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| {{short description|Country in Southeast Europe}} | | {{for|the region|Macedonia (region)}} |
| {{about|the modern country||Macedonia (disambiguation)}}
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| {{Use British English|date=March 2019}}
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| {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}
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| {{Infobox country | | {{Infobox country |
| | conventional_long_name = Republic of North Macedonia | | | conventional_long_name = Republic of North Macedonia |
| | common_name = North Macedonia | | | common_name = North Macedonia |
| | native_name = {{nowrap|{{lang|mk|Република Северна Македонија}}}} {{small|([[Macedonian language|Macedonian]])}}<br/>{{nowrap|{{lang|sq|Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut}}}} {{small|([[Albanian language|Albanian]])}} | | | native_name = {{nowrap|{{native name|mk|Република Северна Македонија<wbr/>|parensize=88%}}}}<br/>{{nowrap|{{native name|sq|Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut<wbr/>|parensize=88%}}}} |
| | image_flag = Flag of North Macedonia.svg | | | image_flag = Flag of North Macedonia.svg |
| | image_coat = Coat of arms of North Macedonia.svg | | | image_coat = Coat of arms of North Macedonia.svg |
| | symbol_type = Emblem | | | symbol_type = National emblem |
| | national_motto = | | | national_motto = |
| | national_anthem = {{native name|mk|[[Denes nad Makedonija|Денес над Македонија]]|nolink=yes}}<br/>({{Lang-en|"Today over Macedonia"}})<br/>[[File:Macedonia's national anthem (instrumental).ogg|center]] | | | national_anthem = {{native name|mk|[[Denes nad Makedonija|Денес над Македонија]]|nolink=yes}}<br/>({{Lang-en|"Today over Macedonia"}}) |
| | image_map = File:Europe-Macedonia.svg | | | image_map = File:Europe-Macedonia.svg |
| | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|legend=Location Macedonia Europe.png}} | | | map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|legend=Location Macedonia Europe.png}} |
| | capital = [[Skopje]] | | | capital = [[Skopje]] |
| | religion_year = 2011<ref name=2011data>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hf.uio.no/ilos/english/research/projects/nation-w-balkan/index.html|title=Strategies of symbolic nation-building in West Balkan states: intents and results (completed) - Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages|website=www.hf.uio.no|language=en|access-date=2018-01-19}}</ref> | | | religion_year = 2011<ref name=2011data>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hf.uio.no/ilos/english/research/projects/nation-w-balkan/index.html|title=Strategies of symbolic nation-building in West Balkan states: intents and results (completed) - Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages|website=www.hf.uio.no|access-date=2018-01-19|archive-date=2018-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120065636/http://www.hf.uio.no/ilos/english/research/projects/nation-w-balkan/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
| | religion = {{unbulleted list | | | religion = {{unbulleted list |
| | 69.6% [[Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric|Eastern Orthodoxy]]
| | | 70.7% [[Christianity]] |
| | 0.4% [[Catholic Church in North Macedonia|Roman Catholicism]]
| | | —69.6% [[Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric|Eastern Orthodoxy]] |
| | 0.7% Other Christian
| | | —0.4% [[Catholic Church in North Macedonia|Roman Catholicism]] |
| | 28.6% [[Islam in North Macedonia|Islam]]
| | | —0.7% Other Christian |
| | 0.2% Other Religion
| | | 28.6% [[Islam in North Macedonia|Islam]] |
| | 0.5% [[Irreligion|None]]
| | | 0.5% [[Irreligion|No religion]] |
| | | 0.2% [[Religion in North Macedonia|Other]] |
| }} | | }} |
| | coordinates = {{Coord|42|0|N|21|26|E|type:city}} | | | coordinates = {{Coord|42|0|N|21|26|E|type:city}} |
| | largest_city = capital | | | largest_city = capital |
| | official_languages = {{plainlist| | | | official_languages = {{plainlist| |
| * {{nowrap|[[Macedonian language|Macedonian]]}}{{efn|name="language1"}} | | * {{nowrap|[[Macedonian language|Macedonian]]}}{{efn|name="language1"}} |
| * {{nowrap|[[Albanian language|Albanian]]}}{{efn|name="language2"}}}} | | * {{nowrap|[[Albanian language|Albanian]]}}{{efn|name="language2"}}}} |
| | languages2_type = {{ubl|Official regional languages}} | | | languages2_type = {{ubl|Official regional languages}} |
| | languages2 = {{ubl|[[Turkish language|Turkish]]<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/knigaX.pdf |title=Census final data |date=2002 |website=stat.gov.mk}}</ref>|[[Romani language|Romani]]|[[Serbian language|Serbian]]|[[Bosnian language|Bosnian]]|[[Aromanian language|Aromanian]]}} | | | languages2 = {{ubl|[[Turkish language|Turkish]]<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/knigaX.pdf |title=Census final data |date=2002 |website=stat.gov.mk}}</ref>|[[Romani language|Romani]]|[[Serbian language|Serbian]]|[[Bosnian language|Bosnian]]|[[Aromanian language|Aromanian]]}} |
| | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list | | | ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list |
| | 64.2% [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]]<ref name="stat.gov.mk"/>
| | | 64.2% [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]]<ref name="stat.gov.mk"/> |
| | 25.2% [[Albanians in North Macedonia|Albanians]]
| | | 25.2% [[Albanians]] |
| | 3.9% [[Turks in North Macedonia|Turks]]
| | | 3.9% [[Turkic people|Turks]] |
| | 2.7% [[Romani people in North Macedonia|Romani]]
| | | 2.7% [[Romani people|Romani]] |
| | 1.8% [[Serbs in North Macedonia|Serbs]]
| | | 1.8% [[Serbs]] |
| | 0.8% [[Bosniaks in North Macedonia|Bosniaks]]
| | | 0.8% [[Bosniaks]] |
| | 0.5% [[Aromanians in North Macedonia|Aromanians]] (including [[Megleno-Romanians]])
| | | 0.5% [[Aromanians in North Macedonia|Aromanians]] (including [[Megleno-Romanians]]) |
| | {{nowrap|0.9% other{{\}}unspecified}} | | | 0.9% [[Torbesh]]}} |
| }}
| | | ethnic_groups_year = 2002 |
| | ethnic_groups_year = 2002 | | | demonym = {{hlist|Macedonian}} |
| | demonym = {{hlist|Macedonian}} | | | government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]] |
| | government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]] | | | leader_title1 = [[President of North Macedonia|President]] |
| | leader_title1 = [[President of North Macedonia|President]] | | | leader_name1 = [[Stevo Pendarovski]] |
| | leader_name1 = [[Stevo Pendarovski]] | | | leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of North Macedonia|Prime Minister]] |
| | leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of North Macedonia|Prime Minister]] | | | leader_name2 = [[Dimitar Kovačevski]] |
| | leader_name2 = [[Zoran Zaev]] | | | leader_title3 = [[List of Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia|Chairman of the Assembly]] |
| | leader_title3 = [[List of Presidents of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia|Chairman of the Assembly]] | | | leader_name3 = [[Talat Xhaferi]] |
| | leader_name3 = [[Talat Xhaferi]] | | | legislature = [[Assembly of North Macedonia|Assembly]] |
| | legislature = [[Assembly of North Macedonia|Assembly]] | | | sovereignty_type = [[Independence]] |
| | sovereignty_type = [[Independence]] | | | sovereignty_note = from [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] |
| | sovereignty_note = from [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] | | | established_event1 = [[1991 Macedonian independence referendum|Independence referendum]] |
| | established_event1 = [[1991 Macedonian independence referendum|Independence referendum]] | | | established_date1 = 8 September 1991 |
| | established_date1 = 8 September 1991 | | | area_km2 = 25,713 |
| | area_km2 = 25,713 | | | area_rank = 145th <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] --> |
| | area_rank = 145th <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] --> | | | area_sq_mi = 9,779 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> |
| | area_sq_mi = 9,779 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> | | | percent_water = 1.9 |
| | percent_water = 1.9 | | | population_census = {{decreaseNeutral}} 1,832,696 (preliminary results)<ref>Simovski: Census has ended successfully, 1,832,696 people enumerated, results by end of March 2022. [https://civil.today/simovski-census-has-ended-successfully-1832696-people-enumerated-results-by-end-of-march-2022/ CIVIL.Today; October 1, 2021].</ref><ref>Alice Taylor, North Macedonia’s Census Points to Significant Population Decrease. [https://exit.al/en/2021/10/01/north-macedonias-census-points-to-significant-population-decrease/ EXITnews; 2021/10/01/].</ref><ref>Balkan Developments, Census in North Macedonia has been successful. [https://bnr.bg/en/post/101534755/b Radio Bulgaria; 10/01/21].</ref> |
| | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 2,077,132<ref>{{cite web |title=Population on 1 January |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tps00001&plugin=1 |website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat |publisher=Eurostat |access-date=14 January 2020}}</ref> | |
| | population_census = 2,022,547<ref name="stat.gov.mk"/>
| |
| | population_estimate_year = 2019 | | | population_estimate_year = 2019 |
| | population_estimate_rank = 148th | | | population_estimate_rank = 148th |
| | population_census_year = 2002 | | | population_census_year = 2021 |
| | population_density_km2 = 80.1 | | | population_density_km2 = 80.1 |
| | population_density_sq_mi = 210.5 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> | | | population_density_sq_mi = 210.5 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> |
| | population_density_rank = 122nd | | | population_density_rank = 122nd |
| | GDP_PPP = {{nowrap|$33.822 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |date=20 October 2018 |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=72&pr1.y=8&c=914%2C962%2C943%2C963%2C918%2C960%2C968%2C942%2C961%2C174%2C186%2C967&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |publisher=IMF}}</ref><!--end nowrap:-->}} | | | GDP_PPP = {{nowrap|$33.822 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |date=20 October 2018 |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=72&pr1.y=8&c=914%2C962%2C943%2C963%2C918%2C960%2C968%2C942%2C961%2C174%2C186%2C967&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |publisher=IMF}}</ref><!--end nowrap:-->}} |
| | GDP_PPP_year = 2019 | | | GDP_PPP_year = 2019 |
| | GDP_PPP_rank = | | | GDP_PPP_rank = |
| | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $16,253<ref name=imf2/> | | | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $16,253<ref name=imf2/> |
| | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = | | | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = |
| | GDP_nominal = {{nowrap|$12.383 billion<ref name=imf2/>}} | | | GDP_nominal = {{nowrap|$12.383 billion<ref name=imf2/>}} |
| | GDP_nominal_year = 2019 | | | GDP_nominal_year = 2019 |
| | GDP_nominal_rank = | | | GDP_nominal_rank = |
| | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $6,143<ref name=imf2/> | | | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $6,143<ref name=imf2/> |
| | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = | | | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = |
| | Gini = 31.9 <!--number only--> | | | Gini = 30.7 <!--number only--> |
| | Gini_year = 2018 | | | Gini_year = 2019 |
| | Gini_change = decrease | | | Gini_change = decrease |
| | Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=1 |website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=13 January 2020}}</ref> | | | Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income - EU-SILC survey |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> |
| | Gini_rank = | | | Gini_rank = |
| | HDI = 0.774 <!--number only--> | | | HDI = 0.774 <!--number only--> |
| | HDI_year = 2019<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year--> | | | HDI_year = 2019<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year--> |
| | HDI_change = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady--> | | | HDI_change = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady--> |
| | HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite book|title=Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene|date=15 December 2020|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|isbn=978-92-1-126442-5|pages=343–346|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf|access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> | | | HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite book|title=Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene|date=15 December 2020|publisher=United Nations Development Programme|isbn=978-92-1-126442-5|pages=343–346|url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2020.pdf|access-date=16 December 2020}}</ref> |
| | HDI_rank = 82nd | | | HDI_rank = 82nd |
| | currency = [[Macedonian denar]] | | | currency = [[Macedonian denar]] |
| | currency_code = MKD | | | currency_code = MKD |
| | time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]] | | | time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]] |
| | utc_offset = +1 | | | utc_offset = +1 |
| | utc_offset_DST = +2 | | | utc_offset_DST = +2 |
| | time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] | | | time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] |
| | date_format = dd.mm.yyyy ([[Anno Domini|AD]]) | | | date_format = dd.mm.yyyy ([[Anno Domini|AD]]) |
| | drives_on = right | | | drives_on = right |
| | calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in North Macedonia|+389]] | | | calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in North Macedonia|+389]] |
| | patron_saint = Saint [[Clement of Ohrid]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnevnik.mk/default.asp?ItemID=C3A4E72362601D4A852885D2F70DFBF3 |title=Св. Климент Охридски е патрон на македонскиот народ и неговата историја |work=dnevnik.mk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722165019/http://www.dnevnik.mk/default.asp?ItemID=C3A4E72362601D4A852885D2F70DFBF3 |archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref> | | | patron_saint = Saint [[Clement of Ohrid]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dnevnik.mk/default.asp?ItemID=C3A4E72362601D4A852885D2F70DFBF3 |title=Св. Климент Охридски е патрон на македонскиот народ и неговата историја |work=dnevnik.mk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722165019/http://www.dnevnik.mk/default.asp?ItemID=C3A4E72362601D4A852885D2F70DFBF3 |archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref> |
| | iso3166code = MK | | | iso3166code = MK |
| | cctld = {{unbulleted list |[[.mk]] |[[.мкд]]}} | | | cctld = {{unbulleted list |[[.mk]] |[[.мкд]]}} |
| }} | | }} |
| | '''North Macedonia''' ({{lang-mk|Северна Македонија}} - Severna Makedonija) officially the '''Republic of North Macedonia''' ({{lang-mk|Република Северна Македонија}} - ''Republika Severna Makedonija''; {{lang-sq|Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/12/nato-flag-raised-ahead-of-north-macedonias-prospective-accession|title = Macedonia officially changes its name to North Macedonia|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 12 February 2019}}</ref><ref>http://www.ekathimerini.com/237628/article/ekathimerini/news/fyrom-is-officially-renamed-north-macedonia</ref>) is a country located on the [[Balkans|Balkan peninsula]] and in [[Southeastern Europe]]. It was part of [[Yugoslavia]]. North Macedonia borders [[Serbia]] to the north, [[Albania]] to the west, [[Greece]] to the south, and [[Bulgaria]] to the east. The country's [[currency]] is the [[Macedonian denar]] (MKD). |
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| '''North Macedonia'''{{efn|{{lang-mk|Северна Македонија|Severna Makedonija}}, {{IPA-mk|ˈsɛvɛrna makɛˈdɔnija|pron}}; {{lang-sq|Maqedonia e Veriut}}, {{IPA-sq|macɛˈdɔnja ɛ vɛɾˈjut|pron}}}} ('''Macedonia''' until February 2019), officially the '''Republic of North Macedonia''',{{efn|{{Lang-mk|Република Северна Македонија|Republika Severna Makedonija}}, {{IPA-mk|rɛˈpublika ˈsɛvɛrna makɛˈdɔnija|pron}}; {{lang-sq|Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut}}, {{IPA-sq|rɛˈpublika ɛ macɛˈdɔnis sə vɛɾˈjut|pron}}}} is a country in [[Southeast Europe]]. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. North Macedonia is a [[landlocked country]] bordering with [[Kosovo]]{{efn|name="Kosovo"}} to the northwest, [[Serbia]] to the north, [[Bulgaria]] to the east, [[Greece]] to the south, and [[Albania]] to the west.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=288 |title=Basic Facts |website=North Macedonia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116102337/http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=288 |archive-date= 16 November 2008 }}</ref> It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical [[Macedonia (region)|region of Macedonia]]. [[Skopje]], the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's 2.08 million population. The majority of the residents are ethnic [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]], a [[South Slavs|South Slavic people]]. [[Albanians in North Macedonia|Albanians]] form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by [[Turks in North Macedonia|Turks]], [[Romani people in North Macedonia|Romani]], [[Serbs in North Macedonia|Serbs]], [[Bosniaks in North Macedonia|Bosniaks]], and [[Aromanians in North Macedonia|Aromanians]].
| | The capital and largest city is [[Skopje]], with more than 500,000 residents. It has many smaller cities. Some important ones are [[Bitola]], [[Prilep]], [[Tetovo]], [[Kumanovo]], [[Ohrid]], [[Veles]], [[Stip]], and [[Strumica]]. |
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| The history of the region begins with the [[Paeonia (kingdom)|kingdom of Paeonia]], a mixed [[Thracians|Thraco]]-[[Illyrians|Illyrian]] polity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Paeonia |title=Paeonia – historical region }}</ref> In the late sixth century BC, the area was subjugated by the Persian [[Achaemenid Empire]], then incorporated into the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|kingdom of Macedonia]] in the fourth century BC. [[Roman Empire|The Romans]] conquered the region in the second century BC and made it part of the larger province of [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia]]. The area remained part of the [[Byzantine Empire]], but was often raided and settled by [[Early Slavs|Slavic tribes]] beginning in the sixth century of the Christian era. Following [[Byzantine–Bulgarian wars|centuries of contention]] between the [[Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian]], Byzantine, and [[Serbian Empire]], it was part of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] dominion from the mid-14th until the early 20th century, when, following the [[Balkan Wars]] of 1912 and 1913, the modern territory of North Macedonia came under [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbian]] rule.
| | North Macedonia is often called ''a land of lakes and mountains''. Three large lakes are on the borders of Albania and Greece, and there are many smaller ones. Sixteen mountains are higher than 2000 meters above [[sea level]]. |
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| During the [[First World War]], it was ruled by Bulgaria, but after the end of the war it returned to being under Serbian rule as part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]]. During the [[World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia|Second World War]], it was ruled by Bulgaria again and in 1945 it was established as a [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia|constituent state]] of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|communist Yugoslavia]], which it remained until [[1991 Macedonian independence referendum|its peaceful secession in 1991]]. The country became a member of the [[United Nations]] in April 1993, but as a result of a [[Macedonia naming dispute|dispute with Greece]] over the name "Macedonia", it was admitted under the provisional description "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"{{refn|group="lower-alpha"|United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/225 of 8 April,<ref>[https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/47/a47r225.htm A/RES/47/225], resolution for the UN GA 98th plenary meeting, 8 April 1993</ref> United Nations Security Council [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 817|Resolutions 817 of 7 April]] and [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 845|845 of 18 June]] 1993<ref>[https://www.un.org/Docs/scres/1993/scres93.htm UN SC resolutions made in 1993]<!--don't change this link, direct links to resolutions won't work--></ref>}} (abbreviated as "FYR Macedonia" or "FYROM"). In June 2018, Macedonia and Greece resolved the dispute with [[Prespa agreement|an agreement]] that the country should rename itself "Republic of North Macedonia". This renaming came into effect in February 2019.
