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Република Македонија
Republika Makedonija
Republic of Macedonia

	Coat of Arms of the Republic of Macedonia
(Details)	(Details)

Official languages

Macedonian^¤,2

Capital

Skopje

President

Branko Crvenkovski

Prime Minister

Vlado Bučkovski

Area
– Total
– % water

Ranked 145th
25,713 km²
1.9%

Population
– Total (2005 est.)
– Density

Ranked 140th
2,045,262
81/km²

Independence

8 September 1991

Currency

Macedonian^¤ Denar (MKD)

Time zone
– in summer

CET (UTC+1)
CEST (UTC+2)

National anthem

Денес Над Македонија (Denes Nad Makedonija: Today Over Macedonia)

Internet TLD

.mk

Calling Code

389

² All the languages of the ethnic communities with over 20% of representation in municipalities are municipal official languages. These include Albanian, Turkish, Serbian and Romany

The Republic of Macedonia^¤, referred to by the United Nations as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), is an independent state on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is often called Macedonia, but this can cause confusion with the wider geographical region of Macedonia and the Greek region of Macedonia.

The lands governed by the Republic of Macedonia were previously the southernmost part of Yugoslavia. Its current borders were fixed shortly after World War II when socialist Yugoslavia established the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, recognising the Macedonians as a separate nation within Yugoslavia. Renamed as the Republic of Macedonia in 1991, it seceded peacefully from Yugoslavia without any further territorial changes. However, since then the country has been embroiled in a prolonged political dispute with Greece concerning its use of the name "Macedonia". Some international organisations and nations refer to the country as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the term used in its admission to the United Nations, but other countries recognise it under its constitutional name "Republic of Macedonia".

History

Main article: History of the Republic of Macedonia

The lands governed by the Republic of Macedonia were part of a number of ancient states and former empires; Paionia, the ancient Macedonian kingdom (which established the name of the whole Macedonian region), the Roman and Byzantine empires as well as medieval Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian states. In the 14th century the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

Ancient Macedonia

In the 8th century BC the sense of becoming to one nation was improved and the ancient Macedonian tribes formed their ancient kingdom, ruled by Perdica 1st. Philip 2nd, (356-336 BC), led the kingdom into a period of growth and expansion. Philip 2nd conquered the Greeks in 338 BC at the Chaeroneia battle and unified the Greek city-states with the ancient Macedonian kingdom, and they lost their independence. Alexander the Great (336-323 BC), pursued his father's objectives and created a vast empire which stretched south into Egypt and across Persia (now known as Iran) to northwestern India. Culture and art flourished under Alexander's rule.

Unfortunately, Alexander The Great died in 323 BC, leaving the empire with no clear successor. Generals in the Macedonian army divided the empire into smaller kingdoms. These kingdoms continued to fight with each other for several decades until the year 215 BC. Starting in 215 BC Macedonia was assailed by the Romans in a series of three wars which lasted until 168 BC. In 148 BC the region became a Roman province. During the early Christian period the region was an important field for the missionary labors of Saint Paul the Apostle.

Medieval Macedonia

After the final division of the Roman Empire in AD 395 Macedonia became part of the Byzantine Empire. In the 6th-7th century the Slavs penetrated in the Byzantine empire in large numbers. The Slavic tribes, Berziti (Brsjaci), Smoljani, Dragoviti, Velegeziti, Sagudati, Rinhini, Strumjani that, settled on the territory of Macedonia mixed with the ancient population and created the Macedonian nation that exists even today. In the 9th century the brothers from Solun (Salonica), Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius created the first Slavonic alphabet, known as Glagolithic alphabet. Their follower, Saint Clement of Ohrid, who improved their work, was the founder the of first University of Slavic literacy, in Ohrid (city known as the European Jerusalem). Also, during this period the Archbishopric of Ohrid was established (which became the biggest church on the Balkan's). In 976 AD the medieval Macedonian state was established by the four brothers: David, Aaron, Moses and Samoil, with seat in Prespa & later in Ohrid. After it's fall in 1018, Macedonia was controlled by the Byzantine leader Vasilius II (Basil_II) and later by the medieval rulers, as Strez, Dobromir Hriz, Alexi Slav, King Marko (Prince Marko) and others.

