-12-23 | accessdate = 2006-10-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = European Broadcasting Union | title = Members' Logos | url = http://www.ebu.ch/members/members_logos.php | accessdate = 2006-10-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/pdf/key_documents/2005/package/sec_1425_final_analytical_report_mk_en.pdf |title=Analytical Report for the Opinion on the application from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for EU membership |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/abc/maps/applicants/fyrom_en.htm |title=Europa - The EU at a glance - Maps - FYROM |publisher=Europa.eu |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author = International Olympic Committee | title = List of national olympic committees participating in the xix olympic winter games in salt lake city | url = http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_258.pdf |format=PDF| accessdate = 2006-10-01 }}</ref> [[NATO]] also uses the reference in official documents but adds an explanation on which member countries recognize the constitutional name.<ref>{{cite web | author = North Atlantic Treaty Organisation | title = "The situation in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is critical" | url = http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/0723/e0725a.htm | accessdate = 2006-10-01 }}</ref> The same reference is also used in any discussion to which Greece is a party<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1737425.stm Bid to settle Macedonia name row], [[BBC]]</ref>

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 [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] members—the [[United States]],<ref>{{cite news |title = US snubs Greece over Macedonia | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3981499.stm | work = | publisher = BBC News Online | pages = | page = | date = 4 November 2004 | accessdate = 2006-10-01 }}</ref> [[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 [[List of United Nations member states|UN members]].<ref>"[http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Opinion/comm_20050916Tziampiris.html Naming the solution]", ''[[Kathimerini]]'' English edition, 16 September 2005</ref> 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 "the use of the name 'Macedonia' cannot therefore imply any territorial claim against another State";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art8-02.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050215223455/http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art8-02.html |archivedate=2005-02-15 |title=European Journal of International Law |publisher=Web.archive.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> despite the commission's opinion, Greece continued to object to the establishment of relations between the Community and the Republic under its constitutional name.<ref>Floudas, Demetrius Andreas; {{cite web |publisher= in: Kourvetaris et al. (eds.), ''The New Balkans'', East European Monographs: Columbia University Press, 2002, p. 85 |url=http://www.intersticeconsulting.com/documents/FYROM.pdf |format=PDF| title= "Pardon? A Name for a Conflict? FYROM's Dispute with Greece Revisited”| accessdate= 2009-07-24}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|author=By Davorin - Ljubljana |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20081117-macedonia-sues-greece-blocking-nato-entry-membership-name |title=Macedonia sues Greece for blocking NATO entry |publisher=France 24 |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Interim Accord">{{cite web|url=http://untreaty.un.org/unts/120001_144071/6/3/00004456.pdf|title=Interim Accord|year=1995|publisher=[[United Nations]]|accessdate=2009-03-14}}</ref>

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. The [[Social Democratic Union of Macedonia|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mia.com.mk/default.aspx?vId=63914637&lId=2 |title=Macedonian Information Agency President-elect Ivanov meets SDSM acting leader |publisher=Mia.com.mk |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> The government of Greece expressed support for the name ''‘Republic of North Macedonia’'' as the basis for resolving the name issue.<ref>[http://www.emportal.rs/en/news/region/85436.html H.E. Amb. Al. Mallias: Greece backs “Republic of Northern Macedonia”]. Emportal, 15 April 2009.</ref>

In 2010, the Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) and the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) have launched a campaign placing advertisements in newspapers and billboards across Macedonia "demanding an end to all negotiations with Greece over its name".<ref>http://www.mhrmi.org/our_name_is_macedonia/</ref>