| | North Macedonia is a member of the [[United Nations]] and [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO). It joined [[NATO]] on 30 March 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Из-за коронавируса Северную Македонию приняли в НАТО без свидетелей. Новость в одном фото|language=ru|work=BBC News Русская служба|url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/news-52097762|access-date=2021-07-13}}</ref> Since December 2005, it is a candidate for joining the [[European Union]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/after-years-of-delay-north-macedonia-albania-get-ok-to-begin-eu-accession-talks/30507053.html|title=After Years of Delay, North Macedonia, Albania Get OK to Begin EU Accession Talks}}</ref> |
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| A [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[constitution]]al [[republic]], North Macedonia is a member of the UN, [[NATO]], the [[Council of Europe]], the [[World Bank]], [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]], [[Central European Free Trade Agreement|CEFTA]], [[Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation|BSEC]] and the [[World Trade Organization|WTO]]. Since 2005, it has also been a [[Accession of North Macedonia to the European Union|candidate for joining the European Union]]. North Macedonia is an upper-middle-income country<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/northmacedonia|title=The World Bank in North Macedonia|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=11 August 2019}}</ref> and has undergone considerable economic reform since independence in developing an [[open economy]]. North Macedonia is a [[developing country]], ranking 82nd on the [[Human Development Index]], and provides a [[social security]], [[Health in North Macedonia|universal health care]] system, and free [[Education in North Macedonia|primary and secondary education]] to its citizens.
| | The language spoken by the majority of the population is [[Macedonian]]. Albanian is also spoken by the Albanian minority (25%) living in the country. North Macedonia has two official languages, Macedonian and Albanian (since 2019). |
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| =={{anchor|Names|Etymology|Names and etymology}}Names and etymology==<!--linked--> | | == History == |
| {{See also|Macedonia (terminology)|Macedonia naming dispute}} | | Ethnic Macedonians are [[Slavic peoples]]. The Slavs invaded and settled the Balkans in the 6th and 7th centuries. What is now North Macedonia used to be the Bulgarian occupation zone of Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Vardarska Macedonia became a [[Communist state]] in 1945 and called itself the Socialist Republic of Macedonia in the southeastern part of the country of Yugoslavia. When that country broke up in 1991, North Macedonia became independent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Macedonia/History|title = North Macedonia - History | Britannica}}</ref> |
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| <!--Avoid duplicating material here and in the "Naming dispute" subsection of the "Politics" section below-->
| | In past centuries the territory which today is the Republic of North Macedonia was ruled by many different states such as [[Bulgaria]] and many other empires. |
| The state's name derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word {{wiktell|Μακεδονία}} (''Makedonía''),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2364599 Μακεδονία], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref><ref name="Macedonia">[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Macedonia Macedonia], Online Etymology Dictionary</ref> a [[Macedon|kingdom]] (later, [[Macedonia (region)|region]]) named after the [[ancient Macedonians]]. Their name, {{wiktell|Μακεδόνες}} (''Makedónes''), ultimately derives from the [[ancient Greek]] adjective [[Makednos|μακεδνός]] (''makednós''), meaning 'tall' or 'taper',<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2364596 μακεδνός], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> which shares the same root as the adjective {{wiktell|μακρός}} (''makrós'', 'long, tall, high') in ancient Greek.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dmakro%2Fs1 μακρός], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> The name is believed to have originally meant either 'highlanders' or 'the tall ones', possibly descriptive of the [[Ancient Macedonians|people]].<ref name="Macedonia"/><ref>[[Eugene N. Borza]], ''Makedonika'', Regina Books, {{ISBN|0-941690-65-2}}, p. 114: The "highlanders" or "Makedones" of the mountainous regions of western Macedonia are derived from northwest Greek stock; they were akin both to those who at an earlier time may have migrated south to become the historical "Dorians".</ref><ref>Nigel Guy Wilson (2009). ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece'', Routledge, p. 439: The latest archaeological findings have confirmed that Macedonia took its name from a tribe of tall, Greek-speaking people, the Makednoi.</ref> According to linguist [[Robert S. P. Beekes]], both terms are of [[Pre-Greek substrate]] origin and cannot be explained in terms of Indo-European morphology;<ref>{{citation |first=Robert |last=Beekes |author-link=Robert S. P. Beekes |title=Etymological Dictionary of Greek |volume=II |page=894 |publisher=Brill |year=2010 |location=Leiden, Boston}}</ref> however, according to linguist Filip De Decker, Beekes's arguments are insufficient.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=De Decker |first1=Filip |title=AN ETYMOLOGICAL CASE STUDY ON THE AND VOCABULARY IN ROBERT BEEKES'S NEW ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF GREEK |journal=Studia Linguistica Universitatis Iagellonicae Cracoviensis |date=2016 |volume=133 |issue=2 |doi=10.4467/20834624SL.16.006.5152}}</ref>
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| In the early 19th century, the name of Macedonia was almost unknown in the modern-day area.<ref>"What is often overlooked is how Bulgarians and Greeks collaborated unknowingly from the middle decades of the 19th century onward in breathing new life into the geographical name Macedonia, which was all but forgotten during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. In the late Ottoman period, ‘‘Macedonia’’ as such did not exist as an administrative unit in the empire... Greek nationalism, fixated on the continuity between ancient and modern Hellenes, was keen to project the name Macedonia as a way to assert the Greek historical character of the area. In 1845, for instance, the story of Alexander was published in a Slavo-Macedonian dialect scripted in Greek characters... For their part, Bulgarian nationalists readily accepted Macedonia as a regional denomination... Macedonia had become one of the ‘‘historic’’ Bulgarian lands... and ‘‘Macedonian Bulgarian’’ turned into a standard phrase." Dimitar Bechev, Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia, Scarecrow Press, 2009, {{ISBN|0810862956}}, Introduction, p. VII.</ref><ref>"In the early 19th c. the modern Greeks with their Western-derived obsession with antiquity played a crucial role in reviving the classical name ‘Macedonia’ in the popular consciousness of the Balkan peoples. For a thousand years before that the name ‘Macedonia’ had meant different things for Westerners and Balkan Christians: for Westerners it always denoted the territories of the ancient Macedonians, but for the Greeks and all other Balkan Christians the name ‘Macedonia’ – if at all used – covered the territories of the former Byzantine theme ‘Macedonia’, situated between Adrianople (Edrine) and the river Nestos (Mesta) in classical and present-day Thrace. The central and northern parts of present-day ‘geographic Macedonia’ were traditionally called either ‘Bulgaria’ and ‘Lower Moesia’, but within a generation after Greek independence (gained in 1830) these names were replaced by ‘Macedonia’ in the minds of both Greeks and non-Greeks." Drezov K. (1999) Macedonian identity: an overview of the major claims. In: Pettifer J. (eds) The New Macedonian Question. St Antony's Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London, {{ISBN|0230535798}}, pp. 50-51.</ref><ref>"In 1813 Macedonia did not exist. A century later, it had become a hotly contested nationalist cause, a battlefield, and an obsession. What led to this dramatic transformation was modernity: a chilly wind of West European provenance that propelled to the Balkans concepts that few in the region understood, wanted or cared about. Among these, the idea of nationalism was the most potent, and the most lethal. Before the 1850s, Macedonia was a poverty-stricken province of the Ottoman Empire, where an Orthodox Christian and mostly peasant population speaking a variety of Slavonic idioms, Greek, or Vlach, was trying to eke out a modest living, and protect it from rapacious brigands and a decaying Ottoman administrative system. Religion was the only collective identity that most of them could make sense of, for ethnicity and language played little role in shaping their loyalties. But the winds of change quickly gathered momentum, and eventually shattered that multi-ethnic community, producing a 'Greek', or a 'Bulgarian', out of a 'Christian'." D. Livanios' review of Vemund Aarbakke, Ethnic Rivalry and the Quest for Macedonia, 1870-1913 in The Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 83, No. 1 (Jan., 2005), pp. 141-142</ref> It was revived only in middle of the century, with the [[rise of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire]].<ref>''The ancient name 'Macedonia' disappeared during the period of Ottoman rule and was only restored in the nineteenth century originally as geographical term.'' The Oxford Handbook of the History of Nationalism, John Breuilly, Oxford University Press, 2013, {{ISBN|0199209197}}, p. 192.</ref><ref>''The region was not called "Macedonia" by the Ottomans, and the name "Macedonia" gained currency together with the ascendance of rival nationalism.'' Collective Memory, National Identity, and Ethnic Conflict: Greece, Bulgaria, and the Macedonian Question, Victor Roudometof, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002, {{ISBN|0275976483}}, p. 89.</ref><ref>''The Greeks were amongst the first to define these lands since the beginning of the 19th century. For educated Greeks, Macedonia was the historical Greek land of kings Philip and Alexander the Great.'' John S. Koliopoulos, Thanos M. Veremis, Modern Greece: A History since 1821. A New History of Modern Europe, John Wiley & Sons, 2009, {{ISBN|1444314831}}, p. 48.</ref> In the early 20th century the region was already a national cause, contested among Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian nationalists. During the [[interwar period]] the use of the name ''Macedonia'' was prohibited in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, due to the implemented policy of [[Serbianisation]] of the local Slavic-speakers.<ref>Donald Bloxham, The Final Solution: A Genocide, OUP Oxford, 2009, {{ISBN|0199550336}}, p. 65.</ref><ref>Chris Kostov, Contested Ethnic Identity: The Case of Macedonian Immigrants in Toronto, Peter Lang, 2010, {{ISBN|3034301960}}, p. 76.</ref> The name ''Macedonia'' was adopted officially for the first time at the end of the Second World War by the new [[Socialist Republic of Macedonia]], which became one of the six constituent countries of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the [[fall of Communism]], with the beginning of the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]], this federal entity declared independence and changed its official name to Republic of Macedonia in 1991. Prior to June 2018, the use of the name ''Macedonia'' was [[Macedonia naming dispute|disputed between Greece and the then-Republic of Macedonia]].
| | During the [[Yugoslav Wars]], Macedonia was mostly peaceful. However in 2001, fighting broke out between ethnic [[Albania]]ns and Slavic Macedonians. The fighting ended with the Ohrid Agreement. |
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| The [[Prespa agreement]] of June 2018 saw the country change its name to the ''Republic of North Macedonia'' eight months later.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/greece-macedonia-sign-agreement-change-180617074429644.html |title=Greece and Macedonia sign agreement on name change |work=Al Jazeera}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/world/europe/greece-macedonia-name-dispute.html |title=Macedonia and Greece Sign Historic Deal on Name Change |last=Kitsantonis |first=Niki |date=17 June 2018 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> A non-binding<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cp24.com/world/macedonia-referendum-approves-name-change-but-turnout-low-1.4115262 |title=Macedonia: Referendum approves name change, but turnout low |first1=Konstantin |last1=Testorides |first2=Elena |last2=Becatoros |date=30 September 2018}}</ref> [[2018 Macedonian referendum|national referendum]] on the matter passed with 90% approval but did not reach the required 50% turnout amidst a boycott, leaving the final decision with parliament to ratify the result.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45704860 |title=PM to press on with Macedonia name change |date=1 October 2018 |work=BBC}}</ref> Parliament approved of the name change on 19 October, reaching the required two-thirds majority needed to enact constitutional changes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/20/welcome-to-north-macedonia-parliament-votes-for-name-change |title=Welcome to North Macedonia: parliament votes for name change |last=Agencies |date=20 October 2018 |website=the Guardian}}</ref> The vote to amend the constitution and change the name of the country passed on 11 January 2019 in favour of the amendment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-macedonia-name-parliament-idUSKCN1P5238 |title=Macedonia parliament agrees to change country's name |last=Casule |first=Kole |date=January 11, 2019 |website=Reuters |access-date=August 17, 2019}}</ref> The amendment entered into force on 12 February, following the ratification of the Prespa agreement and the Protocol on the Accession of North Macedonia to NATO by the [[Greek Parliament]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47002865 |title=Greece vote settles 27-year Macedonia row |date=25 January 2019 |work=BBC|access-date=25 January 2019}}</ref> Despite the renaming, the country is unofficially referred to as 'Macedonia' by most of its citizens and most of the local media outlets.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}
| | === Earliest residents === |
| | People have been living in North Macedonia for thousands of years. [[Neolithic]] people lived in Macedonia from 7000 to 3500 BCE. The [[Iliad]] mentions the Kingdom of Paeonia in Macedonia. From 1000 to 1 BCE, [[Dacians]], [[Thracians]],[[Illyria]]ns, [[Celts]], and [[Greeks]] lived in Northern Macedonia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=North Macedonia - History|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Macedonia|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> |
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| ==History== | | === Alexander the Great's empire === |
| {{Main|History of North Macedonia}} | | The Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia was just hundreds of small, independent, [[city-state]]s. One example of a city state is [[Illyria]]. They sometimes merged together, but not often. One city-state that grew over time was the kingdom of [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedon.]] The Greek kingdom of Macedon is best known for [[Alexander the Great]]. He invaded and controlled the [[Middle East]] (excluding [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]]),[[Turkey]], [[Greece]], [[Egypt]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], and the [[Gujarat]] state of India.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2020-11-29|title=Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macedonia_(ancient_kingdom)&oldid=991296118|journal=Wikipedia}}</ref> However, when Alexander died in 323 BCE, at the age of 33, he lost his vast empire. The empire was divided into 5 countries, Lysimachia (Macedon), Cassander (Northern Greece), the Antigonid Empire (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Southern Greece), the Ptolemaic Empire (Egypt), and the Seleucid Empire (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alexander the Great {{!}} Biography, Empire, Death, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> |
| {{See also|Historiography in North Macedonia}} | |
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| === Early history === | | === Roman rule === |
| {{Main|Paeonia (kingdom)|Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Kingdom of Dardania|Roman Empire}}
| | Towards the end of the 3rd century BCE, the Romans invaded the [[Balkan Peninsula|Balkan peninsula]]. Illyria was taken over in 9 CE. The North and East of Macedonia were taken over by the Roman Empire in the year 29 CE. They became the Roman province of Moesia. Starting in the 3rd century CE, the borders of Macedonia were being attacked by the Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Avars, and others. In 395 AD, the Roman Empire split in two. They were the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire ([[Byzantine Empire]]). |
| [[File:PreMacedon.png|thumb|left|Tribal ethnes in the Southern Balkans prior to the expansion of Macedon]]
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| North Macedonia geographically roughly corresponds to the ancient [[Paeonia (kingdom)|kingdom of Paeonia]],<ref name=waterfield19>{{cite book |last1=Waterfield |first1=Robin |title=The Library, Books 16-20: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Successors |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0198759881 |page=428 |quote=Paeonia is roughly equivalent to the country currently known as the Republic of North Macedonia (the former FYROM).}}</ref><ref name=ovidbsl>{{cite book |author1=Ovid |editor1-last=Green |editor1-first=Peter |title=The Poems of Exile: Tristia and the Black Sea Letters |date=2005 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520242609 |page=[https://archive.org/details/poemsofexiletris00ovid/page/319 319] |quote=Ovid was lax in his geography, not least over Paeonia (in fact roughly coextensive with the present Slav Republic of Macedonia). |url=https://archive.org/details/poemsofexiletris00ovid/page/319 }}</ref><ref name=roisman10>{{cite book |last1=Roisman |first1=Joseph |last2=Worthington |first2=Ian |title=A Companion to Ancient Macedonia |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4051-7936-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lkYFVJ3U-BIC |page=13 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name=reames08>{{cite book |last1=Reames |first1=Jeanne |last2=Howe |first2=Timothy |title=Macedonian Legacies: Studies in Ancient Macedonian History and Culture in Honor of Eugene N. Borza |date=2008 |publisher=Regina Books |isbn=978-1930053564 |page=239 |quote=Having just conquered Paeonia (roughly where the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is today).}}</ref><ref name=peshkopia15>{{cite book |last=Peshkopia |first=Ridvan |title=Conditioning Democratization: Institutional Reforms and EU Membership Conditionality in Albania and Macedonia |date=2015 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-0857283252 |page=189 |quote=Indeed, the territory of the Republic of Macedonia encompasses little of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, which, in most part, overlaps with the current region of the contemporary Greece, but the name Macedonia "flowed" northward with the creation of Roman region of Macedonia, after the Romans occupied Greece in 168 BC. Besides the former kingdom of Macedon, the Roman region included the territories of Paeonia, where the contemporary FYR Macedonia rests.}}</ref> which was located immediately north of the ancient [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|kingdom of Macedonia]].<ref name=strabo>Strabo, ''Geography'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0239%3Abook%3D7%3Achapter%3Dfragments%3Asection%3D4 Book 7, Frg. 4:]</ref> Paeonia was inhabited by the Paeonians, a [[Thracians|Thracian]] [[people]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Bauer |first=Susan Wise |title=The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome |date=2007 |page=518 |isbn=978-0-393-05974-8 |quote=...to the north, Thracian tribes known collectively as the Paeonians.}}</ref> whilst the northwest was inhabited by the [[Dardani]] and the southwest by tribes known historically as the [[Enchelei|Enchelae]], [[Pelagones]], and [[Lynkestis|Lyncestae]]; the latter two are generally regarded as [[Molossians|Molossian]] tribes of the northwestern [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] group, whilst the former two are considered [[Illyrian tribes|Illyrian]].<ref name=willkes96>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Nv6SPRKqs8C&pg=PA170 |title=The Illyrians |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-631-19807-9 |page=49 |last=Willkes |first=John |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name=sealey76>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofgreekci0000seal |url-access=registration |quote=illyrian lychnitis. |last=Sealey |first=Raphael |title=A history of the Greek city states, ca. 700–338 B.C. |publisher=University of California Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofgreekci0000seal/page/442 442] |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-520-03177-7}}</ref><ref name=evans07>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CpYot4N2PUC&pg=RA1-PA13 |title=Macedonia |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |last=Evans |first=Thammy |year=2007 |page=13 |isbn=978-1-84162-186-9}}</ref><ref name=borza92>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=614pd07OtfQC&pg=PA99 |last=Borza |first=Eugene N. |title=In the shadow of Olympus: the emergence of Macedon |publisher=Princeton University Press |pages=74–75 |isbn=978-0-691-00880-6 |year=1992}}</ref><ref name=lewis94>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vx251bK988gC&pg=RA6-PA750 |editor=Lewis, D.M. |display-editors=et al |title=The Cambridge ancient history: The fourth century B.C. |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=723–724 |isbn=978-0-521-23348-4 |year=1994 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref name=caman3>The Cambridge 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|0-521-23447-6}}, p. 284.</ref> The headwaters of the [[Axios river]] are mentioned by [[Homer]] as the home of the [[Paeonians]] allies of [[Troy]].<ref name=perseus>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0073%3Aentry%3D%231109 Axios, Georg Autenrieth, ''A Homeric Dictionary'', at Perseus]</ref>
| | === Byzantine rule === |
| | Although, Macedonia was part of the Byzantine Empire, there was little Byzantine influence. In the mid-6th century, [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] tribes started to settle in Macedonia. From the 7th century to the 13th century, Byzantine Macedonia was governed by local princes and kings, allied with the Byzantine Empire. In the 9th century, the Byzantine Empire brought [[Christianity]] to Macedonia. The people who brought Christianity to Macedonia were saints Cyril and Methodius. Their goal was to bring Christianity and the [[Cyrillic alphabet]] to Slavs in Europe. |
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| In the late 6th century BC, the [[Achaemenid Persia]]ns under [[Darius the Great]] conquered the [[Paeonia (kingdom)|Paeonians]], incorporating what is today North Macedonia within their vast territories.{{sfn|Howe|Reames|2008|p=239}}{{sfn|Roisman|Worthington|2011|pp=135–138, 342–345}}<ref name=livius>{{cite web |url=https://www.livius.org/ia-in/influence/influence02.html |title=Persian influence on Greece (2) |access-date=17 December 2014}}</ref> Following the loss in the [[Second Persian invasion of Greece]] in 479 BC, the Persians eventually withdrew from their European territories, including from what is today North Macedonia.
