The Republic of Macedonia, the landlocked nation on the Balkan Peninsula, is located in southeastern Europe, bordering Serbia and Kosovo to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east. It is a member of UN, the Council of Europe, La Francophonie, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Security and the Cooperation in Europe. Skopje is the capital of Macedonia. Lake Ohrid is recognized as one of the oldest lakes in the world.
HISTORY:- The ancient Macedonia was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 148 BC. In 395, after the split of the Roman Empire, the region came under Byzantine rule. The Norman occupation started in the 1080s. The Bulgarian Empire and Serbian Empire took over the land in the 13th century and in the 14th century respectively. In 1371, the Ottoman Turks occupied Macedonia and reigned for the next five centuries. Under the Treaty of San Stefano, Bulgaria gained the largest part of Macedonia after the Russo-Turkish War in 1878. After the downfall of Ottoman Empire, its territories were divided into Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. During the Second Balkan War in 1913, Bulgaria was defeated by the Greeks and Serbs and lost must of its Macedonian territory to Serbia. In 1918, Serbia united with Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. In 1941, during the World War II, Bulgaria joined the Axis force and occupied a part of Yugoslavia, including Macedonia until 1945, when Germany was defeated in the war. Tito became the President of Yugoslavia. In 1946, Macedonia became an autonomous Yugoslavian republic taking the name of the People's Republic of Macedonia. In 1963, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia was formed. In 1991, the Republic of Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia.
GEOGRAPHY:- Macedonia is situated at 41 50 N, 22 00 E in Southeastern Europe. Macedonia covers total 25,333 sq km area on the surface of the world in which 24,856 sq km area is covered by land and 477 sq km area is covered by water. The landlocked country shares the borders of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, and Serbia. The lowest point is Vardar River (50 m) and the highest point is Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) (2,764 m). Macedonia is mostly mountainous, covered with deep basins and valleys. The three large lakes- Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Dojran Lake are situated in the southern part of the country. Macedonia is bisected by the Vardar River.
CLIMATE:- The climate of Macedonia is predominantly warm with dry summers and autumns and comparatively cooler winters with heavy snowfall.
GOVERNMENT:- Macedonia is a parliamentary democratic nation. The constitution was adopted on 17th November 1991 which came to effect on 20th November 1991. The legal system is based on the civil law system. The three major branches of the government are:
Executive branch comprises the President (chief of state), the Prime minister (head of government), and the cabinet. The President is elected by apopular vote on a 5-year term. The Prime minister is elected by the Assembly. The Council of Ministers is elected by the majority of votes of all the members of the Assembly.
Legislative branch comprises the unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats).
Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the Republican Judicial Council. All the judges are appointed by the Assembly.
Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity; Social-Democratic Union of Macedonia; Democratic Union for Integration; Democratic Party of Albanians; New Social Democratic Party; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party; Party for Democratic Prosperity; Democratic Party of the Turks in Macedonia; Democratic League of Bosniaks; Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia, United Party of Romas in Macedonia; Socialist-Christian Party of Macedonia are some of the major political parties of Macedonia. Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Macedonia is divided into 8 statistical regions:
Skopje
Pelagonia
Polog
Eastern
Southeastern
Northeastern
Southwestern
Vardar.
Skopje
Pelagonia
Polog
Eastern
Southeastern
Northeastern
Southwestern
Vardar.
Administratively the country is divided into 84 municipalities.
CULTURE:- Macedonian culture has a rich heritage in art, architecture, poetry, and music. Oro is a king of folk dance in the nation. The influence of Byzantine church music over Macedonian music is prominent. Ohrid Summer festival of classical music and drama is the most popular festival of Macedonia. The Struga Poetry Evenings, Skopje May Opera Evenings, International Camera Festival in Bitola, Open Youth Theatre and Skopje Jazz Festival in Skopje are some of the notable festivals of the nation.
ECONOMY:- Macedonia is ranked 4th in the index of best reformatory state by the World Bank. Annual GDP rate is high accompanied with an open economy. But a high rate of corruption and an indifferent legal system somehow draw a restriction to the economic development.
GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $15.55 billion; per capita $7,600.
Real growth rate: 3.7%.
Inflation: 0.5%.
Unemployment: 38%.
Arable land: 22%.
Agriculture: Grapes, wine, tobacco, vegetables; milk, eggs.
Labor force: 855,000 (2004 est.); agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a.
Industries: Food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals.
Budget:
Revenues: $2.508 billion
Expenditures: $2.487 billion (2007 est.)
Revenues: $2.508 billion
Expenditures: $2.487 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt: 30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Debt - external: $3.967 billion (31 December 2007)
Natural resources: Low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land.
Exports: $2.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.):food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel.
Imports: $3.196 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products.
Major trading partners: Serbia and Montenegro, Germany, Italy, Greece, Croatia, U.S., Slovenia, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Romania (2004).
Monetary unit: Denar
LANGUAGE:- Macedonian is the official language of Macedonia.
Macedonian 67%
Albanian 25%
Turkish 4%
Roma 2%
Serbian 1% (2002)
Macedonian 67%
Albanian 25%
Turkish 4%
Roma 2%
Serbian 1% (2002)
CITIES:- The capital Skopje is the largest city of the country. Other major cities are Tetovo, Prilep Kumanovo, Gostivar and Bitola.
POPULATION:- The approximate population of Macedonia is 2,055,915 with a growth rate of 0.3%.
Density per sq mi: 207
Literacy rate: 96.1%
Density per sq mi: 207
Literacy rate: 96.1%
RACE:-
Macedonian 64.2%
Albanian 25.2%
Turkish 3.9%
Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%
Serb 1.8%
Other 2.2% (2002)
Macedonian 64.2%
Albanian 25.2%
Turkish 3.9%
Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%
Serb 1.8%
Other 2.2% (2002)
RELIGION:-
Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%
Muslim 33.3%
Other Christian 0.37%
Other and unspecified 1.63% (2002)
Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%
Muslim 33.3%
Other Christian 0.37%
Other and unspecified 1.63% (2002)
HEALTH:-
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 8.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.45 years
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 8.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.45 years
TRANSPORTATION:-
Transportation: Railways: total: 699 km (2002).
Highways: total: 8,684 km; paved: 5,540 km (including 133 km of expressways); unpaved: 3,144 km (1999 est.).
Waterways: lake transport.
Ports and harbors: none.
Airports: 18 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 699 km (2002).
Highways: total: 8,684 km; paved: 5,540 km (including 133 km of expressways); unpaved: 3,144 km (1999 est.).
Waterways: lake transport.
Ports and harbors: none.
Airports: 18 (2002).
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