==Military==
{{Main|Military of the Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Mi-24 Macedonian.jpg|thumb|right|[[Macedonian Air Force]] [[Mil Mi-24|Mi-24]] helicopter.]]
The [[Army of the Republic of Macedonia|Macedonian Armed Forces]] comprise the army, [[Macedonian Air Force|air force]] and [[Macedonian Special Forces|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 interoperability 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.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071214193901/http://www.morm.gov.mk/morm/en/ARM/Defence-Structure.html National Command Management]{{Dead link|date=April 2010}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of the Republic of Macedonia}}
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.<ref name = "worldbank">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org |title= |publisher=The World Bank |date=2009-04-24 |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> 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.<ref name = "worldbank-devdata">{{cite web|url=http://devdata.worldbank.org/AAG/mkd_aag.pdf |title=World Bank development data |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> The government has proven successful in its efforts to combat inflation, with an [[inflation rate]] of only 3% in 2006 and 2% in 2007<ref name = "worldbank"/> and has implemented policies focused on attracting [[foreign direct investment|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vlada.mk/english/News/December2006/ei8-12-2006.htm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080127122623/http://www.vlada.mk/english/News/December2006/ei8-12-2006.htm |archivedate=2008-01-27 |title=Government of the Republic of Macedonia |publisher=Web.archive.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/macedonias-new-flat-tax-51002.aspx |title=Macedonia's Flat Tax |publisher=Nuwireinvestor.com |date=2007-02-15 |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

Despite these reforms, as of 2005 Macedonia's [[unemployment|unemployment rate]] was 37.2%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org.mk/ |title=Macedonian unemployment rate |publisher=Worldbank.org.mk |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> and as of 2006 its [[poverty threshold|poverty rate]] was 22%.<ref name = "worldbank-devdata"/> Corruption and a relatively ineffective legal system also act as significant restraints on successful [[economic development]]. Macedonia still has one of the lowest [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|per capita GDPs]] in Europe. Furthermore, the country's [[grey market]] is estimated at close to 20% of GDP.<ref>The 2006 [[The World Factbook|CIA Factbook]] [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.html CIA Factbook Macedonia]</ref>

In terms of structure, as of 2005 the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service sector]] constituted by far the largest part of GDP at 57.1%, up from 54.2% in 2000. The [[Secondary sector of the economy|industrial sector]] represents 29.3% of GDP, down from 33.7% in 2000 while agriculture represents only 12.9%, up from 12%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://devdata.worldbank.org/ |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080118004059/http://devdata.worldbank.org/ |archivedate=2008-01-18 |title=Welcome to World Bank Group |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2008-01-18 |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> Textiles represent the most significant sector for trade, accounting for more than half of total exports.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macedonianembassy.org.uk/economy.html |title=Macedonian Embassy London |publisher=Macedonianembassy.org.uk |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> Other important exports include iron, steel, wine and vegetables.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=290 |title=Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs |publisher=Mfa.gov.mk |date=2005-12-31 |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

With a [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|GDP per capita]] of $9,157 at [[purchasing power parity]] and a [[List of countries by Human Development Index|Human Development Index]] of 0.808, Macedonia is less developed and has a considerably smaller economy than most of the former Yugoslav states.

According to [[Eurostat]] data, Macedonian PPS GDP per capita stood at 32 per cent of the EU average in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-25062009-BP/EN/2-25062009-BP-EN.PDF|title=GDP per capita in PPS|publisher=Eurostat|accessdate=2009-06-25}}</ref>

{{Multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 180
| image1 = Black Drim wells.jpg
| caption1 =
| image2 = Galichnik-View-Northern-Slope.jpg
| caption2 =
| image3 = Heraclea.jpg
| caption3 = Some attractions of the country: [[Black Drim]] river (top) ; the village of [[Galičnik]] (middle) ;mosaic at [[Heraclea Lyncestis]] (bottom).
}}
===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 [[Eastern Europe|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, which is the Fastest Growing in the Adriatic Region.<ref>[http://idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prCZ21532208 ''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</ref>

===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 [[embargo|trade embargo]] on the Republic in 1994–95, the economy was also affected. Some relief was afforded by the end of the [[Bosnian War|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,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greekembassy.org/embassy/Content/en/Article.aspx?office=1&folder=19&article=24108 |title=Greek investments in FYROM at 1 bil. Euros |publisher=Greekembassy.org |date=2008-07-16 |accessdate=2009-07-08}}</ref> such as the [[oil refinery]] Okta, the baking company Zhito Luks, a marble mine in [[Prilep]], textile facilities in [[Bitola]] etc., and employ 20,000 people. Other key partners are Germany, Italy, the United States, Slovenia, Austria and Turkey.