| | === Ottoman rule === |
| | The Ottoman Empire was originally a small city-state in Turkey. The city-state grew, and it invaded [[Edirne|Adrianople]] in 1354. From there, it expanded and took over Turkey. [[Constantinople]], the capital of the Byzantine Empire, did not get invaded by the Ottomans until 1453. After the Battle of the Maritsa River, the Ottomans conquered southern Serbia and Macedonia. Macedonia was under Ottoman Rule until 1913.<ref>{{Cite web|title=North Macedonia - History|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Macedonia|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Encyclopedia Britannica=en}}</ref> |
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| [[File:Ancientbitola.jpg|thumb|[[Heraclea Lyncestis]], a city founded by [[Philip II of Macedon]] in the 4th century BC; ruins of the Byzantine "Small Basilica"]]
| | === Yugoslav rule === |
| | After the Ottoman Empire dissolved, Macedonia became a part of the newly formed country Yugoslavia. From 1914 to 1941, Yugoslavia was a monarchy. During WW2, the Axis Powers took over Yugoslavia. Macedonia was taken over by Bulgaria. The Axis powers left Yugoslavia after WW2.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2020-12-02|title=World War II in Yugoslavia|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_War_II_in_Yugoslavia&oldid=991963909|journal=Wikipedia}}</ref> After WW2, Yugoslavia became a communist state. [[Josip Broz Tito]] was the leader of Yugoslavia from 1944 to 1980. In 8 September 1991, Macedonia became an independent state.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Yugoslavia {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Breakup, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Yugoslavia-former-federated-nation-1929-2003|access-date=2020-12-02|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> |
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| [[Philip II of Macedon]] absorbed<ref name="Rome page 75">Warfare in the ancient world: from the Bronze Age to the fall of Rome. By Stefan G. Chrissanthos, p. 75</ref> the regions of [[Upper Macedonia]] (Lynkestis and Pelagonia) and the southern part of Paeonia ([[Deuriopus]]) into the kingdom of Macedon in 356 BC.<ref name=poulton00>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ppbuavUZKEwC&pg=PA187 |author=Poulton, Hugh |title=Who are the Macedonians? |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |page=14 |date= 2000 |isbn=978-1-85065-534-3}}</ref> Philip's son [[Alexander the Great]] conquered the remainder of the region and incorporated it in his empire, reaching as far north as [[Scupi]], but the city and the surrounding area remained part of [[Dardania (Roman province)|Dardania]].<ref name=nurigiani67>Macedonia yesterday and today Author Giorgio Nurigiani, Publisher Teleurope, 1967 p. 77.</ref> After the death of Alexander, [[Celtic settlement of Southeast Europe|Celtic]] armies began to bear down on the southern regions, threatening the kingdom of Macedon. In 310 BC, they attacked the area, but were defeated.<ref>Stipčević, Aleksandar (1977). The Illyrians. Translated by Stojana Čulić Burton. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Press. p. 44.</ref>
| | === Naming dispute with Greece === |
| | Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia were arguing over the name Macedonia. The United Nations calls the Republic of North Macedonia, "'''the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'''" '''(FYROM)''' (Macedonian: ''Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија - ПЈРМ'' - ''Poranešna Jugoslovenska Republika Makedonija -PJRM''). The north and northeast part of Greece has been called Macedonia for ages and officially since 1912, just like [[Kent]], the southeast county of England, has been called Kent for a long time. 'FYROM' is also used by NATO and many other international organisations. But, many countries now call the country 'Republic of Macedonia'. The United Kingdom, for example, uses Republic of Macedonia in the diplomatic list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029396086&a=KDiplomaticList&aid=1013618543435.|title=Foreign Embassies in the UK}}</ref> |
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| [[Roman Empire|The Romans]] established the [[Macedonia (Roman province)|province of Macedonia]] in 146 BC. By the time of [[Diocletian]], the province had been subdivided between ''Macedonia Prima'' ("first Macedonia") on the south, encompassing most of the kingdom of Macedon, and ''Macedonia Salutaris'' (meaning "wholesome Macedonia", known also as ''Macedonia Secunda'', "second Macedonia") on the north, encompassing partially Dardania and the whole of Paeonia; most of the country's modern boundaries fell within the latter, with the city of [[Stobi]] as its capital.<ref name=roisman549>A Companion to Ancient Macedonia, By Joseph Roisman and Ian Worthington, p. 549</ref> Roman expansion brought the Scupi area under Roman rule in the time of [[Domitian]] (81–96 AD), and it fell within the Province of [[Moesia]].<ref name=britannica>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068124/Skopje |title=Encyclopædia Britannica – Scopje |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=6 June 2011}}</ref> Whilst [[Greek language|Greek]] remained the dominant language in the eastern part of the Roman empire, especially south of the [[Jireček Line]], Latin spread to some extent in Macedonia.<ref name=christides07>A. F. Christidis (2007). ''A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity'', Cambridge University Press, p. 351: "Despite Roman domination, there was no retreat on the part of Greek tradition in the eastern part of the empire, and only in Macedonia did Latin spread in some extent".</ref>
| | On 17 June 2018, North Macedonia and Greece agreed to the Prespa agreement<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/greece-macedonia-sign-agreement-change-180617074429644.html|title=Greece and Macedonia sign agreement on name change,{{!}} Macedonia News {{!}} Al Jazeera|website=www.aljazeera.com|access-date=2018-12-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/world/europe/greece-macedonia-name-dispute.html|title=Macedonia and Greece Sign Historic Deal on Name Change|last=Kitsantonis|first=Niki|date=2018-06-17|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-12-29|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which would see the country change its name to the '''Republic of North Macedonia'''. The government started completing the constitutional change needed to change the country's name, which was completed on 12 February 2019. |
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| === Medieval period ===
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| {{Further|Sclaveni|Byzantine Empire|First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria (theme)|Serbian Empire|Ottoman Vardar Macedonia}}
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| [[File:66-manasses-chronicle.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Miniature from the [[Constantine Manasses|Manasses Chronicle]], depicting the defeat of [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuil]] by [[Basil II]] and the return of his blinded soldiers]]
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| [[Early Slavs|Slavic tribes]] settled in the Balkan region including North Macedonia by the late 6th century AD. During the 580s, Byzantine literature attests to the Slavs raiding Byzantine territories in the region of Macedonia, later aided by [[Bulgars]]. Historical records document that in {{Circa|680}} a group of Bulgars, Slavs and Byzantines led by a Bulgar called [[Kuber]] settled in the region of the Keramisian plain, centred on the city of [[Bitola]], forming a second route for the Bulgar definitive settlement on the Balkan Peninsula at the end of the 7th century.<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 tribes that settled in the region of Macedonia converted to Christianity around the 9th century during the reign of Tsar [[Boris I of Bulgaria]]. The [[Ohrid Literary School]] became one of the two major cultural centres of the First Bulgarian Empire, along with the [[Preslav Literary School]]. Established in Ohrid in 886 by Saint [[Clement of Ohrid]] on the order of Boris I, the Ohrid Literary School was involved in the spreading of the [[Cyrillic script]].<ref>{{Cite web|author=S. Runciman|url=http://www.promacedonia.org/en/sr/sr_app9.htm|title=A history of the First Bulgarian empire – Appendix 9|website=www.promacedonia.org}}</ref>
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| | footer = [[Church of St. Sophia, Ohrid|Church of St. Sophia]], the first synod church of the [[Archbishopric of Ohrid]] (top). The [[Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon]] (bottom). Both churches are located in [[Ohrid]].
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| After [[Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria]], the Byzantines took control of East Bulgaria. [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuil]], one of the Cometopuli brothers, was proclaimed [[First Bulgarian Empire|Tsar of Bulgaria]]. He moved the capital to Skopje and then to Ohrid, which had been the cultural and military centre of southwestern Bulgaria since Boris I's rule. Samuil reestablished Bulgarian power, but after several decades of conflicts, in 1014, the Byzantine Emperor [[Basil II]] defeated his armies, and within four years the Byzantines restored control over the Balkans (including North Macedonia) for the first time since the 7th century. The rank of the autocephalous [[Bulgarian Patriarchate]] was lowered due to its subjugation to [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Constantinople]] and it was transformed into the [[Archbishopric of Ohrid]]. By the late 12th century, Byzantine decline saw the region contested by various political entities, including a brief [[Normans|Norman]] occupation in the 1080s.
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| 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 the early 14th century. In the 14th century, it became part of the [[Serbian Empire]]. Skopje became the capital of Tsar [[Stefan Dušan]]'s empire. Following Dušan's death, a weak successor appeared, and power struggles between nobles divided the Balkans once again. These events coincided with the entry of the [[Ottoman Turks]] into Europe.
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| ===Ottoman period ===
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| {{Further|Ottoman Vardar Macedonia}}
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| The [[Kingdom of Prilep]] was one of the short-lived states that emerged from the collapse of the Serbian Empire in the 14th century, which was seized by the Ottomans at the end of the same century.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y2d6OHLqwEsC&pg=PA275 |title=The last Centuries of Byzantium, (1261–1453) |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-521-43991-6 |page=500 |author1=Nicol, Donald Macgillivray |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> Gradually, all of the central Balkans were conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]] and remained under its domination for five centuries as part of the province or [[Eyalet]] of [[Rumelia Eyalet|Rumelia]]. The name ''[[Rumelia]]'' ([[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Rumeli'') means "Land of the Romans" in Turkish, referring to the lands conquered by the Ottoman Turks from the Byzantine Empire.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9064407/Rumelia Encyclopædia Britannica – Rumelia] at Encyclopædia Britannica.com</ref> Over the centuries Rumelia Eyalet was reduced in size through administrative reforms, until by the 19th century it consisted of a region of central Albania and western North Macedonia with its capital at Manastir or present-day [[Bitola]].<ref name=eb19>{{cite book |title=The Encyclopædia Britannica, or, Dictionary of arts, sciences ..., Volume 19 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TUEhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA464 |page=464 |year=1859}}</ref> Rumelia Eyalet was abolished in 1867 and that territory of Macedonia subsequently became part of vilayets of [[Manastir Vilayet|Manastir]], [[Kosovo Vilayet|Kosova]] and [[Salonica Vilayet|Selanik]] until the end of Ottoman rule in 1912. With the beginning of the [[Bulgarian National Revival]] in the 19th century, many of the reformers were from this region, including the [[Miladinov brothers]],<ref name='Phillips'>{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=John |title=Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans |url=https://archive.org/details/macedoniawarlord00phil |url-access=limited |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-86064-841-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/macedoniawarlord00phil/page/n51 41]}}</ref> [[Rayko Zhinzifov|Rajko Žinzifov]], [[Yoakim Karchovski|Joakim Krčovski]],<ref>{{cite book |isbn=978-90-6143-311-8 |page=234 |title=Becoming Bulgarian: The articulation of Bulgarian identity in the nineteenth century in its international context: An intellectual history |last1=Sampimon |first1=Janette |year=2006}}</ref> [[Kiril Peychinovich|Kiril Pejčinoviḱ]]<ref>{{cite book |isbn=978-0-88033-149-4 |page=221 |quote=Peichinovich of Tetovo, Macedonia, author of one of the first Bulgarian books |title=The pen and the sword: Studies in Bulgarian history |last1=Clarke |first1=James Franklin |last2=Hupchick |first2=Dennis P. |year=1988}}</ref> and others. The bishoprics of Skopje, [[Debar]], [[Bitola]], [[Ohrid]], [[Veles (city)|Veles]], and [[Strumica]] voted to join the [[Bulgarian Exarchate]] after it was established in 1870.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874–1913 |last=Gawrych |first=George |date=2006|page=28 |isbn=978-1-84511-287-5}}</ref>
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| === Modern period ===
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| ==== Macedonian autonomism ====
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| {{See also|Bulgarian Millet|Autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions|Macedonia for the Macedonians}}
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| [[File:Nikola Karev.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Nikola Karev]], head of the provisional government of the short-lived [[Kruševo Republic]] during the [[Ilinden uprising]]]]
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| [[File:Krushevo 1918.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Celebration of the Ilinen Uprising in Kruševo during [[Bulgarian occupation of Serbia (World War I)|WWI Bulgarian occupation of Southern Serbia]].]]
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| Several movements whose goals were the establishment of an autonomous Macedonia, which would encompass the entire region of Macedonia, began to arise in the late 19th century; the earliest of these was the [[Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees]], later becoming Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (SMARO). In 1905 it was renamed the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO), and after [[World War I]] the organisation separated into the [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]] (IMRO) and the [[Internal Thracian Revolutionary Organisation]] (ITRO).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jSg3lxgSy8C&q=thracian+revolutionary+organization&pg=PA100|isbn=978-0-8108-5565-6|page=100|access-date=14 November 2011|title=Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia|last=Bechev|first=Dimitar|year=2009}}</ref>
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| In the early years of the organisation, membership eligibility was exclusive to Bulgarians, but later it was extended to all inhabitants of European Turkey regardless of ethnicity or religion.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6RveDmHbIv8C&pg=PA136 |title=Region, Regional Identity and Regionalism in Southeastern Europe |first1=Klaus |last1=Roth |first2=Ulf |last2=Brunnbauer |date=2008 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |via=Google Books |isbn=9783825813871}}</ref> The majority of its members were [[Macedonian Bulgarians]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AIET_7ji7YAC&pg=PA209 |title=History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey: Volume 2, Reform, Revolution, and Republic: The Rise of Modern Turkey 1808–1975 |last=Shaw |first=Stanford J. |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=209 |date=1977 |isbn=978-0-521-29166-8}}</ref> In 1903, IMRO organised the [[Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising]] against the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]], which after some initial successes, including the forming of the [[Kruševo Republic]], was crushed with much loss of life.<ref>There was even an attempt to form a kind of revolutionary government led by the socialist Nikola Karev. The Krushevo manifesto was declared, assuring the population that the uprising was against the Sultan and not against Muslims in general, and that all peoples would be included. As the population of Krushevo was two-thirds hellenised Vlachs and Patriarchist Slavs, this was a wise move. Despite these promises, the insurgent flew Bulgarian flags everywhere and in many places the uprising did entail attacks on Muslim Turks and Albanians who themselves organised for self-defence." Who are the Macedonians? Hugh Poulton, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 1995, {{ISBN|1850652384}}, p. 57.</ref> The uprising and the forming of the Kruševo Republic are considered the cornerstone and precursors to the eventual establishment of the Macedonian state.<ref>In fact Macedonian historians as [[Blaze Ristovski]] have recognized, that the "government" of the "republic", nowadays a symbol of Macedonian statehood, was actually composed of people who identified themselves as "Greeks", "Vlachs" and "Bulgarians". "We, the People: Politics of National Peculiarity in Southeastern Europe" Diana Mishkova, Central European University Press, 2009, {{ISBN|9639776289}}, p. 124.</ref><ref>"The IMARO activists saw the future autonomous Macedonia as a multinational polity, and did not pursue the self-determination of Macedonian Slavs as a separate ethnicity. Therefore, Macedonian was an umbrella term covering Bulgarians, Turks, Greeks, Vlachs, Albanians, Serbs, Jews, and so on." Historical Dictionary of Macedonia, Historical Dictionaries of Europe, Dimitar Bechev, Scarecrow Press, 2009, {{ISBN|0810862956}}, Introduction.</ref><ref>The political and military leaders of the Slavs of Macedonia at the turn of the century seem not to have heard the call for a separate Macedonian national identity; they continued to identify themselves in a national sense as Bulgarians rather than Macedonians.[...] (They) never seem to have doubted "the predominantly Bulgarian character of the population of Macedonia". "The Macedonian conflict: ethnic nationalism in a transnational world", Princeton University Press, Danforth, Loring M. 1997, {{ISBN|0691043566}}, p. 64.</ref> The leaders of the Ilinden uprising are celebrated as national heroes in North Macedonia. The names of IMRO revolutionaries like [[Gotse Delchev]], [[Pitu Guli]], [[Dame Gruev]] and [[Yane Sandanski]] were included into the lyrics of the national anthem of the state of North Macedonia "[[Denes nad Makedonija]]" ("Today over Macedonia"). The major national holiday of North Macedonia, the [[Republic Day (North Macedonia)|Republic Day]], is celebrated on 2 August, Ilinden (St. Elijah day), the day of the Ilinden uprising.
