North Macedonia

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Republic of North Macedonia

 Република Северна Македонија

(Macedonian)

 Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut

(Albanian)

Flag

National emblem

Anthem:
Денес над Македонија (Macedonian)
(English: "Today over Macedonia")

MENU
0:00

Location of North Macedonia (green)

in Europe (dark grey) – [Legend]
 Capital Skopje
and largest city 42°0′N 21°26′E

Official languages Macedonian[a]

Albanian[b]

 Official regional languages  Turkish[1]

 Romani
 Serbian
 Bosnian
 Aromanian

Ethnic groups  64.2% Macedonians[2]

(2002)  25.2% Albanians
 3.9% Turks
 2.7% Romani
 1.8% Serbs
 0.8% Bosniaks
 0.5% Aromanians
 0.9% other / unspecified

Demonym(s) Macedonian

Government Unitary parliamentary republic

• President Gjorge Ivanov

• Prime Minister Zoran Zaev
• Chairman of the Assembly Talat Xhaferi

Legislature Assembly

History

• Independence declared 8 September 1991

from Yugoslavia

• Officially recognised 8 April 1993

by the United Nations

• Official name changed 12 February 2019

to Republic of North Macedonia

Area
• Total 25,713 km2(9,928 sq mi) (145th)
• Water (%) 1.9

Population
 • 2017[3] estimate 2,103,721 est.[3]
• 2002 census 2,022,547[2]
• Density 80.1/km2 (207.5/sq mi) (122nd)

GDP (PPP) 2019 estimate

• Total $33.822 billion[4]
• Per capita $16,253[4]

GDP (nominal) 2019 estimate

• Total $12.383 billion[4]
• Per capita $6,143[4]

Gini (2016) 33.6[5]

medium

HDI (2017) 0.757[6]

high · 80th

Currency Macedonian denar(MKD)

Time zone UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

Date format dd/mm/yyyy (AD)

Driving side right

Calling code +389

Patron saint Saint Clement of Ohrid[7]

ISO 3166 code MK

Internet TLD  .mk

 .мкд

North Macedonia,[c] officially the Republic of North Macedonia,[d] is a country in the Balkan
Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from
which it declared independence in September 1991 under the name Republic of Macedonia. The
country became a member of the United Nations in April 1993, but as a result of a dispute with
Greece over the name, it was admitted under the provisional description the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia [e] (abbreviated as FYR Macedonia and FYROM), a term that was also used
by some other international organisations. In June 2018, Macedonia and Greece resolved the
conflict with an agreement that the country should rename itself Republic of North Macedonia. This
renaming came into effect in February 2019, with a several-months-long transition
for passports, licence plates, currency, customs, border signs, and government websites, among
other things.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
A landlocked country, North Macedonia has borders with Kosovo[f] to the northwest, Serbia to the
northeast, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west.[16] It constitutes
 approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia, which also
comprises the neighbouring parts of northern Greece and southwestern Bulgaria. The country's
geography is defined primarily by mountains, valleys, and rivers. The capital and largest city, Skopje,
is home to roughly a quarter of the nation's 2.06 million inhabitants. The majority of the residents are
ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%,
followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians, and Bulgarians.
The history of the region dates back to antiquity, beginning with the kingdom of Paeonia, probably a
mixed Thraco-Illyrian polity.[17] In the late sixth century BC, the area was incorporated into
the Persian Achaemenid Empire, then annexed by the kingdom of Macedoniain the fourth century
BC. The Romans conquered the region in the second century BC and made it part of the much
larger province of Macedonia. Τhe area remained part of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire,
but was often raided and settled by Slavic tribesbeginning in the sixth century of the Christian era.
Following centuries of contention between the Bulgarian, Byzantine, and Serbian Empire, it was part
of the 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 Serbian rule. During
the First World War (1915–1918) it was ruled by Bulgaria, but after the end of the war, it returned
under Serbian rule as part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Later,
during the Second World War (1941–1944), it was ruled by Bulgaria again, and in 1945 it was
established as a constituent communist republic into the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia,
which it remained until its peaceful secession in 1991.
North Macedonia is a parliamentary republic and member of the UN and of the Council of Europe.
Since 2005, it has also been a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO
membership. One of the poorest countries in Europe, North Macedonia has made significant
progress in developing an open, market-based economy.[citation needed]