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Macedonia}}
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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faq.macedonia.org/information/101.html |title=101 facts about Macedonia |publisher=Faq.macedonia.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>

==Administrative regions==
===Regions===
{{Main|Statistical regions of Macedonia}}
Macedonia's statistical regions exist solely for legal and statistical purposes. The regions are:
[[File:MSR.png|250px|right|thumb|Macedonian statistical regions]]
* [[Skopje statistical region|Skopje]]
* [[Pelagonia statistical region|Pelagonia]]
* [[Polog statistical region|Polog]]
* [[Eastern statistical region|Eastern]]
* [[Southeastern statistical region|Southeastern]]
* [[Northeastern statistical region|Northeastern]]
* [[Southwestern statistical region|Southwestern]]
* [[Vardar statistical region|Vardar]]

===Municipalities===
{{Main|Municipalities of the Republic of Macedonia}}

In August 2004, the Republic of Macedonia was reorganised into 84 municipalities (''{{lang|mk|opštini}}''; sing. ''{{lang|mk|opština}}''); 10 of the municipalities constitute the [[Greater Skopje|City of Skopje]], a distinct unit of local self-government and the country's capital.

Most of the current municipalities were unaltered or merely amalgamated from the previous 123 municipalities established in September 1996; others were consolidated and their borders changed. Prior to this, local government was organised into 34 administrative districts, communes, or counties (also opštini).

==Demographics==
{{Main|Macedonians (ethnic group)|Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia|List of cities in the Republic of Macedonia}}
Macedonia has an estimated population of 2,061,315<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.html#People CIA World Factbook]</ref> [[Macedonian nationality law|citizens]]. The largest [[ethnic group]] in the country are the [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]]. The second largest group are the [[Albanians]] who dominated much of the western part of the country. Some unofficial estimates indicate that in the Republic of Macedonia there are possibly up to 260,000 [[Roma in the Republic of Macedonia|Roma]].<ref>[http://europeandcis.undp.org/uploads/public/File/rbec_web/vgr/chapter1.1.pdf [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]]'s Regional Bureau for Europe]</ref> The largest Macedonian cities according to the 1994 census data (as the 2002 census data<ref name="stat.gov.mk">{{cite web|title=Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Macedonia, 2002 - Book XIII, Skopje, 2005.|publisher=State Statistical Office of the Republic of Macedonia|url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/pdf/kniga_13.pdf}}</ref>
does not list both city populations and municipality populations):

{{bar box
|width = 300px
|float = right
|title = Ethnic groups
|titlebar = #ddd
|bars =
{{bar percent|'''Macedonians'''|yellow|64.18}}
{{bar percent|Albanians|black|25.17}}
{{bar percent|Turks|red|3.85}}
{{bar percent|Roma|blue|2.66}}
{{bar percent|Serbs|green|1.78}}
{{bar percent|Bosniaks|violet|0.84}}
{{bar percent|Aromanians|brown|0.48}}
{{bar percent|other|purple|1.04}}
}}

===Cities===

{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="float:center; margin:0 0 1em 1em; background:#f9f9f9; border:0 #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:95%;"
|-
|<div style="position: relative">[[File:MIHPM(MG).png|top]]
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:165%;left:179px;top:75px;">'''[[Skopje|SKOPJE]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:130px;top:254px;">'''[[Bitola]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:155px;top:125px;">'''[[Veles (city)|Veles]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:225px;top:110px;">'''[[Štip]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:274px;top:200px;">'''[[Strumica]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:60px;top:45px;">'''[[Tetovo]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:220px;top:45px;">'''[[Kumanovo]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:168px;top:190px;">'''[[Prilep]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:130%;left:85px;top:100px;">'''[[Gostivar]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:68px;top:239px;">'''[[Ohrid]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:33px;top:220px;">'''[[Struga]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:300px;top:110px;">'''[[Kočani]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:300px;top:170px;">'''[[Radoviš]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:70px;top:10px;">'''[[Kosovo|KOSOVO]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:200px;top:-10px;">'''[[Serbia|SERBIA]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:348px;top:25px;">'''[[Bulgaria|BULGA-<br />RIA]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:254px;top:300px;">'''[[Greece|GREECE]]'''</div>
<div style="position:absolute;font-size:140%;left:-40px;top:200px;">'''[[Albania|ALBA-<br />NIA]]'''</div>
|-
|<div class="center">Largest cities in Macedonia</div>
</div>
|}
{{Largest cities of Macedonia}}