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| ====Kingdom of Serbia ====
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| {{See also|Second Balkan War|Serbianisation}}
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| [[File:MMTRO The Skopie trial.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Members of the pro-Bulgarian [[Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization]] (MYSRO) during the [[Skopje Student Trial]] in 1927. In December 20 local youths were accused of fighting for an [[Independent Macedonia (IMRO)|Independent Macedonia]].<ref>Tasić, Dmitar, The Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization (MYSRO) 1922-1927: A New Moment in Macedonian Struggle. Storia e Regione. 2019, Vol. 28, Issue 1, pp. 22-43.</ref>]]
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| Following the two [[Balkan Wars]] of 1912 and 1913 and the [[dissolution of the Ottoman Empire]], most of its European-held territories were divided between Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia.{{sfn|Nicolle|2008|p=162}} Almost the territory that was to become North Macedonia was annexed by Serbia conforming to the [[Treaty of Bucharest (1913)|treaty of peace]] concluded at Bucharest.<ref name="Saucerman 1937 p. 195">{{cite book | last=Saucerman | first=S.B. | title=International Transfers of Territory in Europe with Names of the Affected Political Subdivisions| publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | series=Department of State publication | year=1937 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KrJ9AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA195| page=195}}</ref> However, [[Strumica]] region was passed to Bulgaria. Following the partition, an anti-Bulgarian campaign was carried out in the areas under Serbian and Greek control.<ref name=Banac>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/nationalquestion0000bana/page/317|title=The National Question in Yugoslavia. Origins, History, Politics|last=Banac|first=Ivo|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=1984|place=London and Ithaka|isbn=978-0801416750}}</ref> As many as 641 Bulgarian schools and 761 churches were closed by the Serbs, while Exarchist clergy and teachers were expelled.<ref name=Banac/> The use of all [[Macedonian dialects]] and standard Bulgarian were proscribed.<ref name=Banac/> IMRO, together with local Albanians, organised the [[Ohrid–Debar uprising]] against the Serbian rule. Within a few days the rebels captured the towns of Gostivar, Struga and Ohrid, expelling the Serbian troops. According to the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]] report, a Serbian army of 100,000 regulars suppressed the uprising. Many were killed and tens of thousands refugees fled to Bulgaria and Albania.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mojzes|first=Paul|title=Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing in the Twentieth Century|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|date=2011|page=38|isbn=978-1442206632}}</ref><ref>Йосиф Разсуканов, 85 години от Охриско-Дебърското въстание, в-к "Македония", брой 33, 16 септември 1998 г.</ref>
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| [[File:Balkan Wars Boundaries cleanup.jpg|thumb|The division of the Ottoman territories in Europe (including the [[Macedonia (region)|region of Macedonia]]) after the [[Balkan Wars]] according to the [[Treaty of Bucharest (1913)|Treaty of Bucharest]]]]
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| ==== World War I ====
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| {{See also|Bulgarian occupation of Serbia (World War I)}}
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| During the [[First World War]], most of today's North Macedonia was part of the [[Bulgarian occupation of Serbia (World War I)|Bulgarian occupied zone of Serbia]] after the country was [[Serbian campaign|invaded]] by the [[Central Powers]] in the fall of 1915.<ref name="Banac" /> The region was known as the “Military Inspection Area of Macedonia” and was administered by a Bulgarian military commander.<ref name="Király Rothenberg 1985 p.2512">{{cite book|last1=Király|first1=B.K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lGrfAAAAMAAJ|title=War and Society in East Central Europe: East central European society in World War I|last2=Rothenberg|first2=G.E.|publisher=Brooklyn College Press|year=1985|isbn=978-0-88033-089-3|series=Atlantic studies|pages=377}}</ref> A policy of [[Bulgarisation|Bulgarization]] of the region and its population was immediately initiated,<ref name="Gerwarth Horne 2013 p.150">{{cite book|last1=Gerwarth|first1=R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lao-AAAAQBAJ|title=War in Peace: Paramilitary Violence in Europe After the Great War|last2=Horne|first2=J.|publisher=OUP Oxford|year=2013|isbn=978-0-19-968605-6|series=The Greater War|pages=150}}</ref><ref name="Bianchi 2012 p.163">{{cite book|last=Bianchi|first=B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ln1FLgEACAAJ|title=War crimes and crimes against humanity: violence against civilians on the eastern front (1914-1919)|publisher=UNICOPLI|year=2012|isbn=978-88-400-1579-8|series=Biblioteca di storia contemporanea|pages=163|language=it}}</ref> during the period the IMRO arose from a clandestine organization to serve as gendarmerie, taking control of the whole police structure, enforcing the Bulgarization of the region.<ref name="Gerwarth Horne 2013 p.150"/> According to [[Robert Gerwarth]], the Bulgarian denationalization policy, including its paramilitary aspect, was almost identical in its intent and execution to the Serbian policy that preceded it.<ref name="Gerwarth Horne 2013 p.150 "/>
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| Bulgarian language was to be exclusively used, [[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet|Serbian Cyrillic]] was forbidden, Serbian priests were arrested and deported, Serbian-sounding names had to be changed to Bulgarian ones,<ref name="Laffan 1989 p.252">{{cite book|last=Laffan|first=R.G.D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_MwlAQAAMAAJ|title=The Serbs: The Guardians of the Gate|publisher=Dorset Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0-88029-413-3|series=Armenian Research Center collection|pages=252}}</ref> schoolteachers were brought from Bulgaria while Serbian books were taken from schools and libraries and publicly destroyed.<ref name="Report of the Interallied Commission on the Violation of the Hague Convention p.2">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MxakAAAAMAAJ|title=Report of the Interallied Commission on the Violation of the Hague Convention|publisher=Imprimerie "Yougoslavia"|year=1919|pages=22}}</ref> Adult males were sent to labour camps or forced to join the Bulgarian Army, representatives of the Serbian [[intelligentsia]] were deported or executed.<ref name="Bianchi 2012 p.163"/> According to [[Paul Mojzes]] the aim of the Bulgarian government was to create pure Bulgarian territories by denationalizing the non-Bulgarian Slavic population of Macedonia.<ref name="Mojzes 2011 p.422">{{cite book|last=Mojzes|first=P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwW2O7v7CUcC|title=Balkan Genocides: Holocaust and Ethnic Cleansing in the Twentieth Century|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4422-0663-2|pages=42}}</ref>
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| ====Kingdom of Yugoslavia ====
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| {{See also|South Serbia (1919–1922)|Vardar Banovina}}
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| After the capitulation of Bulgaria and the end of the First World War, the area returned under Belgrade control as part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]]<ref name="Naš rod">"Kraljevina Jugoslavija! Novi naziv naše države. No, mi smo itak med seboj vedno dejali Jugoslavija, četudi je bilo na vseh uradnih listih Kraljevina Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev. In tudi drugi narodi, kakor Nemci in Francozi, so pisali že prej v svojih listih mnogo o Jugoslaviji. 3. oktobra, ko je kralj Aleksander podpisal "Zakon o nazivu in razdelitvi kraljevine na upravna območja", pa je bil naslov kraljevine Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev za vedno izbrisan." (Naš rod ("Our Generation", a monthly Slovenian language periodical), Ljubljana 1929/30, št. 1, str. 22, letnik I.)</ref> and saw a reintroduction of anti-Bulgarian measures. Bulgarian teachers and clergy were expelled, Bulgarian language signs and books removed, and all Bulgarian organisations dissolved.<ref name=Banac/> Also after the [[Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine]], Strumica region was annexed to Serbian Macedonia in 1919.
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| The Serbian government pursued a policy of forced [[Serbianisation]] in the region,<ref>{{Google books |id=ZMyZdvTympMC |page=123 |title=Dejan Djokić, Yugoslavism: histories of a failed idea, 1918–1992 }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=SGnKpNf2RbAC |page=20 |author=R. J. Crampton|title= Eastern Europe in the twentieth century – and after }}</ref> which included systematic suppression of Bulgarian activists, altering family surnames, internal colonisation, exploiting workers, and intense propaganda.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kroraina.com/knigi/en/ban/pww2.html#60 |title=An article by Dimiter Vlahov about the persecution of the Bulgarian population in Macedonia |publisher=newspaper "Balkanska federatsia", No. 140, 20 August 1930, Vienna, original in Bulgarian |access-date=3 August 2007}}</ref> To aid the implementation of this policy, some 50,000 Serbian army and [[Serbian Gendarmerie|gendarmerie]] were stationed in present-day North Macedonia.<ref name=Banac/> By 1940 about 280 Serbian colonies (comprising 4,200 families) were established as part of the government's internal colonisation program (initial plans envisaged 50,000 families settling in present-day North Macedonia).<ref name=Banac/>
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| In 1929, the Kingdom was officially renamed the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]], and divided into provinces called [[Banovinas of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia|''banovinas'']]. South Serbia, including all of present-day North Macedonia, became the [[Vardar Banovina]] of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.<ref name=WOW>{{Google books |id=IGeJzd6BLU4C |page=43 |title=War of words: Washington tackles the Yugoslav conflict }}</ref>
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| The [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]] (IMRO) promoted the concept of an [[Independent Macedonia (IMRO)|Independent Macedonia]] in the [[interwar period]]. Its leaders—including [[Todor Alexandrov]], [[Aleksandar Protogerov]], and [[Ivan Mihailov]]—promoted independence of the Macedonian territory split between Serbia and Greece for the whole population, regardless of religion and ethnicity.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qMZaPjrHqYYC&q=Mihailov,%20Macedonia;%20A%20Switzerland%20%20Balkans%20%20bulgarian%20state&pg=PA127 |title=Balkan Strongmen: Dictators and Authoritarian Rulers of South Eastern Europe |first=Bernd Jürgen |last=Fischer |date=2007 |publisher=Purdue University Press |via=Google Books |isbn=978-1557534552}}</ref> The Bulgarian government of [[Alexander Malinov]] in 1918 offered to give [[Pirin Macedonia]] for that purpose after [[World War I]],<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 it. In 1924, the [[Communist International]] (Comintern) suggested that all Balkan communist parties adopt a platform of a "[[United Macedonia]]" but the suggestion was rejected by the Bulgarian and Greek communists.<ref>Victor Roudometof, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Xoww453NVQMC&pg=PA100&dq=%22united+macedonia%22&hl=en&ei=ljXeTs7gCZHCtAbvzPHtCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=%22united%20macedonia%22&f=false ''Collective Memory, National Identity, and Ethnic Conflict: Greece, Bulgaria, and the Macedonian Question''], Praeger, 2002 p. 100</ref>
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| IMRO followed by starting an insurgent war in Vardar Macedonia, together with [[Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization]], which also conducted guerrilla attacks against the Serbian administrative and army officials there. In 1923 in Stip, a paramilitary organisation called [[Association against Bulgarian Bandits]] was formed by Serbian [[chetniks]], IMRO renegades and [[Macedonian Federative Organization]] (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 |access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref> On 9 October 1934 IMRO member [[Vlado Chernozemski]] assassinated [[Alexander I of Yugoslavia]].
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| The [[Macedonism|Macedonist]] ideas increased in Yugoslav Vardar Macedonia and among the left diaspora in Bulgaria during the interwar period. They were supported by the Comintern.<ref name="books.google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ilGfCIF4Ao4C&q=macedonism&pg=PA140 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia |first=Dimitar |last=Bechev |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |via=Google Books |isbn=978-0810862951}}</ref> In 1934, the Comintern issued a [[Resolution of the Comintern on the Macedonian question|special resolution]] in which for the first time directions were provided for recognising the existence of a separate Macedonian nation and Macedonian language.<ref>Duncan Perry, "The Republic of Macedonia: finding its way" in Karen Dawisha and Bruce Parrot (eds.), Politics, power and the struggle for Democracy in South-Eastern Europe, Cambridge University Press, 1997, pp. 228–229.</ref>
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| {{Clear}}
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| ==== World War II ====
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| {{Main|World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Liberation of Skopje.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dimitar Vlahov]], [[Mihajlo Apostolski]], [[Metodija Andonov-Čento]], [[Lazar Koliševski]] and others, greeted in Skopje on 20 November 1944, a week after its liberation<ref>Mitre Inadeski, Hronologija na Skopje: rabotničkoto i narodnoosloboditelnoto dviženje 1939-1945, tom 2, Arhiv, 1974, str. 181.</ref>]]
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| During World War II, Yugoslavia was occupied by the [[Axis powers]] from 1941 to 1945. The Vardar Banovina was divided between Bulgaria and Italian-occupied Albania. [[Bulgarian Action Committees]] were established to prepare 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 mostly formed by former members of IMRO and [[Macedonian Youth Secret Revolutionary Organization]] (MYSRO, but some [[IMRO (United)]] former members also participated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kroraina.com/knigi/bugarash/bccc_1941/Chapter1_3.html|title=Forming of the Local Campaign Committees|work=kroraina.com}}</ref>{{sfn|Georgieva|Konechni|1998|p=223}}
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| As leader of the Vardar Macedonian communists, [[Metodi Shatorov]] ("Sharlo") switched from the [[Yugoslav Communist Party]] to the [[Bulgarian Communist Party]]{{sfn|Georgieva|Konechni|1998|p=223}}<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_NbmSoRsRcC&q=Metodi+Shatorov+bulgarian+communist&pg=PA102 |title=Who are the Macedonians? |author=Hugh Poulton |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |page=102 |isbn=978-1-85065-238-0 |year=1995 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> and refused to start military action against the [[Bulgarian Army]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HjSsAAAAIAAJ&q=Metodi+Shatarov+bulgarian+communist&pg=PA130 |title=Bulgaria during the Second World War |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-8047-0870-8 |page=314 |last=Miller |first=Marshall Lee |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref>
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| The Bulgarian authorities, under German pressure,<ref>Bulgaria managed to save its entire 48,000-strong Jewish population during World War II from deportation to [[Nazi 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 Vardar Macedonians to support the [[Yugoslav Partisans|Communist Partisan]] resistance movement of [[Josip Broz Tito]] after 1943,<ref group="lower-alpha">This policy changed after 1943 with the arrival of Tito's envoy Montenegrin Serb [[Svetozar Vukmanović]]-Tempo. He began in earnest to organise armed resistance to the Bulgarian rule and sharply criticised [[Metodi Shatorov|Sharlo]]'s pro-Bulgarian policy. At a meeting of the partisan brigades, as well as a group of battalions in the [[Resen, North Macedonia|Resen]] region on 21 December 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.<ref name="НОБ на Македонија">"НОБ на Македонија" Јован Поповски. Скопје, 1962</ref><ref name="Историја на МК">"Историја на Македонскиот Народ" Александар Стојановски, Иван Катарџиев, Данчо Зографски. Скопје, 1988</ref>
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| In Vardar Macedonia, after the [[Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944]], the Bulgarian troops, surrounded by German forces, fought their way back to the old borders of Bulgaria.<ref>''History of Bulgaria'', Petar Delev et al., 2001, p. 364</ref> Under the leadership of the new Bulgarian pro-Soviet government, four armies, 455,000 strong in total, were mobilised and reorganised. Most of them re-entered occupied Yugoslavia in early October 1944 and moved from [[Sofia]] to [[Niš]], Skopje and [[Pristina]] with the strategic task of blocking the German forces withdrawing from Greece.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A8X6UH58dlgC&pg=PA33 |title=Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941–45 |date=1995 |publisher=Bloomsbury|via=Google Books |isbn=978-1855324732}}</ref> The Bulgarian army would [[Nagykanizsa–Körmend Offensive|reach the Alps]] in Austria, participating in the expulsion of the Germans to the west, through Yugoslavia and Hungary.
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| Compelled by the [[Soviet Union]] with a view towards the creation of a large [[Yugoslavism|South Slav Federation]], in 1946 the new Communist government, led by [[Georgi Dimitrov]], agreed to give Bulgarian Macedonia to a [[United Macedonia]]. With the [[Bled agreement (1947)|Bled agreement]], in 1947 Bulgaria formally confirmed the envisioned unification of the Macedonian region, but postponed this act until after the formation of the future Federation.<ref>James Horncastle, The Macedonian Slavs in the Greek Civil War, 1944–1949, Rowman & Littlefield, 2019, {{ISBN|1498585051}}, p. 167.</ref><ref>Andrew Rossos, Macedonia and the Macedonians: A History, Hoover Press, 2013, {{ISBN|081794883X}}, p. 205.</ref> It was the first time it accepted the existence of a separate Macedonian ethnicity and language. After the [[Tito–Stalin split]] the region of Pirin Macedonia remained part of Bulgaria and later the Bulgarian Communist Party revised its view of existence of a separate Macedonian nation and language.
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| ==== Socialist Yugoslavia ====
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| {{Main|Socialist Republic of Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Lazar Kolishevski left.jpg|thumb|160px|[[Lazar Koliševski]] was the political leader of SR Macedonia and briefly of SFR Yugoslavia.]]
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| In December 1944 the [[Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia]] (ASNOM) proclaimed the People's Republic of Macedonia as part of the ''People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia''.<ref>Мичев, Добрин. Партизанското движение във Вардарска Македония, 1941–1944 г. сп. Македонски преглед, кн. 2, стр. 5–40.</ref> 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 principles of [[Krste Misirkov|Krste Petkov Misirkov]]. During the [[Greek Civil War|civil war in Greece]] (1946–1949), Macedonian communist insurgents supported the Greek communists. Many refugees fled to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia from there. The state dropped ''Socialist'' from its name in 1991 when it peacefully seceded from Yugoslavia.
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| 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 the Socialist Republic of Macedonia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.slvesnik.com.mk/Issues/0AF2E0456C964935B7705FB5BF6F31F9.pdf|title=Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, 1974 – Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia}}</ref><ref>Устав Федеративне Народне Републике Југославије (1946), [http://sr.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B2_%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B5_%D0%88%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B5_%281946%29 sr.wikisource.org], retrieved on 19 October 2007. {{in lang|sh}}</ref><ref>Устав Социјалистичке Федеративне Републике Југославије (1963), [http://sr.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B2_%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%B5_%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B5_%D0%88%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B5_%281963%29 sr.wikisource.org], retrieved on 19 October 2007. {{in lang|sh}}</ref>
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| ==== Declaration of independence ====
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| North Macedonia officially celebrates 8 September 1991 as [[Independence Day (North Macedonia)|Independence day]] ({{lang-mk|Ден на независноста}}, ''Den na nezavisnosta''), with regard to [[1991 Macedonian independence referendum|the referendum endorsing independence from Yugoslavia]].<ref name=NS>[[Dieter Nohlen|Nohlen, D]] & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p. 1278 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}</ref> The anniversary of the start of the [[Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising|Ilinden Uprising]] ([[Elijah|St. Elijah]]'s Day) on 2 August is also widely celebrated on an official level as the [[Republic Day (North Macedonia)|Day of the Republic]].
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| [[Robert Badinter]], as the head of the [[Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia]], recommended EC recognition in January 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art8-02.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050215223455/http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol4/No1/art8-02.html |archive-date=15 February 2005 |title=Recognition of States: Annex 3 |access-date=28 April 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On January 15, 1992, Bulgaria was the first country to recognize the independence of the republic.
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| Macedonia remained at peace through the [[Yugoslav Wars]] of the early 1990s. A few very minor changes to its border with Yugoslavia were agreed upon to resolve problems with the demarcation line between the two countries. It was seriously destabilised by the [[Kosovo War]] in 1999, when an estimated 360,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo took refuge in the country.<ref name="Thomas">{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Nigel |ref=Thomas |year=2006 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a7cOQ9Nch2AC |title=The Yugoslav Wars (2): Bosnia, Kosovo And Macedonia 1992–2001 |isbn=978-1841769646}}</ref> They departed shortly after the war, and [[Albanian nationalism|Albanian nationalists]] on both sides of the border took up arms soon after in pursuit of autonomy or independence for the Albanian-populated areas of Macedonia.<ref name="Thomas"/><ref name="news.bbc.co.uk"/>
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| {{Clear}}
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| === 21st century ===
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| ==== 2001 insurgency ====
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| {{Main|2001 insurgency in Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Albanian Protesters 2.jpg|thumb|An Albanian protest march in 2012]]
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| A [[2001 insurgency in Macedonia|conflict]] took place between the government and ethnic Albanian insurgents, mostly in the north and west of the country, between February and August 2001.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1231596.stm |work=BBC News |title=Who are the rebels? |date=20 March 2001}}</ref><ref name="stat.gov.mk2">{{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><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kla-veterans-linked-to-latest--bout-of-violence-in-macedonia-686995.html |work=The Independent |location=London |title=KLA veterans linked to latest bout of violence in Macedonia |first=Justin |last=Huggler |date=12 March 2001 |access-date=4 April 2010}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2002/nr1/Focus1-2002Brunnbauer.pdf |title=The implementation of the Ohrid Agreement: Ethnic Macedonian resentments |first=Ulf |last=Brunnbauer |journal=Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe |issue=1/2002 |year=2002 |access-date=18 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923233057/http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/2002/nr1/Focus1-2002Brunnbauer.pdf |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Albanian side agreed to abandon separatist demands and to recognise all Macedonian institutions fully. In addition, according to this accord, the [[National Liberation Army (North Macedonia)|NLA]] were to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rtvfan.net/ria-novosti-clashes-between-macedonians-and-albanians-in-macedonia/ |title=Clashes between Macedonians and Albanians in Macedonia |date=5 May 2016 |website=rtvfan.net}}{{dead link|date=May 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
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| [[2012 Republic of Macedonia inter-ethnic violence|Inter-ethnic tensions]] flared in Macedonia in 2012, with incidents of violence between ethnic Albanians and Macedonians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/macedonia_ethnic_albanians_protest_murder_suspect_arrests/24578167.html |title=In Macedonia, Ethnic Albanians Protest Arrests Of Murder Suspects |work=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |date=11 May 2012}}</ref>
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| ==== Antiquisation ====
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| {{Main|Antiquization|Macedonism}}
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| Upon the coming to power in 2006, but especially since the country's non-invitation to NATO in 2008, the VMRO-DPMNE government pursued a policy of "[[Macedonian nationalism#Post-independence period and Antiquisation|Antiquisation]]" ("Antikvizatzija") as a way of putting pressure on Greece as well as for the purposes of domestic identity-building.<ref name="Georgievski">"Ghosts of the past endanger Macedonia's future". Boris Georgievski, ''Balkan Insight'', 27 October 2009 [http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/ghosts-of-the-past-endanger-macedonia-s-future].</ref> Statues of [[Alexander the Great]] and [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip of Macedon]] have been built in several cities across the country. Additionally, many pieces of public infrastructure, such as airports, highways, and stadiums were renamed after Alexander and Philip. These actions were seen as deliberate provocations in neighbouring Greece, exacerbating the dispute and further stalling the country's EU and NATO applications.<ref>''Greece slates Skopje's provocative Alexander statue'' Sinisa Jakov Marusic, Balkan Insight, 15 June 2011 [http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/greece-slates-skopje-s-provocative-alexander-statue]</ref> The policy has also attracted criticism domestically, as well as from EU diplomats,<ref name="Georgievski"/> and, following the Prespa agreement, it has been partly reversed after 2016 by the new [[SDSM]] government of North Macedonia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marusic|first=Sinisa Jakov |date=15 June 2018 |title=Macedonia to Rename Divisive Statues That Irked Greece |url= https://balkaninsight.com/2018/06/15/divisive-skopje-2014-landmarks-find-new-purpose-06-14-2018/|work=BalkanInsight |location=Skopje|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Tagaris |first=Karolina |date=24 January 2018 |title=Macedonia to rename airport to help resolve name row with Greece, PM says |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-macedonia-name-airport/macedonia-to-rename-airport-to-help-resolve-name-row-with-greece-pm-says-idUSKBN1FD2TS |work=[[Reuters]] |location= Davos|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref> Moreover, per Prespa agreement both countries have acknowledged that their respective understanding of the terms "Macedonia" and "Macedonian" refers to a different historical context and cultural heritage.