Contents

 1Names and etymology

 2History
o 2.1Ancient and Roman period
o 2.2Medieval and Ottoman period
o 2.3Macedonian nationalism
o 2.4Kingdoms of Serbia and Yugoslavia
o 2.5World War II period
o 2.6Socialist Yugoslavia period
o 2.7Declaration of independence
o 2.82001 insurgency
o 2.9Antiquisation policy
o 2.10Prespa agreement, NATO accession, and EU path
 3Geography
o 3.1Climate
o 3.2Biodiversity
 3.2.1National parks
 4Politics
o 4.1Governance
o 4.2Foreign relations
o 4.3Human rights
o 4.4Military
o 4.5Naming dispute
 5Administrative divisions
 6Economy
o 6.1Infrastructure and e-infrastructure
o 6.2Trade and investment
o 6.3Transport
o 6.4Tourism
 7Demographics
o 7.1Religion
o 7.2Languages
o 7.3Cities
 8Education
 9Culture
o 9.1Cuisine
o 9.2Sport
o 9.3Cinema
o 9.4Media
o 9.5Public holidays
 10International rankings
 11See also
 12Footnotes
 13References
 14Bibliography
 15Further reading
 16External links

Names and etymology

See also: Macedonia (terminology) and Macedonia naming dispute
The state's name derives from the Greek Μακεδονία (Makedonía),[18][19] a kingdom (later, region)
named after the ancient Macedonians. Their name, Μακεδόνες (Makedónes), derives ultimately from
the ancient Greek adjective μακεδνός (makednós), meaning tall or taper,[20] which shares the same
root as the adjective μακρός (makrós), meaning long, tall, or high, in ancient Greek.[21] The name is
believed to have originally meant either highlanders or the tall ones, possibly descriptive of
the people.[19][22][23] 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,[24] however De
Decker argues the arguments are insufficient.[25]
Prior to June 2018, the use of the name Macedonia was disputed between Greece and the then-
Republic of Macedonia. The Prespa agreement, signed by Macedonia and Greece on 17 June, saw
the country change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia eight months later.[26][27] A non-
binding[28] national referendum on the matter passed with 90% approval but did not reach the
required 50% turnout due to a boycott, leaving the final decision with parliament to ratify the
result.[29] Parliament approved of the name change on 19 October, reaching the required two-thirds
majority needed to enact constitutional changes.[30] The vote to amend the constitution and change
the name of the country passed on 11 January 2019 in favour of the amendment.[31][needs update] 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.
Previously, on 25 January, the Greek parliament had narrowly voted to back the agreement, with
153 approving and 146 against.[32]
Prior to February 2019, in Macedonian the country name was Македонија, officially Република
Македонија; in Albanian Maqedonia, officially Republika e Maqedonisë; in TurkishMakedonya,
officially Makedonya Cumhuriyeti; in Romani Makedoniya, officially Republika Makedoniya;
in Serbian and Bosnian Makedonija, officially Republika Makedonija; in Aromanian Machedonia,
officially Republica Machedonia.

History
Main article: History of North Macedonia
See also: Historiography in North Macedonia
Ancient and Roman period
Main articles: Paeonia (kingdom), Macedonia (ancient kingdom), and Dardanian Kingdom

Paeonian tribes

North Macedonia geographically roughly corresponds to the ancient kingdom of

Paeonia,[33][34][35][36] which was located immediately north of the ancient kingdom of
Macedonia.[37] Paeonia was inhabited by the Paeonians, a Thracian people,[38] whilst the northwest
was inhabited by the Dardani and the southwest by tribes known historically as
the Enchelae, Pelagones, and Lyncestae; the latter two are generally regarded as Molossian tribes
of the northwestern Greek group, whilst the former two are considered Illyrian.[39][40][41][42][43][44]
In the late 6th century BC, the Achaemenid Persians under Darius the Great conquered
the Paeonians, incorporating what is today the Republic of North Macedonia within their vast
territories.[45][46][47] 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.