The Ottoman Turks ruled the region for 5 centuries, from 1371 to 1912. In 1767 they forbid the oldest church in the Balkans dating back to the 10th AD, the Archbishopric of Ohrid, (which was restored in 1967 under the name Macedonian Orthodox Church). Their rule was followed by many uprisings: Karpoš in 1689, Neguš in 1822, Razlovci in 1876, Kresna 1878-79 and the Ilinden in 1903, that resulted with the famous ten days, Kruševo republic. The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-I.M.R.O. (Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација-В.М.Р.О.) was established in Solun (Salonica), in 1893, which goal was establishing an independent Macedonian state.

The 20th century

Unfortunately, after the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), Macedonia was divided among Greece (Aegean), Bulgaria (Pirin), Serbia (Vardar) and small regions were given to Albania (Mala Prespa, Pogradec and Golo Brdo). The division was confirmed, later at the Versailles peace treaty in 1919, after the 1st world war. After the First World War Serbia joined the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929, the kingdom was officially renamed Yugoslavia and divided into provinces called "banovinas". The territory of the modern Republic of Macedonia became a part of the Province or Banate of Vardar (Vardarska Banovina 1). After this tragic event, the Macedonians were living under triple rule, having no rights of using their mother language and declaring themselves as Macedonians.

In 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied by the Axis Powers. The Banate of Vardar was divided between Bulgaria and Italian-occupied Albania. Harsh rule by the occupying forces encouraged many Macedonians to support the resistance movement of the communists, lead by Josip Broz Tito, liberated Macedonia at the end of 1944. Later, when the war ended, Josip Broz Tito who became Yugoslavia's president. In 1946, the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was established, in which the People's Republic of Macedonia within Yugoslavia became one of the six republics of the Yugoslav federation (together with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro).

After the Second World War, in 1946 the Macedonians finally got their human rights by having own state, but only on Yugoslav south (in the Vardar part). Those who live in Aegean Macedonia (Greece), Pirin Macedonia (Bulgaria), Mala Prespa, Pogradec & Golo Brdo (Albania), still fight for their rights. Following the federation's renaming to Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963, the People's Republic of Macedonia was likewise renamed Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Macedonia was the last of the Yugoslav republic's, that proclaimed independence on September 8th 1991.

The Republic of Macedonia remained at peace through the Yugoslav wars of the early 1990s but was destabilised by the Kosovo War in 1999, when an estimated 360,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo took refuge in the country. They returned quickly following the war but soon after, Albanian radicals on both sides of the border took up arms in pursuit of autonomy or independence for the Albanian-populated areas of the Republic. A short war was fought between government and ethnic Albanian rebels, mostly in the north and west of the country, in March-June 2001. It ended with the intervention of a NATO ceasefire monitoring force and the government promising to devolve greater political power and cultural recognition to the Albanian minority.

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Republic of Macedonia

The Republic of Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a coalition of parties from the unicameral legislature (Собрание, Sobranie), and an independent judicial branch with a constitutional court. 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 of Macedonia.

With the passage of a new law and elections held in 2005, local government functions are divided between 78 municipalities (opštini, singular - opština). The capital, Skopje, is governed as a group of ten municipalities collectively referred to as "the City of Skopje".

The Republic is a member of a number of international organisations such as the United Nations and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It is seeking to join NATO and the European Union, although its accession to either is unlikely to occur before 2008 and 2012, respectively.

Within the Republic of Macedonia, the main political divergence is between the largely ethnically-based political parties representing the country's Macedonian majority and Albanian minority (25 %). 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.

See also: Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia s

International relations

The Republic of Macedonia has generally amicable relations with the outside world, but since its independence in 1991 it has been embroiled in a dispute with Greece over the country's official name, national symbols, and constitution.

The United Nations admitted the Republic in 1993 under the temporary name of "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM). Many international organisations adopted the same convention, including the European Union, the European Broadcasting Union, NATO (except Turkey and Slovenia), and the International Olympic Committee, among others. Also, several other members of these organizations recognize the country under its constitutional name.

Several UN member-states recognise the Republic as FYROM but many others, including three of the UN Security Council's five permanent mambers – the United States, Russia, and the People's Republic of China – use the "Republic of Macedonia" name instead. Given that both names are rather long-winded, the state is often referred to simply as Macedonia by non-Greeks.