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| ==== EU and NATO path ====
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| {{Main|Macedonia naming dispute|Prespa agreement|Accession of North Macedonia to the European Union|North Macedonia–NATO relations|Bulgaria–North Macedonia relations}}
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| [[File:Потпишување на договорот за македонско-грчкиот спор (17.06.2018, Преспа) (42853677381).jpg|thumb|Symbolic signing of the Prespa agreement]]
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| The [[Prespa agreement]], which replaces the Interim Accord of 1995,<ref name="2018FinalAgreement">{{cite document|url=http://s.kathimerini.gr/resources/article-files/symfwnia-aggliko-keimeno.pdf|title=FINAL AGREEMENT FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF THE DIFFERENCES AS DESCRIBED IN THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS 817 (1993) AND 845 (1993), THE TERMINATION OF THE INTERIM ACCORD OF 1995, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE PARTIES|publisher=Kathimerini.gr|access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> was signed on 17 June 2018 by the two foreign ministers [[Nikola Dimitrov]] and [[Nikos Kotzias]] and in the presence of the respective prime ministers, [[Zoran Zaev]] and [[Alexis Tsipras]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-macedonia-name-pms/greece-macedonia-sign-pact-to-change-ex-yugoslav-republics-name-idUSKBN1JD06D |title=Greece, Macedonia sign pact to change ex-Yugoslav republic's name |website=Reuters |date=17 June 2018 |access-date=17 June 2018}}</ref> The Prespa agreement was preceded by signing [[Bulgaria–North Macedonia relations#The Friendship treaty and beyond|Friendship agreement]] with Bulgaria in August 2017, aiming to end the "anti-Bulgarian ideology" in North Macedonia and to solve the historical issues between the two counties.
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| The withdrawal of the Greek veto, along with the signing the Friendship agreement with Bulgaria, resulted in the European Union on 27 June approving the start of [[Accession of North Macedonia to the European Union|accession talks]], which were expected to take place in 2019, under the condition that the Prespa deal was implemented and the country's name was changed to ''Republic of North Macedonia''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2018/06/27/eu-paves-the-road-for-macedonia-albania-accession-talks-06-27-2018/ |title=Macedonia, Albania Hail EU Approval for Accession Talks |first=Sinisa Jakov |last=Marusic |website=Balkan Insight |date=27 June 2018 |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref> On 5 July, the Prespa agreement was ratified again by the Macedonian parliament with 69 MPs voting in favour of it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-macedonia/macedonias-parliament-endorses-name-deal-with-greece-for-second-time-idUSKBN1JV1MP |title=Macedonia's parliament endorses name deal with Greece for second time |website=Reuters |date=5 July 2018 |access-date=6 July 2018}}</ref> On 12 July, [[NATO]] invited Macedonia to start accession talks in a bid to become the EuroAtlantic alliance's 30th member.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://balkaninsight.com/2018/07/11/nato-invites-macedonia-to-join-the-western-alliance-07-11-2018/ |title=NATO Invites Macedonia to Join the Western Alliance |first=Sinisa Jakov |last=Marusic |website=Balkan Insight |date=11 July 2018 |access-date=13 July 2018}}</ref> On 30 July, the parliament of Macedonia approved plans to hold a non-binding [[2018 Macedonian referendum|referendum on changing the country's name]], which took place on 30 September.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/macedonia-to-hold-name-change-referendum-on-september-30 |title=Macedonia to hold name-change referendum on September 30 |website=SBS News |date=30 July 2018 |access-date=31 July 2018}}</ref> Ninety-one percent of voters voted in favour with a 37% turnout,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://referendum.sec.mk/Referendum/Results?cs=en-US&r=r&rd=r1&eu=All&m=All |title=iVote Demokra – Integrated Election Information System of the State Election Commission of the Republic of Macedonia |website=referendum.sec.mk |access-date=14 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930231415/https://referendum.sec.mk/Referendum/Results?cs=en-US&r=r&rd=r1&eu=All&m=All |archive-date=30 September 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but the referendum was not carried because of a constitutional requirement for a 50% turnout.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-macedonia-referendum-turnout/macedonia-name-referendum-fails-to-reach-turnout-threshold-election-commission-idUSKCN1MA0X2 |title=Macedonia name referendum fails to reach turnout threshold: election commission |website=Reuters |date=30 September 2018 |language=en |access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref>
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| [[File:North Macedonia Joins NATO.jpg|thumb|left|North Macedonia commemorates its accession to NATO at the US Department of State.]]
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| On 6 February 2019, the permanent representatives of NATO member states and Macedonian Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Dimitrov, signed in [[Brussels]] the [[Accession of North Macedonia to NATO|accession protocol]] of North Macedonia into NATO.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47139118 |title=Macedonia signs Nato accession deal |date=6 February 2019 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/news/north-macedonia-minister-nato-not-eu-saved-name-change-deal |title=North Macedonia minister: NATO, not EU, saved name change deal |date=19 March 2019 |work=[[Euractiv]]}}</ref> The protocol was then ratified on 8 February by the Greek parliament, thus completing all the preconditions for putting into force the Prespa agreement. Subsequently, on 12 February the Macedonian government announced the formal activation of the constitutional amendments which effectively renamed the country as North Macedonia and informed accordingly the United Nations and its member states.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/un-notified-of-north-macedonia-s-name-change/29768586.html |title=UN Notified Of North Macedonia's Name Change |website=RFE/RL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-statement-on-the-republic-of-north-macedonia |title=Foreign Secretary statement on the Republic of North Macedonia |website=GOV.UK}}</ref>
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| In March 2020, after the ratification process by all NATO members was completed, North Macedonia [[North Macedonia–NATO relations|acceded to NATO]], becoming the 30th member state.<ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/nato-north-macedonia-becomes-30th-member/a-52944781 NATO: North Macedonia becomes 30th member], Deutsche Welle (March 27, 2020)</ref><ref>[https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_174589.htm North Macedonia joins NATO as 30th Ally], NATO (March 27, 2020).</ref> The same month, the leaders of the [[European Union]] formally gave approval to North Macedonia begin talks to join the EU.<ref>[https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-leaders-give-final-approval-eu-membership-talks-macedonia-albania/30512156.html EU Leaders Give Final OK To Begin North Macedonia, Albania Membership Talks], [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] (March 27, 2020).</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/eu-can-start-talks-with-albania-and-north-macedonia-over-joining EU can start talks with Albania and North Macedonia over joining], Reuters (March 23, 2020).</ref> On November 17, 2020, Bulgaria refused to approve the European Union's negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of accession talks with this country.<ref>Bulgaria blocks EU accession talks with North Macedonia. [https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/bulgaria-blocks-eu-accession-talks-with-north-macedonia Nov 17, 2020, National post].</ref> The explanation from the Bulgarian side was: no implementation of the Friendship treaty from 2017, state-supported hate speech, minority claims, and an 'ongoing nation-building process' based on historical negationism of the Bulgarian identity, culture and legacy in the broader [[Macedonia (region)|region of Macedonia]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Foreign Minister Zaharieva: Bulgaria Cannot Approve EU Negotiating Framework with North Macedonia - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency|url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/206579/Foreign+Minister+Zaharieva%3A+Bulgaria+Cannot+Approve+EU+Negotiating+Framework+with+North+Macedonia|access-date=2020-12-10|website=www.novinite.com}}</ref> The veto received condemnation by intellectuals from both states<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bulgarian intellectuals: Unacceptable to deny Macedonian nation, language; green-light talks immediately|url=https://english.republika.mk/news/balkans/bulgarian-intellectuals-unacceptable-to-deny-macedonian-nation-language-green-light-talks-immediately/|access-date=2020-12-31}}</ref> and criticism from international observers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bulgaria asks EU to stop 'fake' Macedonian identity|url=https://www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-asks-eu-to-stop-fake-macedonian-identity/a-55020781|access-date=2020-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Der Spiegel: Bulgaria Misuses Its Right of Veto for Nationalistic Purposes|url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/206604/Der+Spiegel%3A+Bulgaria+Misuses+Its+Right+of+Veto+for+Nationalistic+Purposes|access-date=2020-12-31}}</ref><ref>[https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1460787 Tomasz Kamusella. 2021. Bulgaria’s Secret Empire: An Ultimatum to North Macedonia (pp 155-212). ''Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies''. No. 6.]</ref>
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| {{Clear}}
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| == Geography ==
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| {{Main|Geography of North Macedonia}}
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| {{see also|Geology of North Macedonia}}
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| === Location ===
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| [[File:Mount Korab, Republic of Macedonia.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Korab]], the highest mountain in North Macedonia.]]
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| North Macedonia has a total area of {{cvt|25713|km2|0}}. It lies between latitudes [[40th parallel north|40°]] and [[43rd parallel north|43° N]], and mostly between longitudes [[20th meridian east|20°]] and [[23rd meridian east|23° E]] (a small area lies east of 23°). North Macedonia has some {{cvt|748|km|0}} of boundaries, shared with [[Serbia]] ({{cvt|62|km|0|disp=or}}) to the North, [[Kosovo]] ({{cvt|159|km|0|disp=or}}) to the northwest, [[Bulgaria]] ({{cvt|148|km|0|disp=or}}) to the east, [[Greece]] ({{cvt|228|km|0|disp=or}}) to the south, and [[Albania]] ({{cvt|151|km|0|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 the larger region of [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], which also includes [[Greek Macedonia]] and the [[Blagoevgrad Province]] in southwestern Bulgaria.
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| North Macedonia is a [[landlocked country]] that is geographically clearly defined by a central valley formed by the Vardar river and framed along its borders by mountain ranges. The terrain is mostly rugged, located between the [[Šar Mountains]] and [[Osogovo]], which frame the valley of the [[Vardar]] river. Three large lakes—[[Lake Ohrid]], [[Lake Prespa]] and [[Dojran Lake]]—lie on the southern borders, bisected by the frontiers with Albania and Greece. Ohrid is considered to be one of the oldest lakes and biotopes in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moe.gov.mk/soer2/ohrid_a.htm |title=Macedonian Ministry of Environment |access-date=28 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119010740/http://www.moe.gov.mk/soer2/ohrid_a.htm |archive-date=19 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</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.
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| North Macedonia also has scenic mountains. They belong to two different mountain ranges: the first is the Šar Mountains<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/523838/Sar-Mountains |title=Britannica's article about Sar Mountains |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=28 April 2010}}</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 |access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref> that continues to the West Vardar/Pelagonia group of mountains ([[Baba Mountain, Macedonia|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 of the Osogovo-Belasica mountain group. [[Mount Korab]] of the Šar Mountains on the Albanian border, at {{cvt|2764|m}}, is the tallest mountain in North Macedonia. In North Macedonia there are 1,100 large sources of water. The rivers flow into three different basins: the Aegean, the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] and the [[Black Sea]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mymacedonia.net/links/geography.htm |title=Macedonia |publisher=Mymacedonia.net |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023070728/http://www.mymacedonia.net/links/geography.htm |archive-date=23 October 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| [[File:Matka_Lake_-_Macedonia.jpg|thumb|right|[[Matka Canyon]]]]
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| The Aegean basin is the largest. It covers 87% of the territory of North Macedonia, which is {{convert|22075|km2|0|abbr=out}}. [[Vardar]], the largest river in this basin, drains 80% of the territory or {{convert|20459|km2|0|abbr=out}}. Its valley plays an important part in the economy and the communication system of the country. The Vardar Valley project 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 {{cvt|3320|km2|0}}, i.e., 13% of the territory. It receives water from Lakes Prespa and Ohrid. The Black Sea basin is the smallest with only {{cvt|37|km2|0}}. 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. North Macedonia has around fifty ponds and three natural lakes, [[Lake Ohrid]], [[Lake Prespa]] and [[Lake Dojran]]. In North Macedonia there are nine spa towns and resorts: Banište, Banja Bansko, Istibanja, Katlanovo, [[Kežovica]], Kosovrasti, Banja Kočani, Kumanovski Banji and Negorci.
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| === Climate ===
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| {{See also|Geography of North Macedonia#Climate|l1=Climate of North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Koppen-Geiger Map MKD present.svg|thumb|[[Köppen–Geiger]] climate classification map for North Macedonia]]
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| Four different seasons are found in the country with warm and dry summers and moderately cold and snowy winters. The range of temperatures recorded throughout the year ranges from {{cvt|-20|C}} in winter, to {{cvt|40|C}} in summer. Low winter temperatures are influenced by winds from the north while heat seasons during summer arise due to the subtropical pressure of the Aegean Sea and climate influences from the [[Middle East]], with the latter causing dry periods.{{sfn|Georgieva|Konechni|1998|p=73}} There are three main climatic zones in the country: mildly [[continental climate|continental]] in the north, temperate [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]] in the south and [[mountain climate|mountainous]] in the zones with high altitude.{{sfn|Georgieva|Konechni|1998|p=31}} 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 {{cvt|40|C}}.<ref>{{cite book |script-title=mk:Клима и климатска регионализација во Република Македонија, "Географски разгледи"|trans-title=Climate and climatic regionalization in the Republic of Macedonia "Geographical postcards"|language=mk|first=Mihailo|last=Zikov|date=1995|number=30|location=Skopje}}</ref>
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| Average annual precipitation varies from {{cvt|1700|mm|1}} in the western mountainous area to {{cvt|500|mm|1}} in the eastern area. There is a low level of precipitation in the Vardar valley with {{cvt|500|mm|1}} of water per year.{{sfn|Georgieva|Konechni|1998|p=73}} The climate and irrigation diversity allow the cultivation of different plant types, including [[wheat]], [[corn]], [[potatoes]], poppies, peanuts, and [[rice]].{{sfn|Georgieva|Konechni|1998|p=2}} There are thirty main and regular weather stations in the country.
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| === Biodiversity ===
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| {{Main|Wildlife of North Macedonia}}
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| {{Multiple image
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| |align =left
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| |direction= vertical
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| |width =170
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| |image1 =Lynx lynx poing.jpg
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| |caption1 = [[Eurasian lynx]].
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| |image2 =Sarplaninac front.jpg
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| |caption2= [[Šarplaninac|Šarplaninec]].
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| }}
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| The flora of North Macedonia is represented by 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, followed by [[moss]]es (350 species) and [[fern]]s (42).
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| [[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], North Macedonia belongs to the Illyrian province of the [[Circumboreal Region]] within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]] (WWF) and the Digital Map of European Ecological Regions by the [[European Environment Agency]], the territory of the Republic can be subdivided into four terrestrial [[ecoregion]]s: the [[Pindus Mountains mixed forests]], [[Balkan mixed forests]], [[Rodope montane mixed forests]], and [[Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> North Macedonia had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.42/10, ranking it 40th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057}}</ref>
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| [[Baba Mountain, Macedonia|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 North 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 [[relict]] of tertiary flora, and the five-needle pine [[Macedonian Pine|Molika]], was first noted on Pelister in 1893.
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| [[File:Pelister Molika.jpg|thumb|''[[Pinus peuce]]'', the Macedonian Pine or Molika, one of North Macedonia's most recognisable trees]]
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| North 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 Chinese [[opium]] contains eight such units and is considered to be of high quality, Indian opium contains seven units, and Turkish opium only six, Macedonian opium contains a full 14 morphine units and is one of the best quality opiums in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.macedonia.co.uk/client/index1.aspx?page=246 |title=Macedonian Flora |publisher=Macedonia.co.uk |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-date=3 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503235235/http://www.macedonia.co.uk/client/index1.aspx?page=246 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| The native forest fauna is abundant and includes bears, [[wild boar]]s, wolves, foxes, squirrels, [[chamois]] and deer. The [[Eurasian lynx|lynx]] is found, 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.