<div class="center">The above table shows ethnic affiliation of the population according to the 2002 census:<ref name="stat.gov.mk"/></div>

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in the Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Sv trojca.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Holy Trinity Orthodox church in [[Radoviš]].]]
[[File:St.-Panteleymon-Ohrid.JPG|thumb|right|210px|The monastery of [[Saint Panteleimon, Ohrid|Saint Panteleimon]] in [[Ohrid]].]]
[[File:Mustafa-Pasha-Mosque-Skopje.jpg|thumb|210px|[[Mustapha Pasha Mosque]] in Skopje's [[Old Bazaar]].]]
[[Christian]]s are a majority in the Republic of Macedonia, with 64.7% of the population belonging to the [[Macedonian Orthodox Church|Macedonian]] branch of [[Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]], while various [[Christian denomination]]s occupy 0.37% of the population. [[Muslim]]s comprise 33.3% of the population, this being the fourth largest Muslim population in Europe by percentage after [[Kosovo]] (90%), [[Albania]] (70%), and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia-Herzegovina]] (48%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bk.html |title=CIA - The World Factbook - Bosnia and Herzegovina |publisher=Cia.gov |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> Most Muslims are [[Albanians|Albanian]], [[Turkish people|Turkish]], or [[Romani people|Roma]], although some are [[Macedonian Muslims]]. The remaining 1.63% is recorded as "unspecified" in the 2002 national census.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.html CIA World Factbook]</ref>

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 [[Seminary|theological college]] in the capital. The Macedonian Orthodox Church has jurisdiction over 10 provinces (seven in the country and three abroad), has 10 bishops and about 350 priests. A total of 30,000 people are baptised in all the provinces every year.

There is a tension between the Macedonian and [[Serbian Orthodox Church]]es which arose from the former's separation and self-declared [[autocephaly]] 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 VI of Ohrid|Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid]], a former Macedonian church bishop, as the [[Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric|Archbishop of Ohrid]].

The reaction of the Macedonian Orthodox Church was to cut off all relations with the new Ohrid Archbishopric and to prevent bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church from entering Macedonia. Bishop Jovan was jailed for 18&nbsp;months for "defaming the Macedonian Orthodox church and harming the religious feelings of local citizens" by distributing Serbian Orthodox church calendars and pamphlets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwpr.net/?p=bcr&s=f&o=257037&apc_state=henibcr200508 |title=Church Rivalry Threatens to Brim Over |publisher=Iwpr.net |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref>

The [[Macedonian Greek Catholic Church|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 [[Catholic Church|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 language|Macedonian]].<ref>{{cite web|author=David M. Cheney |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/mk.html |title=Catholic Church in Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Catholic-Hierarchy&#93; |publisher=Catholic-hierarchy.org |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref>

There is a small [[Protestantism|Protestant]] community. The most famous Protestant in the country is the late president [[Boris Trajkovski]]. He was from the [[Methodism|Methodist]] community, which is the largest and oldest [[Protestantism|Protestant Church]] in the Republic, dating back to the late 19th century. Since the 1980s the small Protestant community has grown, partly through new confidence and partly with outside missionary help.

The Macedonian [[Judaism|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 [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.balkanalysis.com/2007/03/14/macedonia%E2%80%99s-jewish-community-commemorates-the-holocaust-and-embraces-the-future/ |title=Blog Archives » Macedonia's Jewish Community Commemorates the Holocaust, and Embraces the Future |publisher=Balkanalysis.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref> 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 [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]] – the descendants of [[15th century]] refugees who had fled the [[Spanish Inquisition|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese Inquisition]]s.