The dispute over the Republic's national symbols and constitution was resolved in an agreement reached in 1995, but no solution has yet been reached on the naming issue.

See Foreign relations of the Republic of Macedonia for a more detailed discussion of the dispute and further information on its foreign relations issues.

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Republic of Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian: Република Македонија/Republika Makedonija) represents a part of the entire region Macedonia, a region that contains a great historical - geographical value, in southeastern Europe, in the south central part of the Balkan Peninsula. Macedonia covers about 68,451 sq km. The Republic of Macedonia covers about 25,713 sq km and slightly near than half of the region lies in northern Greece, 34,411 sq km. A small portion of the region belongs to Bulgaria, 6,798 sq km & 802 sq km belongs to Albania. Though mostly mountainous, the region also encompassed the valleys of the Bistrica (Aliakmon), Vardar (Axios) and Struma rivers, all of which drain into the Aegean Sea.

The terrain of the Republic of Macedonia, is mostly rugged, located between the Šar and Rhodope mountains around the valley of Vardar, Crna and Bregalnica rivers.

The region is seismically active and has been subject to destructive earthquakes in the past, in 518 AD (stucked in Skopje), in 1903 Berovo area and the most recently in 1963 when Skopje again, was heavily damaged by a major earthquake.

The Republic's biggest city by far is Skopje, the capital, with an estimated 600,000 inhabitants. After Skopje, the largest cities are Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, and Tetovo, with populations ranging from about 50,000-120,000 people.

See also: List of cities in the Republic of Macedonia

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Republic of Macedonia

The Republic was one of the poorer areas of the former Yugoslavia. Its economy suffered from the same problems faced by other former socialist East European countries. With the combined effects of its post-independence move to an open market economy and the collapse of the internal Yugoslav economy arose various economic and political problems with a great number of its main trade partners. Additionally due to the negative impact of the Yugoslav wars, the Kosovo war [1], the following UN-mandated sanctions against Serbia (which accounted for 60% of its markets prior to the disintegration of Yugoslavia) [2], the 1994-1995 economic trade embargo imposed by Greece [3] and the 2001 Albanian crisis [4], economic difficulties persisted until early 2002. It has since made a sluggish recovery, though the extent of the unemployment and gray market, combined with relatively poor law system continue to be of grave concern. Its per capita GDP remains one of the lowest in Europe.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia

The Republic of Macedonia has a population of slightly more than two million people. Of these, the largest single ethnic group in the Republic of Macedonia are the Macedonians, a Slavic people, who number about 1.3 million people.

There are also many smaller ethnic minority groups. According the 2002 census the biggest minorities are the Albanians (409,000 people or 20% of the population), the Turks (78,000 or 3.9%), the Roma (54,000 or 2.7%) and the Serbs (36,000 or 1.8%). Vlachs and Bosniaks also are recorded in the national census. There are several other smaller minorities in the country. The numbers of each of these two groups is registered, but it is not given separately in the final report of the census. [5]

The official language of the Republic of Macedonia is Macedonian, a south Slavic language. In areas where 20% or more of the local population belongs to a minority group, the languages of those ethnic communities have equal status for official purposes. This includes Albanian, Turkish, Serbian and Romany.

Just over half of the population are members of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (52.4%) and a small number are members of other Christian denominations (0.2%). Muslims constitute the second largest individual faith group (16.9%). Most Albanians are Muslims, as are a small percentage of the country's Slavic population, known as Macedonian Muslims. The remainder (30.5%) are listed in the 2002 census as "other" and "unspecified".

Culture

Main article: Culture of the Republic of Macedonia The Republic of Macedonia has a proud cultural heritage in art, architecture, and music. It has many ancient religous sites which are protected.

External links

Official government sites

Other, unofficial web sites

Note

^¤ The term Republic of Macedonia and related terms are the subject of a naming dispute with Greece. Wikipedia's use of the term is guided by the principles of its naming conflict guidelines and does not constitute an endorsement of either side's positions on the issue.

@@ Line 171: / Line 171: @@
 ===Other, unofficial web sites===
+* [http://makedonija.cjb.net macedonia :: clasp of the world] general information
 * [http://www.macedonia.org/ A website with general information about the state]
 * [http://www.hri.org/docs/fyrom/95-27866.html Interim Accord between the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Macedonia]