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| The country has four [[national park]]s:
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| {|class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
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| |-
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| ! Name
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| ! Established
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| ! Size
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| ! class="unsortable" |Map
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| ! class="unsortable" |Picture
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| |-
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| |[[Mavrovo National Park|Mavrovo]]
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| |style="text-align:center" |1948
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| |style="text-align:center" |731 km<sup>2</sup>
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
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| {{location map|North Macedonia | relief = yes | label=|position=left|float=left|width=80|lat=41.7|long=20.77|caption=}}
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|[[File:Mavrovo-Lake-Autumn.jpg|100px]]
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| |-
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| |[[Galičica]]
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| |style="text-align:center" |1958
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| |style="text-align:center" |227 km<sup>2</sup>
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
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| {{location map|North Macedonia | relief = yes |label=|position=left|float=left|width=80|lat=40.94|long=20.81|caption=}}
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|[[File:Galichitsa.jpg|100px]]
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| |-
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| |[[Pelister National Park|Pelister]]
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| |style="text-align:center" |1948
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| |style="text-align:center" |125 km<sup>2</sup>
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
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| {{location map|North Macedonia | relief = yes |label=|float=left|width=80|position=left|lat=41|long=21.18|caption=}}
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|[[File:Mount Pelister MK.jpg|100px]]
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| |-
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| |[[Šar Mountains]]
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| |style="text-align:center" |2021
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| |style="text-align:center" |
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|
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| {{location map|North Macedonia | relief = yes |label=|float=left|width=80|position=left|lat=42|long=21.05|caption=}}
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| |style="text-align:center; padding:0;"|[[File:Доброшки Езера (Шар Планина).jpg|100px]]
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| |-
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| |}
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| == Politics == | | == Politics == |
| {{more citations needed|section|date=September 2020}}
| | North Macedonia is a democratic country with a [[parliament]]. |
| {{Main|Politics of North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Skopje - Parlamentsgebäude der Republik Mazedonien.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Parliament of North Macedonia|Parliament Building of North Macedonia]] in [[Skopje]].]] | | ==Related pages== |
| | * [[List of rivers of North Macedonia]] |
| | * [[Macedonia]] |
| | * [[North Macedonia at the Olympics]] |
| | * [[Macedonia national football team|North Macedonia national football team]] |
| | *[https://macedoniafromabove.mk 360° Virtual tour of North Macedonia] |
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| North 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}}, {{lang|mk-Latn|Sobranie}}) and an independent [[judiciary|judicial branch]] with a [[constitutional court]]. The [[Assembly of North Macedonia|Assembly]] is made up of 120 seats and the members are elected every four years. The role of the [[President of North Macedonia|President]] is mostly ceremonial, with the real power resting in the hands of the [[Prime Minister of North Macedonia|Prime Minister]]. 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.
| | ==Notes== |
| | | {{notelist|refs= |
| With the passage of a new law and elections held in 2005, local government functions are divided between 78 [[Municipalities of North Macedonia|municipalities]] ({{lang|mk|општини}}, {{lang|mk-Latn|opštini}}; [[Grammatical number|singular]]: {{lang|mk|општина}}, {{lang|mk-Latn|opština}}). The capital, Skopje, is governed as a group of ten municipalities collectively referred to as the "City of Skopje". Municipalities in North Macedonia are units of local self-government. Neighbouring municipalities may establish co-operative arrangements.
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| 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, parliament passed legislation redrawing local boundaries and giving greater local autonomy to ethnic Albanians in areas where they predominate.
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| After a troublesome pre-election campaign, North Macedonia saw a relatively calm and democratic change of government in the [[2006 Macedonian parliamentary election|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. A dialogue was later 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 |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref>
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| After the early parliamentary elections held in 2008, VMRO-DPMNE and Democratic Union for Integration formed a ruling coalition.<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 |access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref> In April 2009, presidential and local elections in the country were carried out peacefully, which was crucial for Macedonian aspirations to join the EU.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0322/breaking39.htm |title=Macedonia elections pass off peacefully |newspaper=Irish Times |date=3 March 2009 |access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref> The ruling conservative VMRO-DPMNE party won a victory in the local elections and the candidate supported by the party, Gjorgi Ivanov, was elected as the new president.
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| {{Asof|2020|1|4}}, the acting Prime Minister of North Macedonia is [[Oliver Spasovski]] and the current President of the Parliament is [[Talat Xhaferi]].<ref name="xhaferi">{{cite web |url=http://www.balkaneu.com/tension-in-skopje-talat-xhaferi-is-elected-assembly-speaker-in-a-situation-of-chaos/ |title=Tension in Skopje, Talat Xhaferi is elected Assembly Speaker in a situation of chaos |website=www.balkaneu.com |language=en-US |access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref> The election of Xhaferi was immediately met with protests led by VMRO-DPMNE, which was quickly handled by the police.<ref name="xhaferi"/>
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| Parliament, or ''Sobranie'' ({{lang-mk|Собрание}}), is the country's legislative body. It makes, proposes and adopts laws. The [[Constitution of North Macedonia]] has been in use since the formation of the republic in the 1993. It limits the power of the governments, both local and national. The military is also limited by the constitution. The constitution states that North Macedonia is a social free state, and that Skopje is the capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eudo-citizenship.eu/NationalDB/docs/MAC%20Constitution%20(amended%20by%20XXX)%20eng.pdf |title=Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia |access-date=17 April 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110075847/http://eudo-citizenship.eu/NationalDB/docs/MAC%20Constitution%20(amended%20by%20XXX)%20eng.pdf |archive-date=10 January 2017}}</ref> The 120 members are elected for a mandate of four years through a general election. Each citizen aged 18 years or older can vote for one of the political parties. The current president of Parliament is [[Talat Xhaferi]].
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| Executive power in North 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. Judiciary power is exercised by courts, with the court system being headed by the Judicial [[Supreme court]], Constitutional Court and the Republican Judicial Council. The assembly appoints the judges.
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| === Foreign relations ===
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| {{Main|Foreign relations of North Macedonia}}
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| {{See also|List of diplomatic missions of North Macedonia}}
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| North Macedonia became a member state of the UN on 8 April 1993, eighteen months after its independence from Yugoslavia. It was referred to within the UN as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", until the resolution of the [[Macedonia naming dispute|long-running dispute]] with Greece about the country's name.
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| The major interest of the country is a full integration in the European and the [[wikt:transatlantic|Trans-Atlantic]] integration processes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ft.com/content/94fd64f4-3035-11e9-8744-e7016697f225 |title=Renamed Balkan country seeks closer ties with Nato, EU, PM says |website=FT}}</ref> Five foreign policy priorities are:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=308 |title=North Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs |publisher=Mfa.gov.mk |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116050319/http://www.mfa.gov.mk//default1.aspx?ItemID=308 |archive-date=16 November 2008}}</ref>
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| * Commencing negotiations for full-fledged membership in the European Union
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| * Lifting the visa regime for Macedonian nationals <!--could be clarified for readers-->
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| * NATO membership
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| * Resolving the naming issue with Greece
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| * Strengthening the economic and public diplomacy
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| North Macedonia is a member of the following international and regional organisations:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.mk/default1.aspx?ItemID=314 |title=North Macedonia, Ministry of foreign affairs |publisher=Mfa.gov.mk |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116103843/http://www.mfa.gov.mk//default1.aspx?ItemID=314 |archive-date=16 November 2008}}</ref> [[IMF]] (since 1992), [[WHO]] (since 1993), [[EBRD]] (since 1993), [[Central European Initiative]] (since 1993), [[Council of Europe]] (since 1995), [[OSCE]] (since 1995), [[Southeast European Cooperative Initiative|SECI]] (since 1996), [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|La Francophonie]] (since 2001), [[WTO]] (since 2003), [[CEFTA]] (since 2006), [[NATO]] (since 2020).
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| In 2005, the country was officially recognised as a [[European Union]] candidate state.
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| At the NATO [[2008 Bucharest summit]], 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 |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=3 April 2008 |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref> The U.S. 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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410030104/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F4%2F2%2Fworldupdates%2F2008-04-02T203446Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-328122-1&sec=Worldupdates |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 April 2008 |title=Greece stands by NATO veto threat for Macedonia |publisher=Thestar.com.my |access-date=5 May 2009 }}</ref> but the summit then decided to extend an invitation only on condition of a resolution of the naming conflict with Greece.
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| In March 2009, the [[European Parliament]] expressed support for North 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://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/ep-urges-accession-talks-for-macedonia |title=EP Urges Accession Talks For Macedonia |publisher=BalkanInsight.com |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref> Prior to the Prespa agreement, the country failed to receive a start date for accession talks as a result of the naming dispute. However, after the Prespa agreement, North Macedonia became a member state of NATO on 27 March 2020. The EU's stance was similar to NATO's in that resolution of the naming dispute was a precondition for the start of accession talks.
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| In October 2012, the EU Enlargement Commissioner [[Štefan Füle]] proposed a start of accession negotiations with the country for the fourth time, while the previous efforts were blocked each time by Greece. At the same time Füle visited Bulgaria in a bid to clarify the state's position with respect to Macedonia. He established that Bulgaria almost has joined Greece in vetoing the accession talks. The Bulgarian position was that Sofia cannot grant an EU certificate to Skopje, which is systematically employing an ideology of hate towards Bulgaria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.euractiv.com/enlargement/bulgaria-vetoes-macedonia-eu-acc-news-515809 |title=Bulgaria vetoes Macedonia's EU accession talks |work=euractiv.com}}</ref>
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| === Military ===
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| {{Main|Army of the Republic of North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Macedonian_Soldiers_in_Kabul.jpg|thumb|right|[[Army of the Republic of North Macedonia]]]]
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| The [[Army of North Macedonia|military of North Macedonia]] comprises the army, [[Macedonian Air Force|air force]], and [[Wolves (military)|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.
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| The Ministry of Defence develops the Republic's defence strategy and assesses possible threats and risks. It is also responsible for the defence system, including training, readiness, equipment, and development, and for drawing up and presenting the defence budget.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.morm.gov.mk/morm/en/ARM/Defence-Structure.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904165013/http://www.morm.gov.mk/morm/en/ARM/Defence-Structure.html|url-status=dead|title=National Command Management|archive-date=4 September 2010}}</ref>
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| === Naming dispute ===
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| {{Main|Macedonia naming dispute}}
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| {{See also|Macedonia (terminology)}}
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| [[File:Flag of North Macedonia (1992–1995).svg|thumb|The flag of the then-Republic of Macedonia between 1992 and 1995, bearing the [[Vergina Sun]]]]
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| The use of the name "[[Macedonia (terminology)|Macedonia]]" was disputed between Greece and North Macedonia. The specific naming dispute was reignited after the [[breakup of Yugoslavia]] and the newly gained independence of the former Socialist Republic of Macedonia in 1991.<ref>Floudas, Demetrius Andreas; {{cite news |publisher=24 (1996) Journal of Political and Military Sociology, 285 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_199601/ai_n8752910/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060127053906/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_199601/ai_n8752910 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 January 2006 |title=A Name for a Conflict or a Conflict for a Name? An Analysis of Greece's Dispute with FYROM |access-date=11 February 2008 |year=1996}}</ref> Greece opposed the use of the name without a geographical qualifier so as to avoid confusion with its own region of [[Greek Macedonia]] to the south.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gr/en/fyrom-name-issue/ FYROM Name Issue], Hellenic Republic – Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref> As some ethnic Greeks identify themselves as Macedonians, unrelated to the Slavic people who are associated with North Macedonia, Greece further objected to the use of the term ''Macedonian'' for the neighbouring country's largest ethnic group; it accused the country of appropriating symbols and figures that are historically considered parts of [[Culture of Greece|Greece's culture]] (such as [[Vergina Sun]] and [[Alexander the Great]]), and of promoting the [[irredentist]] concept of a [[United Macedonia]], which would include territories of Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/09/25/its-time-for-macedonia-to-accept-compromise/ |title=It's Time for Macedonia to Accept Compromise |publisher=ForeignPolicy |date=25 September 2018 |access-date=13 February 2019}}</ref>
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| The UN adopted the provisional reference ''the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'' ({{lang-mk|Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија}}) when the country was admitted to the organisation in 1993.<ref name="UN">{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/47/a47r225.htm |title=United Nations Resolution 225 (1993) |publisher=United Nations |date=8 April 1993 |access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref> The lower-cased "former" was chosen intentionally to display the provisionality of the name although most UN member countries soon abandoned the provisional reference and recognised the country as the ''Republic of Macedonia'' instead.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine |first1=Peter |last1=Thonemann |first2=Simon |last2=Price |date=29 April 2010 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |pages=123–124}}</ref> Most international organisations adopted the same convention along with over 100 UN members and four of the five permanent [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] members.<ref>"[http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Opinion/comm_20050916Tziampiris.html Naming the solution]", ''[[Kathimerini]]'' English edition, 16 September 2005</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=European Commission |title=Background information – The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia |url=http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/international/bilateral/background/mk1_en.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223150634/http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/international/bilateral/background/mk1_en.html |archive-date=23 December 2007 |access-date=1 October 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the period between 1991 and 2019, the country's name was an ongoing issue in bilateral and international relations. The UN set up a negotiating process with a mediator, [[Matthew Nimetz]], and the two parties to try to mediate the dispute. Following the ratification of the Prespa agreement, most major international organisations welcomed the settlement of the long-standing dispute, and adopted the country's new name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sgsm19460.doc.htm|title=Secretary-General Congratulates Greece, Republic of North Macedonia on Settling Long-Standing 'Name' Dispute, as Agreement Enters into Force
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| |website=[[United Nations]]|date=13 February 2019|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/republic-north-macedonia_en/1457/The%20Republic%20of%20North%20Macedonia%20and%20the%20EU|title=The Republic of North Macedonia and the EU|website=[[European External Action Service]]|date=12 May 2016|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_48830.htm?selectedLocale=en|title=Relations with the Republic of North Macedonia |website=[[NATO]]|date=15 February 2019|access-date=2 April 2019}}</ref>
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| === Human rights ===
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| {{Main|Human rights in North Macedonia}}
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| North Macedonia is a signatory to the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] and the UN Geneva [[Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees]] and [[United Nations Convention Against Torture|Convention against Torture]], and the Constitution guarantees basic human rights to all Macedonian citizens.
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| According to human rights organisations, in 2003 there were suspected extrajudicial executions, threats against, and intimidation of, human rights activists and opposition journalists, and allegations of torture by the police.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/macedonia?page=2 |title=Amnesty International – Summary – Macedonia |publisher=Web.amnesty.org |access-date=6 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518152631/http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/macedonia?page=2 |archive-date=18 May 2011}}</ref><ref name="hrw2006">{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/macedonia/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414225403/http://www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/macedonia/ |url-status=dead |title=Human Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide |date=14 April 2013 |archive-date=14 April 2013 }}</ref>
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| === Subdivisions ===
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| {{Main|Statistical regions of North Macedonia|Municipalities of North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Map of urban and rural municipalities of North Macedonia en.svg|thumb|right|Rural/Urban municipalities]][[File:MSR.png|thumb|right|Statistical regions of North Macedonia]]
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| North Macedonia's statistical regions exist solely for legal and statistical purposes. The regions are:
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| * [[Eastern statistical region|Eastern]]
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| * [[Northeastern statistical region|Northeastern]]
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| * [[Pelagonia statistical region|Pelagonia]]
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| * [[Polog statistical region|Polog]]
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| * [[Skopje statistical region|Skopje]]
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| * [[Southeastern statistical region|Southeastern]]
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| * [[Southwestern statistical region|Southwestern]]
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| * [[Vardar statistical region|Vardar]]
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| In August 2004, the country was reorganised into 84 municipalities ({{lang|mk|opštini}}; sing. {{lang|mk|opština}}); 10 of the municipalities constitute the City of [[Skopje]], a distinct unit of local self-government and the country's capital.
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| 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).
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| == Economy ==
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| {{Main|Economy of North Macedonia}}
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| Ranked as the fourth "best reformatory state" out of 178 countries ranked by the [[World Bank]] in 2009, North Macedonia has undergone considerable economic reform since independence.<ref name="worldbank">{{cite web |url=http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/eca/eca.nsf/f27e125b8411fe0e852567d10013f34a/fffd3db0d7306bfd85256c250061ac88/$FILE/Macedonia%20Country%20Brief.pdf |title=Macedonia Country Brief |publisher=The World Bank |date=24 April 2009 |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119132529/http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/eca/eca.nsf/f27e125b8411fe0e852567d10013f34a/fffd3db0d7306bfd85256c250061ac88/$FILE/Macedonia%20Country%20Brief.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The country has developed an [[open economy]] with trade accounting for more than 90% of GDP in recent years. Since 1996, North 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 |access-date=28 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308000321/http://devdata.worldbank.org/AAG/mkd_aag.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2010}}</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).
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| [[File:Грозје - Вранец.jpg|thumb|left|Vineyard in North Macedonia]]
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| 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 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127122623/http://www.vlada.mk/english/News/December2006/ei8-12-2006.htm |archive-date=27 January 2008 |title=Government of the Republic of Macedonia |access-date=28 April 2010 |url-status=dead }}</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=15 February 2007 |access-date=28 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522141422/http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/macedonias-new-flat-tax-51002.aspx |archive-date=22 May 2010}}</ref>
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| Despite these reforms, {{As of|2005|lc=y}} North 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 |access-date=28 April 2010}}</ref> and {{As of|2006|lc=y}} its [[poverty threshold|poverty rate]] was 22%.<ref name="worldbank-devdata"/> Due to a number of employment measures as well as the successful process of attracting multinational corporations, and according to the State Statistical Office of North Macedonia, the country's unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2015 decreased to 27.3%.<ref>State Statistical Office [http://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziSoopstenie_en.aspx?rbrtxt=98 Active population – Unemployment data]</ref> Government's policies and efforts in regards to foreign direct investments have resulted with the establishment of local subsidiaries of several world leading manufacturing companies, especially from the automotive industry, such as: [[Johnson Controls|Johnson Controls Inc.]], [[Van Hool|Van Hool NV]], [[Johnson Matthey|Johnson Matthey plc]], [[Lear Corporation|Lear Corp.]], [[Visteon|Visteon Corp.]], [[Kostal-Gruppe|Kostal GmbH]], [[Gentherm Incorporated|Gentherm Inc.]], [[Dräxlmaier Group]], [[Kromberg & Schubert]], [[Marquardt Group|Marquardt GmbH]], [[Amphenol|Amphenol Corp.]], [[Tekno Hose SpA]], [[KEMET Corporation|KEMET Corp.]], [[Key Safety Systems Inc.]], [[ODW-Elektrik GmbH]], etc.
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| In terms of GDP structure, {{As of|2013|lc=y}} the manufacturing sector, including mining and construction constituted the largest part of GDP at 21.4%, up from 21.1% in 2012. The trade, transportation and accommodation sector represents 18.2% of GDP in 2013, up from 16.7% in 2012, while agriculture represents 9.6%, up from 9.1% in the previous year.<ref>State Statistical Office [http://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziSoopstenie_en.aspx?id=32&rbr=1495 Gross domestic product 2013]</ref>
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| [[File:Macedonia treemap.png|thumb|Graphical depiction of North Macedonia's product exports.]]
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| In terms of foreign trade, the largest sector contributing to the country's export in 2014 was "chemicals and related products" at 21.4%, followed by the "machinery and transport equipment" sector at 21.1%. North Macedonia's main import sectors in 2014 were "manufactured goods classified chiefly by material" with 34.2%, "machinery and transport equipment" with 18.7% and "mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials" with 14.4% of the total imports. Even 68.8% of the foreign trade in 2014 was done with the EU which makes the Union by far the largest trading partner of North Macedonia (23.3% with Germany, 7.9% with the UK, 7.3% with Greece, 6.2% with Italy, etc.). Almost 12% of the total external trade in 2014 was done with the Western Balkan countries.<ref>State Statistical Office [http://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziSoopstenie_en.aspx?id=78&rbr=1590 External trade volume 2014]</ref>
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| North Macedonia has one of the highest shares of people struggling financially, with 72% of its citizens stating that they could manage on their household's income only "with difficulty" or "with great difficulty", though North Macedonia, along with Croatia, was the only country in the Western Balkans to not report an increase in this statistic.<ref>[http://www.balkan-monitor.eu/files/BalkanMonitor-2010_Summary_of_Findings.pdf Gallup Balkan Monitor], 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227084847/http://www.balkan-monitor.eu/files/BalkanMonitor-2010_Summary_of_Findings.pdf |date=27 December 2012 }}</ref> Corruption and a relatively ineffective legal system also act as significant restraints on successful [[economic development]]. North 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/the-world-factbook/countries/north-macedonia/ CIA Factbook Macedonia]</ref> PPS GDP per capita stood at 36% of the EU average in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tec00114&plugin=1 |title=GDP per capita in PPS |publisher=Eurostat |access-date=18 May 2019 }}</ref> With a GDP per capita of US$9,157 at [[purchasing power parity]] and a [[List of countries by Human Development Index|Human Development Index]] of 0.701, North Macedonia is less developed and has a considerably smaller economy than most of the former Yugoslav states.