===Languages===
{{Main|Macedonian language|Languages in the Republic of Macedonia}}

The official and most widely spoken language is [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]], which belongs to the Eastern branch of the [[South Slavic languages|South Slavic]] language group. Macedonian is closely related to and [[mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]] with [[Bulgarian language|Standard Bulgarian]]. It also has some similarities with standard [[Serbian language|Serbian]] and the intermediate [[Torlak]]ian and [[Shopi|Shop]] dialects spoken mostly in southern Serbia and western Bulgaria (and by speakers in the north and east of Macedonia). The [[standard language]] was [[Codification (linguistics)|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 [[minority group|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 language]]s with substantial numbers of speakers are: [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (including [[Balkan Gagauz Turkish language|Balkan Gagauz]]<ref name="Ethnologue">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MK|title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition|last=Gordon|first=Raymond G., Jr. (ed.)|year=2005|publisher=[[SIL International]]|accessdate=2008-11-03}}</ref>), [[Serbian language|Serbian]]/[[Bosnian language|Bosnian]] and [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]] (including [[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]]).<ref name="United Nations Document">{{cite web|url=http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/974c7c980fa0cce7802566870032a38e?Opendocument|title=Core document forming part of the reports of States Parties : The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia|publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref><ref name="Eurominority">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurominority.eu/version/eng/minority-state2.asp?id_states=28|title=Macedonia ethnic and linguistic minorities|work=|publisher=Eurominority |accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurominority.eu/version/maps/map-european-languages.asp|title=Map of the European languages|publisher=Eurominority|accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite web|url=http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/83/1983-004-1B1C7082.gif|title=Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|accessdate=2008-10-04}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/countries/macedonia.shtml|title=BBC: Languages across Europe - Macedonia|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref><ref name="Eupedia">{{cite web|url=http://www.eupedia.com/europe/maps_of_europe.shtml#languages|title=Europe languages map|publisher=Eupedia|accessdate=2008-11-07}}</ref> There are a few villages of [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]] speakers and an immigrant [[Greek language|Greek]] community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ell|title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition|last=Gordon|first=Raymond G., Jr. (ed.)|year=2005|publisher=[[SIL International]]|accessdate=2008-11-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=MK|title=Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com/.
|quote= Immigrant languages: Greek" "Adyghe [ady] A few villages in Macedonia. Alternate names: Adygey, West Circassian|last=Gordon|first=Raymond G., Jr. (ed.)|year=2005|publisher=[[SIL International]]|accessdate=2010-07-13}}</ref>

==Science==
===Education===
[[File:Ss Cyril and Methodius University campus Skopje.jpg|250px|right|thumb|The state university [[Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje|Ss. Cyril and Methodius]] in the capital Skopje.]]
The Macedonian [[education|education system]] consists of:
* [[Kindergarten|pre-school education]]
* [[primary education]]
* [[secondary education]]
* [[higher education]]

The higher levels of education can be obtained at one of the five state universities: [[Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje]], [[St. Clement of Ohrid University of Bitola]], [[Goce Delčev University of Štip]], [[State University of Tetovo]] and [[University for Information Science and Technology|University for Information Science and Technology "St. Paul The Apostle" in Ohrid]]. There are a number of private university institutions, such as the European University,<ref>[http://www.oic.org.mk/en/Default-en.htm OIC.org.mk]{{Dead link|date=April 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://macedonia.usaid.gov/English/Articles/macedonia-wifi.html |title=U.S. Agency for International Development |publisher=Macedonia.usaid.gov |date= |accessdate=2009-05-05}}</ref> In addition, an [[Internet service provider|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===
{{Main|Cinema of the Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Tea moderna cover.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Cover of the magazine Tea Moderna, January 2008.]]
The [[history of film]] making in the republic dates back over 110&nbsp;years. The first film to be produced on the territory of the present-day the country was made in 1895 by [[Manakis brothers|Janaki and Milton Manaki]] in Bitola. Throughout the past century, the medium of film has depicted the history, culture and [[Personal life|everyday life]] of the Macedonian people. Over the years many Macedonian films have been presented at [[film festival]]s around the world and several of these films have won prestigious awards. The first Macedonian feature film was "''Frosina''", released in 1952. The first feature film in colour was "''Miss Stone''", a movie about a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] missionary in [[Macedonia (terminology)#Ottoman Macedonia|Ottoman Macedonia]]. It was released in 1958. The highest grossing feature film in the Republic of Macedonia was [[Bal-Can-Can]], having been seen by over 500,000 people in its first year alone.

The oldest newspaper in the country is ''[[Nova Makedonija]]'' from 1944. Other well known newspaper and magazines are: ''[[Utrinski vesnik|Utrinski Vesnik]]'', ''[[Dnevnik (Skopje)|Dnevnik]]'', ''[[Vreme]]'', ''[[Večer (Skopje)|Večer]]'', ''[[Tea Moderna (magazine)|Tea Moderna]]'', ''[[Makedonsko Sonce]]'', ''Koha'' and etc. Public channel is [[Macedonian Radio-Television]] founded in 1993 by the [[Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia]]. [[TEKO TV]] (1989) from [[Stip]] is the first private [[television channel]] in the country. Other popular private TV's also are: [[A1 TV channel (Macedonia)|A1 TV]], [[Sitel (TV channel)|Sitel]], [[Kanal 5 (Macedonia)|Kanal 5]], [[Naša TV]], Alsat-M, [[MTV Adria]] and etc.

In 1994 Milco Manchevski's film "Before the Rain" was nominated as Best [[World cinema|Foreign Film]]. Manchevski continues to be the most prominent modern filmmaker in the country having subsequently written and directed "Dust" and "Shadows."

===Culture===
{{Main|Macedonian culture (ethnic group)|Music of the Republic of Macedonia|List of Macedonians (ethnic group)}}

[[File:Robevci house.jpg|thumb|250px|right|[[Robevi family house]] - typical Macedonian architecture.]]
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. [[Music of the Republic of Macedonia|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|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture.in.mk/story.asp?id=19442&rub=35 |title=Macedonian Opera Marks 60th Anniversary. Culture - Republic of Macedonia |work= |accessdate=}}</ref>

===Public holidays===
{{Main|Public holidays in the Republic of Macedonia}}

The main public holidays in the Republic of Macedonia are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date !! English name !! Macedonian name !! Remarks
|-
| 1–2 January || [[New Year]] || Нова Година, ''Nova Godina'' || &nbsp;
|-
| 7 January || [[Christmas Day]] ([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]) || Прв ден Божик, ''Prv den Božik'' || &nbsp;
|-
| march/April || [[Good Friday]] (Orthodox) || Велики Петок, ''Veliki Petok'' || Ortodox Easter and other Easter dates do not match; see: [[Easter#Date of Easter|Date of Easter]]
|-
| march/April || [[Easter Sunday]] (Orthodox) || Прв ден Велигден, ''Prv den Veligden'' || -"-
|-
| march/april || [[Easter Monday]] (Orthodox) || Втор ден Велигден, ''Vtor den Veligden'' || -"-
|-
| 1 May || [[Labour Day]] || Ден на трудот, ''Den na trudot'' || &nbsp;
|-
| 24 May || [[Saints Cyril and Methodius Day]] || Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на сèсловенските просветители; ''Sv. Kiril i Metodij, Den na sèslovenskite prosvetiteli'' || &nbsp;
|-
| 2 August || [[ASNOM|Day of the Republic]] || Ден на Републиката, ''Den na Republikata'' || Day when the Republic was established in 1944, also [[Ilinden uprising]] in 1903 and victory in Battle of Chaeronea in 338&nbsp;BC.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}
|-
| 8 September || [[History of the Republic of Macedonia#1990s|Independence Day]] || Ден на независноста, ''Den na nezavisnosta'' || Day of independence from [[Yugoslavia]]
|-
| 11 October ||[[National Liberation War of Macedonia|Revolution Day]] || Ден на востанието, ''Den na vostanieto'' || Beginning of Anti-fascist war during WWII in 1941
|-
| 23 October || Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle || Ден на македонската револуционерна борба,''Den na makedonskata revolucionarna borba'' || Day when the [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]] (IMRO) was established in 1893.
|-
| 1 Shawwal || [[Eid ul-Fitr]] || Рамазан Бајрам, ''Ramazan Bajram'' || moveable, see: [[Islamic Calendar]]
|-
| 8 December ||[[Clement of Ohrid|Saint Clement of Ohrid]] Day || Св. Климент Охридски, ''Sv. Kliment Ohridski'' || &nbsp;
|}

Besides these, there are several major religious & minorities holidays. (See:''[[Public holidays in the Republic of Macedonia]]'')

=== Cuisine ===

{{Main|Cuisine of the Republic of Macedonia}}
[[File:Тавче гравче.jpg|thumb|170px|left|[[Tavče Gravče]].]]
Macedonian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of the [[Balkans]]—reflecting [[Mediterranean cuisine|Mediterranean]] ([[Greek cuisine|Greek]] and [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]]) and [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]] influences, and to a lesser extent [[Italian cuisine|Italian]], [[German cuisine|German]] and [[Eastern Europe]]an (especially [[Hungarian cuisine|Hungarian]]) ones. The relatively warm climate in Macedonia provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Thus, Macedonian cuisine is particularly diverse.