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| === Trade ===
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| The outbreak of the Yugoslav wars and the imposition of sanctions on [[Serbia and Montenegro]] caused great damage to the country's economy, with Serbia constituting 60% of its markets before the disintegration of Yugoslavia. When Greece imposed a [[trade embargo]] on the Republic in 1994–95, the economy was also affected. Some relief was afforded by the end of the [[Bosnian War]] in November 1995 and the lifting of the Greek embargo, but the [[Kosovo War]] of 1999 and the 2001 Albanian crisis caused further destabilisation.
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| Since the end of the Greek embargo, Greece has become the country's most important business partner. (See [[Greek investments in North Macedonia]].) Many Greek companies have bought former state companies in North 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=16 July 2008 |access-date=8 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100719013921/http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/Content/en/Article.aspx?office=1 |archive-date=19 July 2010}}</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. The moving of business to North Macedonia in the oil sector has been caused by the rise of Greece in the oil markets.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.neweurope.eu/article/depa-sees-natural-gas-role-greece-exiting-crisis/ |title=DEPA sees natural gas role for Greece exiting from the crisis |date=3 April 2017 |work=New Europe |access-date=18 April 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=19 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419105856/https://www.neweurope.eu/article/depa-sees-natural-gas-role-greece-exiting-crisis/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| Other key partners are Germany, Italy, the United States, Slovenia, Austria and Turkey.
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| === Tourism ===
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| {{Main|Tourism in North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Ohrid Lake.jpg|thumb|The [[church of St. John at Kaneo]] and [[Lake Ohrid]], one of the most popular tourist destinations in North Macedonia]]
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| [[Tourism]] plays a significant role in the economy of North Macedonia accounting for 6.7% of its GDP in 2016. The annual income from tourism was estimated at 38.5 billion denars (€616 million) in that year.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Mirche|last=Jovanovski|title=Политичката криза не е добра реклама за туризмот|trans-title=The political crisis is not a good advertisement for tourism|journal=Ekonomija I Biznis|volume=19|issue=226|date=April 2017|pages=44–47}}</ref> Following its independence, the most serious negative impact on tourism performance occurred due to the armed conflicts taking place in 2001.<ref name="marinoski"/> The number of foreign visitors has been on the rise since, with a 14.6% increase in 2011.<ref name="tourism">{{cite web|title=The State of Tourism in Macedonia |url=http://makstack.com/2011/03/15/the-state-of-tourism-in-macedonia/ |publisher=Makstack |date=15 March 2011 |access-date=2 May 2020}}</ref> In 2019, North Macedonia received 1,184,963 tourist arrivals out of which 757,593 foreign.<ref name="State Statistical Office">{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/pdf/2020/8.1.20.03_mk.pdf |script-title=mk:Туризам во декември 2019|trans-title=Tourism in December 2019|language=mk|publisher=State Statistical Office|access-date=2 May 2020}}</ref> Most numerous are tourists from [[Turkey]], neighboring Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria, [[Poland]] and other countries of Western Europe.<ref name="tourism2019">{{cite web|url=http://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/mk/MakStat/MakStat__TirizamUgostitel__Turizam/250_Turizam_RM_ZemjiMes_ml.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=7695dab9-15aa-4a0e-ac4b-75d3194ce355 |script-title=mk:Број на туристи и ноќевања по земја на припадност, по месеци|trans-title=Number of tourists and nights spent by country of origin, by months|publisher=State Statistical Office|language=mk|date=2020|access-date=2 May 2020}}</ref> The biggest bulk of tourists, approximately 60% of the million tourists that visited the country in 2017, was situated in Skopje and the southwestern region of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ako.mk/%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0-%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BE-%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86/ |script-title=mk:Македонија како туристичка дестинација за 4 сезони|trans-title=Macedonia as a tourist destination for 4 seasons|work=Ako.mk|first=Ljupčo|last=Janevski|date=7 August 2018|language=mk|access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref>
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| The most significant tourism branches are lake tourism as there are three lakes in Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran and over 50 small glacial lakes of variable sizes, mountainous tourism as there are 16 mountains higher than 2,000 metres. Other forms of tourism also include rural and ecotourism, city tourism and [[cultural tourism]], represented through gastronomy, traditional music, cultural celebrations and cultural heritage sites.<ref name="marinoski">{{cite journal|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812011226|title=Tourism in Macedonia in Changing Environment|journal=Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences|first1=Naume|last1=Marinoski|first2=Saso|last2=Korunovski|date=2012|volume=44|pages=19–31|doi=10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.001|doi-access=free}}</ref>
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| == Infrastructure ==
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|
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| === Transport ===
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| {{Main|Transport in North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:North Macedonian Highway System.svg|thumb|Map of current and planned highways]]
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| North Macedonia (along with [[Montenegro]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and Kosovo) belongs 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.
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| North Macedonia's IT market increased 63.8% year on year in 2007, which was the fastest growing in the Adriatic region.<ref>[http://www.idc-cema.com/?showproduct=34598 "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>
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| North Macedonia is in its position a continental country in the middle of the Balkan peninsula, and the main transport links in the country are those that connect the different parts of the peninsula (transbalkan links). Particularly important is the connection between north–south and Vardar valley, which connects Greece with the rest of Europe.
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| [[File:Автопатска делница Велес - Неготино - Демир Капија.JPG|thumb|left|[[European route E75]] in North Macedonia]]
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| The total length of the railway network in North Macedonia is {{Cvt|699|km}}. Operated by [[Makedonski Železnici]], the most important railway line is the line on the border with Serbia–Kumanovo–Skopje–Veles–Gevgelija–border with Greece. Since 2001, the railway line Beljakovci has been built—the border with Bulgaria, which will get a direct connection Skopje-Sofia. The most important railway hub in the country is Skopje, while the other two are Veles and Kumanovo.
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| [[North Macedonia Post]] is the state-owned company for the provision of postal traffic. It was founded in 1992 as PTT Macedonia. In 1993 it was admitted to the [[Universal Postal Union|World Postal Union]] in 1997, PTT Macedonia was divided into Macedonian Telekom and Macedonian Post (later renamed North Macedonia Post).
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| As far as water transport is concerned, only lake traffic through Ohrid and Prespan Lake has been developed, mostly for tourist purposes.
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| There are 17 airports officially in North Macedonia, of which 11 are with solid substrates. Among them are two airports of international character, since they are listed on the airport's [[IATA airport code]] [[International Airport Skopje]] and [[Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport]].
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|
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| === Education ===
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|
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| [[File:Ss Cyril and Methodius University campus Skopje.jpg|thumb|The [[Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje|Ss. Cyril and Methodius University]] in Skopje.]]
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| 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 Tetova]] and [[University of Information Science and Technology "St. Paul The Apostle"]] in Ohrid. There are a number of private university institutions, such as the European University,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oic.org.mk/ |title=Home |website=www.oic.org.mk}}</ref> Slavic University in [[Sveti Nikole]], the [[South East European University]] and others.
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| The [[United States Agency for International Development]] has underwritten a project called ''Macedonia Connects'', which has made North 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://www.usaid.gov/ |title=U.S. Agency for International Development |publisher=Macedonia.usaid.gov |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref> In addition, an [[Internet service provider]] (On.net), has created a MESH Network to provide WIFI services in the 11 largest cities/towns in the country. The national library of North Macedonia, [[National and University Library "St. Kliment of Ohrid"]], is in Skopje.
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|
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| The North Macedonian education system consists of:
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| * [[Kindergarten|pre-school education]]
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| * primary
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| * secondary
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| * higher
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| {{Clear}}
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|
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| == Demographics ==
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| {{Main|Demographics of North Macedonia|List of cities in North Macedonia|Macedonians (ethnic group)|}}
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|
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| <div class="noprint">
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| {{bar box
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| |width =200px
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| |float =right
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| |title =Ethnic groups in 2002
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| |titlebar= #ddd
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| |bars =
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| {{bar percent|'''Macedonians'''|red|64.2}}
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| {{bar percent|Albanians|black|25.2}}
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| {{bar percent|Turks|violet|3.9}}
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| {{bar percent|Romani|blue|2.7}}
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| {{bar percent|Serbs|green|1.8}}
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| {{bar percent|Bosniaks|yellow|0.8}}
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| {{bar percent|Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians|brown|0.5}}
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| {{bar percent|other|purple|1.0}}
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| |caption= <small>The above table (figures rounded) shows ethnic affiliation of the population according to the 2002 census:<ref name="stat.gov.mk"/></small>
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| }}
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| </div>
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|
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| The last census data from 2002 shows a population of 2,022,547 inhabitants.<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 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref>
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| The last official estimate from 2009, without significant change, gives a figure of 2,050,671.<ref name='dzs'>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.mk/OblastOpsto_en.aspx?id=2 |title=Macedonia – State Statistical Office |publisher=www.stat.gov.mk |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> According to the last census data, the largest ethnic group in the country are the ethnic [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]]. The second-largest group are the [[Albanians in North Macedonia|Albanians]], who dominated much of the northwestern part of the country. Following them, [[Turks in North Macedonia|Turks]] are the third-biggest ethnic group of the country where official census data put them close to 80,000 and unofficial estimates suggest numbers between 170,000 and 200,000. Some unofficial estimates indicate that there are possibly up to 260,000 [[Romani people in North Macedonia|Romani]].<ref>[http://europeandcis.undp.org/uploads/public/File/rbec_web/vgr/chapter1.1.pdf] [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP's Regional Bureau for Europe]] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325012943/http://europeandcis.undp.org/uploads/public/File/rbec_web/vgr/chapter1.1.pdf|date=25 March 2009}}</ref>
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|
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| ===Religion===
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| {{Main|Religion in North Macedonia}}
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| {{Pie chart
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| |thumb = left
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| |caption = Religion in North Macedonia (2011)<ref name=2011data/>
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| |label1 = [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]]
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| |value1 = 69.6
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| |color1 = Red
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| |label2 = [[Catholicism]]
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| |value2 = 0.4
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| |color2 = Gold
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| |label3 = Other [[Christianity|Christian]]
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| |value3 = 0.7
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| |color3 = DeepSkyBlue
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| |label4 = [[Islam]]
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| |value4 = 28.6
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| |color4 = MediumSeaGreen
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| |label5 = None
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| |value5 = 0.5
| |
| |color5 = Honeydew
| |
| |label6 = Others
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| |value6 = 0.2
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| |color6 = Chartreuse
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| }}
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| [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox Christianity]] is the majority faith of North Macedonia, making up 65% of the population, the vast majority of whom belong to the [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]]. Various other Christian denominations account for 0.4% of the population. Muslims constitute 33.3% of the population. North Macedonia has the fifth-highest proportion of Muslims in Europe, after those of Kosovo (96%),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kosovo/ |title=CIA The World Factbook: Kosovo |publisher=CIA.gov |access-date=24 November 2016}}</ref> Turkey (90%),<ref name="onedio.com">{{cite web |url=http://onedio.com/haber/turkiye-deki-ateist-nufus-hizla-artiyor-468344 |title=Türkiye'deki Ateist Nüfus Hızla Artıyor |publisher=onedio.com |access-date=31 January 2016}}</ref> Albania (59%),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.instat.gov.al/media/177358/njoftim_per_media_-_fjala_e_drejtorit_te_instat_ines_nurja_per_rezultatet_finale_te_census_2011.pdf |title=Presentation of the main results of the Census of Population and Housing 2011. |access-date=15 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326091156/http://www.instat.gov.al/media/177358/njoftim_per_media_-_fjala_e_drejtorit_te_instat_ines_nurja_per_rezultatet_finale_te_census_2011.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2017}}</ref> and Bosnia and Herzegovina (51%).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bosnia-and-herzegovina/ |title=CIA The World Factbook: Bosnia and Herzegovina |publisher=CIA.gov |access-date=24 November 2016}}</ref>
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| Most Muslims are Albanians, Turks, or Romani; few are [[Macedonian Muslims]]. The remaining 1.4% was determined to be "unaffiliated" by a 2010 Pew Research estimation.<ref name="Pew1">{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2010/percent/all/ |title=Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050 |date=2 April 2015 }}</ref>
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|
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| All together, there were 1,842 churches and 580 mosques in the country at the end of 2011.<ref name="dnevnik">{{cite news |url=http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/?ItemID=A080C78F46FF724BB7AA82A63C63251E |script-title=mk:Во Македонија има 1.842 цркви и 580 џамии |date=28 December 2011 |publisher=Dnevnik |language=mk |access-date=28 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111014137/http://www.dnevnik.com.mk/?ItemID=A080C78F46FF724BB7AA82A63C63251E |archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref> 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.
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|
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| {{multiple image
| |
| | align = right
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| | image1 = Манастир Св Ђорђа.JPG
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| | width1 = 150
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| | image2 = Kalkandelen - Alaca Cami R01.JPG
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| | width2 = 150
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| | footer = [[Church of St. George, Staro Nagoričane|The Church of St. George]] in [[Kumanovo]] (left) and [[Šarena Džamija|Šarena Džamija Mosque]] in [[Tetovo]] (right)
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| }}
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|
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| Relations between the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which declared [[autocephaly]] in 1967 and remains unrecognised by the other Orthodox Churches, and the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], which [[Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric|claims ecclesiastical jurisdiction]] over North Macedonia, remain tense and politically fraught, especially since the Serbian Church appointed [[Jovan Vraniškovski]] as its Exarch for the Archbishopric of Ohrid in September 2002.
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|
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| 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 North Macedonia. Bishop Jovan was jailed for 18 months for "defaming the Macedonian Orthodox church and harming the religious feelings of local citizens" by distributing Serbian Orthodox church calendars and pamphlets.<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 |access-date=5 May 2009}}</ref>
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|
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| [[File:Македонска ханукија - מקדוני חנוכייה - Macedonian Hanukkah menorah.jpg|thumb|A 19th-century silver [[Menorah (Hanukkah)|Hanukkah Menorah]]]]
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|
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| The [[Macedonian Greek Catholic Church|Macedonian Byzantine Catholic Church]] has approximately 11,000 adherents in North Macedonia. The Church was established in 1918, and is made up mostly of converts to Catholicism and their descendants. The Church is of the [[Byzantine Rite]] and is in communion with the Roman and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]. Its liturgical worship is performed in Macedonian.<ref>{{Catholic-hierarchy|country|mk|Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of|21 January 2015}}</ref>
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|
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| There is a small [[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 Protestant church in the Republic, dating back to the late 19th century. Since the 1980s the Protestant community has grown, partly through new confidence and partly with outside missionary help.
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|
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| The [[History of the Jews in North Macedonia|Macedonian Jewish community]], which numbered some 7,200 people on the eve of World War II, was almost entirely destroyed during the war: only 2% survived [[the 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 |access-date=28 April 2010 |archive-date=24 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024102459/http://www.balkanalysis.com/2007/03/14/macedonia%E2%80%99s-jewish-community-commemorates-the-holocaust-and-embraces-the-future/ |url-status=dead }}</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 been expelled from [[Alhambra Decree|Castile, Aragon]] and [[Persecution of Jews and Muslims by Manuel I of Portugal|Portugal]].{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
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|
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| ===Languages===
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| {{Main|Macedonian language|Languages of North Macedonia}}
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| {{See also|Political views on the Macedonian language}}
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|
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| [[File:Makedonija - Jezicki sastav po naseljima 2002.gif|thumb|Linguistic map of North Macedonia, 2002 census]]
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|
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| The national and official language in all aspects of the whole territory of North Macedonia and in its international relations is the [[Macedonian language]]. [[Albanian language|Albanian]] is co-official at a state level (excluding defence, central police and monetary policy) and in local self-government units where speakers are 20% or more. Macedonian belongs to the Eastern branch of the [[South Slavic languages|South Slavic language group]], while Albanian occupies an independent branch of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European family of languages]]. In municipalities where at least 20% of the population is part of another ethnic minority, those individual languages are used for official purposes in local government, alongside Macedonian and Albanian or just Macedonian.
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|
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| Macedonian is closely related to and [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]] with standard [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]. It also has some similarities with standard [[Serbian language|Serbian]] and the intermediate [[Torlakian dialect|Torlakian]]/[[Shopi#Dialects|Shop]] dialects spoken mostly in southeastern Serbia and western Bulgaria (and by speakers in the northeast of Macedonia). The [[standard language]] was [[Codification (linguistics)|codified]] in the period following World War II and has accumulated a thriving literary tradition.
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|
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| Besides Macedonian and Albanian, minority languages with substantial numbers of speakers are [[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 |editor-last=Gordon |editor-first=Raymond G., Jr. |year=2005 |publisher=[[SIL International]] |access-date=3 November 2008}}</ref>), [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]]/[[Bosnian language|Bosnian]] and [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]] (including [[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]]).<ref name="Eurominority">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurominority.eu/version/eng/minority-state2.asp?id_states=28 |title=Macedonia ethnic and linguistic minorities |publisher=Eurominority |access-date=7 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130106233113/http://www.eurominority.eu/version/eng/minority-state2.asp?id_states=28 |archive-date=6 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurominority.eu/version/maps/map-european-languages.asp |title=Map of the European languages |publisher=Eurominority |access-date=7 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729060330/http://www.eurominority.eu/version/maps/map-european-languages.asp |archive-date=29 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/83/1983-004-1B1C7082.gif |title=Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |access-date=4 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217180856/http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/83/1983-004-1B1C7082.gif |archive-date=17 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/countries/macedonia.shtml |title=BBC: Languages across Europe – Macedonia |publisher=BBC |access-date=7 November 2008}}</ref><ref name="Eupedia">{{cite web |url=http://www.eupedia.com/europe/maps_of_europe.shtml#languages |title=Europe languages map |publisher=Eupedia |access-date=7 November 2008}}</ref> [[Macedonian Sign Language]] is the primary language of those of the deaf community who did not pick up an oral language in childhood.
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|
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| According to the last census, 1,344,815 citizens of North Macedonia declared that they spoke Macedonian, 507,989 declared Albanian, 71,757 Turkish, 38,528 Romani, 24,773 Serbian, 8,560 Bosnian, 6,884 Aromanian and 19,241 spoke other languages.<ref name="auto1"/>
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|
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| ===Cities===
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| <div class="noprint">
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| {{Largest cities of Macedonia}}
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| </div>
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|
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| ==Culture==
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| {{Main|Culture of North Macedonia|List of Macedonians (ethnic group)|Music of North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Tanec folk ensemble Macedonia 3.jpg|thumb|Female folk dancers]]
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|
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| North 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 North Macedonia|Macedonian music]] styles developed under the strong influence of [[Byzantine music|Byzantine]] church music. North Macedonia has a significant number of preserved [[Byzantine art|Byzantine]] [[fresco]] paintings, mainly from the period between the 11th and 16th centuries. There are several thousands of square metres of fresco painting preserved, the major part of which is in very good condition and represent masterworks of the Macedonian school of ecclesiastical painting.