Famous for its rich [[Šopska salad]], an appetizer and side dish which accompanies almost every meal, Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of its [[dairy products]], [[wines]], and local [[alcoholic beverages]], such as [[rakija]]. [[Tavče Gravče]] and [[mastika]] are considered the national dish and drink of the Republic of Macedonia, respectively.

===Sport===

[[File:The Macedonian Basketball Team.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Macedonia basketball team at a time out during a match with [[Latvia]].]]
[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Macedonia. [[Macedonia national football team]] is the national football team of Macedonia and is controlled by the [[Football Federation of Macedonia]]. The home stadium of the National team is the [[Philip II Arena]]. The most popular Macedonian footballer is [[Goran Pandev]], which currently plays for [[F.C. Internazionale Milano|Internazionale]]. Apart from football, [[Team handball|handball]] is the most important team sport in the country. 2002 Kometal Skopje won the European Cup [[EHF Champions League|EHF Women's Champions League]]. The [[European Women's Handball Championship]] took place in 2008 in Macedonia. The venues in which the tournament took place were located in Skopje and Ohrid. The Macedonian women's national handball team arrived here a seventh place. The Macedonian national basketball team represents the Republic of Macedonia in international basketball. The [[Macedonian national basketball team]] is run by the Basketball Federation of Macedonia, the governing body of basketball in Macedonia which was created in 1992 and joined FIBA in 1993. Macedonian participated in [[EuroBasket 2009]] and finished on the 9th place together with [[Poland]]. Currently National Macedonian Basketball Team plays the qualification rounds for [[EuroBasket 2011]]. It plays its home games at the [[Boris Trajkovski Arena]] in [[Skopje]]. In the summer months The [[Ohrid Swimming Marathon]] is an annual event on [[Lake Ohrid]] and during the winter months there is skiing in Macedonia's winter sports centres. Macedonia also takes part in the [[Olympic Games]]. Participation in the Games is organized by the Macedonian Olympic Committee.<ref>{{cite web|author=World InfoZone|url=http://worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Macedonia&page=2|title=Macedonia Information |publisher=worldinfozone.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<div class="center"><gallery>
File:Sveti jovan kaneo.jpg|[[Church of St. John at Kaneo]].
File:Sv. Sofija, Ohrid 011.JPG|[[Church of St. Sophia, Ohrid|St. Sophia Cathedral]].
File:Mount Pelister MK.jpg|[[Baba Mountain|Pelister]] National Park.
File:Bitola Širok Sokak.JPG|[[Širok Sokak]] Street in [[Bitola]].
File:Mount Korab, Republic of Macedonia.jpg|Landscape of [[Mount Korab]].
File:MountShara.jpg|[[Šar Mountains|Šar mountain]].
File:Meister von Nerezi 001.jpg|Paintings in [[Church of St. Panteleimon (Nerezi)|St. Panteleimon Church]].
File:Kratovo13.jpg|[[Kratovo, Macedonia|Kratovo]].
File:Wild beach-selo Ljubanista Ohrid.jpg|Beach near Ljubanista.
File:OhridCity.jpg|The city of [[Ohrid]] located on the shores of [[Lake Ohrid]].
File:505 OldAqueductSkopje.jpg|[[Skopje Aqueduct]].
File:St Kliment Skopje.JPG| Church of St. Clement in Skopje.
File: St.Bogoroditsa_Eleusa.JPG| Monastery of the Holy [[Theotokos|Mother of God]] Eleusa in [[Strumica]].
File: Copy of 13.S8003572.JPG| The [[Dojran Lake]] in the town of [[Dojran]].
File:Aladja Moschee01.JPG|Işak Bey Mosque in Skopje's [[Old Bazaar]].
File: Kuklica pillars.jpg| The [[Stone town of Kuklica]].
</gallery></div>

==International rankings==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Organization
!Survey
!Rankning
|-
| Institute for Economics and Peace<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.economicsandpeace.org |title=Institute for Economics & Peace |publisher=Economicsandpeace.org |date= |accessdate=2010-04-28}}</ref>
| [[Global Peace Index]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/home.php |title=Vision of Humanity |publisher=Vision of Humanity |date= |accessdate=2010-02-04}}</ref>
| 88 out of 144
|-
|[[Reporters Without Borders]]
|[http://www.rsf.org/en-classement1003-2009.html Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2009]
|34 out of 175
|-
|[[The Heritage Foundation]]/[[The Wall Street Journal]]
|[http://www.heritage.org/Index/Ranking.aspx Index of Economic Freedom 2010]
|56 out of 179
|-
|[[Transparency International]]
|[http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table Corruption Perceptions Index 2009]
|71 out of 180
|-
|[[United Nations Development Programme]]
|[http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/ Human Development Index 2009]
|72 out of 182
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Republic of Macedonia}}
{{Main|Outline of Macedonia}}
* [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Ethnic Macedonians]]
* [[Flora of Macedonia]]
* [[Foreign relations of the Republic of Macedonia]]
* [[Macedonian Mafia]]
* [[Macedonia (terminology)]]
* [[Army of the Republic of Macedonia|Military of the Republic of Macedonia]]
* [[Public holidays in the Republic of Macedonia]]
* [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia]]
* [[Symbols of the Republic of Macedonia]]
* [[Telecommunications in the Republic of Macedonia]]
* [[Transport in the Republic of Macedonia]]

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{| class="references-small" style="margin-left:13px; line-height:150%"
|-
| style="text-align:right; vertical-align:top;"|a.&nbsp;&nbsp;
|{{note|status}}{{Kosovo-note}}
|}

==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|Republic of Macedonia}}
{{cookbook}}
<!--Wikipedia is not a link list nor a Web directory. If your link points to a site that does not cover many subjects about Macedonia, it's most likely in the wrong place here and you should go and search for a more specific article.-->
*{{Official website|1=http://www.vlada.mk/?q=frontpage}}
*{{CIA World Factbook link|mk|Macedonia}}
*{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/Macedonia}}
*{{Wikiatlas|the Republic of Macedonia}}
*{{Wikitravel}}

{{Geographic Location (8-way)
|Northwest = {{KOS}}
|North = {{SRB}}
|Northeast =
|West = {{ALB}}
|Centre = {{Flagicon|Macedonia}} [[Outline of Macedonia|Macedonia]]
|East = {{BGR}}
|Southwest =
|South = {{GRC}}
|Southeast =
}}

{{Template group
|title = Republic of Macedonia topics
|list =
{{Macedonia topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Regions of the Republic of Macedonia}}
{{Municipalities of the Republic of Macedonia}}
}}
{{Template group
|title = Location
|list =
{{Countries of Europe}}
{{Balkan countries}}
{{Slavic-speaking states}}
}}
{{Template group
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|list =
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{{European Union candidates}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Macedonia}}
[[Category:Republic of Macedonia| ]]
[[Category:European countries]]
[[Category:Landlocked countries]]
[[Category:Member states of La Francophonie]]
[[Category:Slavic countries]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1991]]

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[[af:Republiek van Masedonië]]
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[[an:Republica de Macedonia]]
[[arc:ܩܘܛܢܝܘܬܐ ܕܡܩܕܘܢܝܐ]]
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[[uk:Республіка Македонія]]
[[ur:مقدونیہ]]
[[ug:ماكېدونىيە]]
[[vec:Republica de Macedonia]]
[[vi:Cộng hòa Macedonia]]
[[vo:Makedoniyän]]
[[fiu-vro:Makõdoonia Vabariik]]
[[war:Republika han Macedonia]]
[[wo:Réewum Maseduwaan]]
[[wuu:马其顿]]
[[yo:Orílẹ̀-èdè Makẹdóníà]]
[[zh-yue:馬其頓共和國]]
[[diq:Cumurêtê Makedonya]]
[[bat-smg:Makeduonėjė]]
[[zh:馬其頓共和國]]

Revision as of 14:19, 9 October 2010

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