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|
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| 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.
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| The National Opera opened in 1947, then named "Macedonian Opera", with a performance of ''[[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 – North Macedonia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727035755/http://www.culture.in.mk/story.asp?id=19442&rub=35 |archive-date=27 July 2011}}</ref>
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|
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| ===Cuisine===
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| {{Main|Macedonian cuisine}}
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| [[File:Грав во тава(тафче гравче) (3).jpg|thumb|[[Tavče gravče]]]]
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|
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| The country's cuisine is a representative of that of the Balkans—reflecting [[Mediterranean cuisine|Mediterranean]] and [[Middle Eastern cuisine|Middle Eastern]] ([[Ottoman cuisine|Ottoman]]) influences, and to a lesser extent [[Italian cuisine|Italian]], [[German cuisine|German]] and Eastern European (especially [[Hungarian cuisine|Hungarian]]) ones.<ref name=friedman>{{citation |contribution=La cuisine macédonien |first1=Victor |last1=Friedman |first2=Veselka |last2=Palmer |title=Cuisines d'Orient et d'ailleurs |editor1-first=Michel |editor1-last=Aufray |editor2-first=Michel |editor2-last=Perret |publisher=Paris: INALCO/Grenoble: Glénant |year=1995 |pages=76–79 |url=http://mahimahi.uchicago.edu/media/faculty/vfriedm/094Friedman95.pdf |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> The relatively warm climate in North Macedonia provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Thus, Macedonian cuisine is particularly diverse.
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|
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| 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 North Macedonia, respectively. Some other important dishes include [[Šopska salad]], an appetiser and side dish that accompanies the main meal, [[ajvar]], stuffed peppers, [[pastrmajlija]] and others.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Culture and Food - Determining the Value of Food in Rural Tourism as an Important Part of the total Tourism Experience|first=Michael|last=Risteski|journal=XVI International Conference of Partner Institutions "Planning for Change"|publisher=La Fondation pour la Formation Hoteliere, Nestle Pro Gastronomia|year=2016}}</ref>
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| ===Sport===
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| [[File:SStandPhilipIIArena.jpg|thumb|[[Toše Proeski Arena]]]]
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| [[File:HC Vardar in Skopje.jpg|thumb|The welcoming ceremony for [[RK Vardar]] after winning the [[2016–17 EHF Champions League]]]]
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| [[Association football|Football]], [[handball]], and [[basketball]] are the most popular sports in North Macedonia. The [[North Macedonia national football team]] is controlled by the [[Football Federation of Macedonia]]. Their home stadium is the [[Toše Proeski Arena]]. In November 2003, to celebrate [[UEFA]]'s jubilee, [[Darko Pančev]] was selected as the [[UEFA Jubilee Awards|Golden Player]] of Macedonia as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefa/news/Kind=256/newsId=130150.html|title=Golden Players take centre stage|date=29 November 2003|website=UEFA.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050317084104/http://www.uefa.com/uefa/news/Kind%3D256/newsId%3D130150.html|archive-date=17 March 2005|access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> He was the winner of the [[European Golden Shoe|European Golden Boot]] award in 1991 and he is best known for scoring the winning penalty in the [[1991 European Cup Final]], bringing [[Red Star Belgrade]] the most prestigious trophy in European football for the first time in its 50-year existence. In 2020, the national team qualified for [[UEFA Euro 2020]] (held in 2021), their first major tournament in the country's history.<ref>{{cite news |title=North Macedonia qualify for Euro 2020, their first major tournament |url=https://www.beinsports.com/en/uefa-euro-2020-qualifying/news/north-macedonia-qualify-for-euro-2020-their-f/1582065/amp |access-date=12 November 2020 |publisher=beIN Sports |date=12 November 2020}}</ref>
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|
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| Handball is the other important team sport in the country. Macedonian clubs have enjoyed success in European competitions. [[RK Vardar]] won [[2016–17 EHF Champions League|2016–17]] and [[2018–19 EHF Champions League]], while [[Kometal Gjorče Petrov Skopje]] won the 2002 [[EHF Champions League|EHF Women's Champions League]]. The [[European Women's Handball Championship]] took place in 2008 in North Macedonia in Skopje and Ohrid; the [[North Macedonia women's national handball team|women's national team]] finished seventh place. The country's [[North Macedonia men's national handball team|men's national team]] has appeared in the European and World championships multiple times, with a best finish of fifth at the former ([[2012 European Men's Handball Championship|2012]]) and ninth at the latter ([[2015 World Men's Handball Championship|2015]]).
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| The [[North Macedonia men's national basketball team|North Macedonia national basketball team]] represents North Macedonia in international basketball. The team is run by the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia, the governing body of basketball in North Macedonia which was created in 1992 and joined FIBA in 1993. North Macedonia has participated in three [[EuroBasket]]s since then with its best finish at 4th place in [[EuroBasket 2011|2011]]. It plays its home games at the [[Boris Trajkovski Sports Center]] in Skopje. [[Pero Antić]] became the [[List of foreign NBA players|first Macedonian basketball player]] to play in the [[National Basketball Association]]. He also won three [[EuroLeague]] trophies.
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| In the summer months the [[Ohrid Swimming Marathon]] is an annual event on [[Lake Ohrid]] and during the winter months there is skiing in North Macedonia's winter sports centres. North Macedonia also takes part in the Olympic Games. Participation in the Games is organised by the [[Olympic Committee of North Macedonia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1077274/ioc-approve-name-change-to-north-macedonia-national-olympic-committee |title=IOC approve name change to North Macedonia National Olympic Committee |website= insidethegames.biz}}</ref> [[Magomed Ibragimov (wrestler, born 1974)|Magomed Ibragimov]] competed for FYR Macedonia in the [[Wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 85 kg|freestyle 85 kg competition]] at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] and won the bronze medal, which was the first medal for independent country. Wrestlers [[Shaban Tërstena]] and [[Shaban Sejdiu]] born in North Macedonia, as well as boxers [[Redžep Redžepovski]] and [[Ace Rusevski]], won Olympic medals as part of Yugoslav Olympic team.
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| ===Cinema===
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| {{Main|Cinema of North Macedonia}}
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| [[File:Milcho Manchevski.JPG|thumb|right|[[Milcho Manchevski]] is a critically acclaimed Macedonian film and TV director who won the [[Golden Lion]] at [[Venice Film Festival]]]]
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| The [[history of film]] making in the country dates back over 110 years.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} 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 everyday life of the Macedonian people. Over the years many Macedonian films have been presented at film festivals around the world and several of these films have won prestigious awards. The first Macedonian feature film was ''Frosina'', released in 1952 and directed by [[Vojislav Nanović]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Terzin Stojčić|first=Marijana|date=2019|title=Seme istorije Kirila Cenevskog|journal=Kinoteka|volume=33|pages=54–57}}</ref> The first feature film in colour was ''Miss Stone'', a movie about a Protestant missionary in Ottoman Macedonia. It was released in 1958. The highest grossing feature film in North Macedonia was ''[[Bal-Can-Can]]'', having been seen by over 500,000 people in its first year alone.
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| In 1994, [[Milcho Manchevski]]'s film ''[[Before the Rain (1994 film)|Before the Rain]]'' was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] in the category of [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best International Feature Film]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Macedonia/Cultural-life|title=North Macedonia - Cultural life|encyclopedia=Britannica|access-date=12 August 2019}}</ref> Manchevski continues to be the most prominent modern filmmaker in the country having subsequently written and directed ''[[Dust (2001 film)|Dust]]'' and ''[[Shadows (2007 film)|Shadows]]''. In 2020, the documentary ''[[Honeyland (2019 film)|Honeyland]]'' (2019) directed by [[Tamara Kotevska]] and Ljubomir Stefanov, received nominations in the categories for [[Academy Award for Best International Feature Film|Best International Feature Film]] and [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature|Best Documentary Feature]] at the [[92nd Academy Awards]], making it the first non-fictional film to receive a nomination in both categories.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martinelli |first1=Marissa |title=Honeyland Just Made Oscar History |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/01/oscars-2020-honeyland-international-documentary-north-macedonia.html |access-date=28 January 2020 |work=The Slate |date=13 January 2020}}</ref>
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|
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| === Media ===
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| {{Main|Mass media in North Macedonia}}
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|
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| The oldest newspaper in the country is ''[[Nova Makedonija]]'' from 1944. Other well known newspaper and magazines are: ''[[Utrinski vesnik]]'', ''[[Dnevnik (Skopje)|Dnevnik]]'', ''Vest'', ''Fokus'', ''[[Večer (Skopje)|Večer]]'', ''[[Tea Moderna (magazine)|Tea Moderna]]'', ''[[Makedonsko Sonce]]'', and ''Koha''. Public channel is [[Macedonian Radio Television]] founded in 1993 by the [[Assembly of North Macedonia]]. [[TEKO TV]] (1989) from [[Štip]] is the first private television channel in the country. Other popular private channels are: [[Sitel (TV channel)|Sitel]], [[Kanal 5 (Macedonia)|Kanal 5]], [[Telma (TV channel)|Telma]], [[Alfa TV (TV channel Macedonia)|Alfa TV]], and [[Alsat-M]].
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|
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| ===Public holidays===
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| {{Main|Public holidays in North Macedonia}}
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|
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| The main public holidays in North Macedonia are:
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|
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| {|class="wikitable"
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| |-
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| ! Date !! English name !! Macedonian name !! Remarks
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| |1–2 January ||New Year ||Нова Година, ''Nova Godina'' ||
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| |-
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| |7 January ||Christmas Day ([[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]) ||Прв ден Божик, ''Prv den Božik'' ||
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| |-
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| |April/May ||[[Good Friday]] (Orthodox) ||Велики Петок, ''Veliki Petok'' ||Orthodox Easter and other Easter dates do not match; see: [[List of dates for Easter]]
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| |-
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| |April/May ||[[Easter Sunday]] (Orthodox) ||Прв ден Велигден, ''Prv den Veligden'' ||
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| |-
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| |April/May ||[[Easter Monday]] (Orthodox) ||Втор ден Велигден, ''Vtor den Veligden'' ||
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| |-
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| |1 May ||Labour Day ||Ден на трудот, ''Den na trudot'' ||
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| |24 May ||[[Saints Cyril and Methodius Day]] ||Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на сèсловенските просветители; ''Sv. Kiril i Metodij, Den na sèslovenskite prosvetiteli'' ||
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| |2 August ||[[Republic Day (North Macedonia)|Republic Day]] ||Ден на Републиката, ''Den na Republikata'' ||Day when the Republic was established in 1944, also [[Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising|Ilinden Uprising]] in 1903.
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| |8 September ||[[Independence Day (North Macedonia)|Independence Day]] ||Ден на независноста, ''Den na nezavisnosta'' ||Day of independence from [[Yugoslavia]]
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| |11 October ||[[Day of Macedonian Uprising in 1941]] ||Ден на востанието, ''Den na vostanieto'' ||Beginning of Anti-fascist war during WWII in 1941
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| |23 October ||[[Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (Holiday)]]||Ден на македонската револуционерна борба,''Den na makedonskata revolucionarna borba'' ||Day when the [[Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization]] (IMRO) was established in 1893.
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| |-
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| |1 Shawwal ||[[Eid ul-Fitr]] ||Рамазан Бајрам, ''Ramazan Bajram'' ||moveable, see: [[Islamic Calendar]]
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| |8 December ||Saint [[Clement of Ohrid]] Day ||Св. Климент Охридски, ''Sv. Kliment Ohridski'' ||
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| |}
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|
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| Besides these, there are several major religious & minorities holidays. (See: ''[[Public holidays in North Macedonia]]'')
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|
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| ==Symbols==
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| {{See also|Flags of North Macedonia|National symbols of North Macedonia|Proposed coat of arms of North Macedonia}}
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|
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| * '''Sun''': The official [[flag of the Republic of North Macedonia]], adopted in 1995, is a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field.
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| * '''Coat of arms''': After independence in 1991, North Macedonia retained the [[Coat of arms of North Macedonia|coat of arms]] adopted in 1946 by the People's Assembly of the People's Republic of Macedonia on its second extraordinary session held on 27 July 1946, later on altered by article 8 of the Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Macedonia. The coat-of-arms is composed by a double bent garland of ears of wheat, tobacco and poppy, tied by a ribbon with the embroidery of a traditional folk costume. In the center of such a circular room there are mountains, rivers, lakes and the sun. All this is said to represent "the richness of our country, our struggle, and our freedom".
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|
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| ==International rankings==
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| {|class="wikitable"
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| |-
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| !Organisation
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| !Survey
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| !Ranking
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| |-
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| |[[Institute for Economics and Peace]]
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| |[[Global Peace Index]] 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Peace Index 2019 |url=http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2019/06/GPI-2019-web003.pdf |website=visionofhumanity.org |publisher=Institute of Economics & Peace |access-date=10 February 2020 |page=9 |archive-date=27 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827155045/http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uploads/2019/06/GPI-2019-web003.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| |65 out of 163
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| |-
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| |[[Reporters Without Borders]]
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| |Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Republic of North Macedonia - 2019 World Press Freedom Index |url=https://rsf.org/en/republic-north-macedonia |website=rsf.org |publisher=Reporters Without Borders |access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref>
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| |95 out of 180
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| |-
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| |[[The Heritage Foundation]]/[[The Wall Street Journal]]
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| |[[Index of Economic Freedom]] 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Index of Economic Freedom 2019 |url=https://www.heritage.org/index/country/macedonia |website=heritage.org |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref>
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| |33 out of 180
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| |-
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| |[[Transparency International]]
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| |Corruption Perceptions Index 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 |url=https://www.transparency.org/country/MKD |website=transparency.org |publisher=Transparency International |access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref>
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| |106 out of 180
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| |-
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| |[[United Nations Development Programme]]
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| |[[Human Development Index]] 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=2019 Human Development Index Ranking |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/2019-human-development-index-ranking |website=hdr.undp.org |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-date=16 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516123624/http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/2019-human-development-index-ranking |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| |82 out of 189
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| |-
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| |[[World Bank]]
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| |[[Ease of doing business index]] 2019<ref>{{cite web |title=Ease of doing business ranking |url=https://www.doingbusiness.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf |website=doingbusiness.org |publisher=World Bank |access-date=10 February 2020 |page=5}}</ref>
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| |10 out of 190
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| |}
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|
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| ==See also==
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| {{portal|North Macedonia}}
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| * [[Outline of North Macedonia]]
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| {{Clear}}
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|
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| ==Notes==
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| {{notelist
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| | notes =
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| {{efn
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| | name = Kosovo
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| | {{Kosovo-note}} North Macedonia has recognized Kosovo since 9 October 2008.<ref>[http://www.mia.com.mk/default.aspx?vId=57722300&lId=2 Macedonia recognizes Kosovo] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015121606/http://www.mia.com.mk/default.aspx?vId=57722300&lId=2 |date=15 October 2008 }}, Macedonian Information Agency, 2008-10-09</ref>
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| }}
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| {{efn | | {{efn |
| | name = language1 | | | name = language1 |
| Line 752: |
Line 157: |
| | Co-official language at a state level (excluding defence, central police and monetary policy) and in local self-government units where speakers are 20% or more. | | | Co-official language at a state level (excluding defence, central police and monetary policy) and in local self-government units where speakers are 20% or more. |
| }} | | }} |
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| }} | | }} |
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| ==References== | | == References == |
| {{reflist}} | | {{Reflist|refs= |
| | <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 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> |
|
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| ==Bibliography==
| | }} |
| {{Refbegin}}
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| * {{cite book|last1=Georgieva|first1=Valentina|last2=Konechni|first2=Sasha|title=Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia|url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio0000geor|url-access=registration|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=1998|isbn=0810833360}}
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| * {{cite book|first=David|last=Nicolle|title=The Ottomans: Empire of Faith|publisher=Thalamus Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-1902886114}}
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| * {{cite book|last1=Howe|first1=Timothy|last2=Reames|first2=Jeanne|title=Macedonian Legacies: Studies in Ancient Macedonian History and Culture in Honor of Eugene N. Borza|publisher=Regina Books|year=2008|isbn=978-1-930-05356-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uuwTAQAAMAAJ&q=persians+conquered+paeonia|access-date=10 February 2016}}
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| * {{cite book|last1=Roisman|first1=Joseph|last2=Worthington|first2=Ian|title=A Companion to Ancient Macedonia|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2011|isbn=978-1-44-435163-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QsJ183uUDkMC&q=Achaemenid+Persians+ruled+balkans&pg=PA345|access-date=10 February 2016}}
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| {{Refend}}
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|
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|
| ==Further reading==
| | {{Europe}} |
| * [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/north-macedonia/ North Macedonia]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
| | {{European Union}} |
| | | {{North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)}} |
| ==External links==
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| {{Sister project links|North Macedonia|voy=North Macedonia|q=no}}
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| <!--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.-->
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| * {{Official website|1=http://www.vlada.mk/}}
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| * {{curlie|Regional/Europe/North_Macedonia}}
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| * [https://www.rferl.org/z/737 North Macedonia] from [[RFE/RL]]
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| * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17550407 North Macedonia] from [[BBC News]]
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| * {{Wikiatlas|North Macedonia}}
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| * {{osmrelation-inline|53293|bullet=no}}
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| * [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=MK Key Development Forecasts for North Macedonia] from [[International Futures]]
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| | |
| {{Geographic location
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| |Northwest= {{flag|Kosovo}}
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| |North= {{SRB}}
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| |Northeast=
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| |West= {{ALB}}
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| |Centre= {{flagicon|MKD}} [[Outline of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]]
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| |East= {{BGR}}
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| |Southwest=
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| |South= {{GRC}}
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| |Southeast=
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| }}
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| {{North Macedonia topics|state=collapsed}}
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| {{Regions of North Macedonia}}
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| {{Municipalities of North Macedonia}}
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| {{Navboxes | |
| |list=
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| {{Sovereign states of Europe}}
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| {{Balkan countries}}
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| {{Council of Europe}}
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| {{European Union candidates}} | |
| {{La Francophonie}} | |
| {{Central European Free Trade Agreement}}
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| {{OSCE}}
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| }}
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| {{Coord|41.6|21.7|display=title|dim:180km}}
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| {{Authority control}}
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| [[Category:North Macedonia| ]] | | [[Category:North Macedonia| ]] |
| [[Category:Balkan countries]] | | [[Category:European Union candidate states|North Macedonia]] |
| [[Category:Landlocked countries]]
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| [[Category:Member states of the Council of Europe]]
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| [[Category:Southeastern European countries]]
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| [[Category:States and territories established in 1991]]
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| [[Category:1991 establishments in the Republic of Macedonia]]
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| [[Category:Countries in Europe]]
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| [[Category:Albanian-speaking countries and territories]]
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1,832,696 (preliminary results)[4][5][6]
30.7[8]
0.774[9]