Heraclea Lyncestis, a city founded by Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BC; ruins of the Byzantine "Small
Basilica"

Philip II of Macedon absorbed[48] the regions of Upper Macedonia (Lynkestis and Pelagonia) and the
southern part of Paeonia (Deuriopus) into the kingdom of Macedon in 356 BC.[49] 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.[50]
The Romans established the 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 (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.[51] 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.[52] Whilst Greek remained the
dominant language in the eastern part of the Roman empire, Latin spread to some extent in
Macedonia.[53]
Medieval and Ottoman period
Main article: South Slavs
Further information: Bulgaria (theme), Ottoman Vardar Macedonia, and Rumelia Eyalet

The Church of St. Clement and St. Panteleimon in Ohrid

Miniature from the Manasses Chronicle, depicting the defeat of Tsar Samuil from Basil II and the return of his
blinded soldiers, which led to the death of Samuil and eventually to the fall of the First Bulgarian Empireseveral
years later

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 c. 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.[54] 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.[55]
After the Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria, the Byzantines took control of East Bulgaria. Tsar Samuil
of Bulgaria, one of the Cometopuli brothers, was proclaimed Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria. He moved
the capital of Bulgaria 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 the armies of Tsar Samuil of
Bulgaria, 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 Constantinople and it was transformed
into Archbishopric of Ohrid. By the late 12th century, Byzantine decline saw the region contested by
various political entities, including a brief Norman occupation in the 1080s.

Marko's Monastery in Markova Sušica

In the early 13th century, a revived 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, who saw
themselves as liberators of their Slavic kin from Byzantine despotism. Skopje became the capital
of Tsar Stefan Dusan's empire.
Following Dusan'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.
The Kingdom of Prilep was one of the short-lived states that emerged from the collapse of the
Serbian Empire in the 14th century.[56] 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. The name Rumelia (Turkish: Rumeli) means "Land of the Romans" in Turkish,
referring to the lands conquered by the Ottoman Turks from the Byzantine Empire.[57]). Over the
centuries Rumelia Eyalet was reduced in size through administrative reforms, until by the nineteenth
century it consisted of a region of central Albania and north-western North Macedonia with its capital
at Manastir or present day Bitola.[58] Rumelia Eyalet was abolished in 1867 and the territory of
Macedonia subsequently became part of the province of Manastir Vilayet until the end of Ottoman
rule in 1912.
Macedonian nationalism
Main article: Macedonian nationalism
Nikola Karev, head of the Provisional Government of the short-lived Kruševo Republic during the Ilinden
uprising

With the beginning of the Bulgarian National Revival in the 18th century, many of the reformers were
from this region, including the Miladinov Brothers,[59] Rajko Žinzifov, Joakim Krčovski,[60] Kiril
Pejčinoviḱ[61] and others. The bishoprics of Skopje, Debar, Bitola, Ohrid, Veles, and Strumicavoted to
join the Bulgarian Exarchate after it was established in 1870.[62]
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).[63]
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.[64] The majority
of its members were Macedonian Bulgarians.[65] In 1903, IMRO organised the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie
Uprising against the Ottomans, which after some initial successes, including the forming of
the Kruševo Republic, was crushed with much loss of life.[66] The uprising and the forming of the
Kruševo Republic are considered the cornerstone and precursors to the eventual establishment of
the Macedonian state.[67][68][69] The leaders of the Ilinden uprising are celebrated as national heroes in
North Macedonia. The names of the IMRO revolutionaries like Gotse Delchev, Pitu Guli, Dame
Gruev and Yane Sandanski were included into the lyrics of the anthem of the Republic of North
Macedonia Denes nad Makedonija ("Today over Macedonia"). The major national holiday of North
Macedonia, the Republic Day, is celebrated on 2 August, Ilinden (St. Elijah day), the day of the
Ilinden uprising.
Kingdoms of Serbia and Yugoslavia
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.[70] The territory of
the modern North Macedonian state was annexed by Serbia and named South Serbia. Following the
partition, an anti-Bulgarian campaign was carried out in the areas under Serbian and Greek
control.[71] As many as 641 Bulgarian schools and 761 churches were closed by the Serbs, while
Exarchist clergy and teachers were expelled.[71] The use of standard Bulgarian (including
all Macedonian dialects) were proscribed.[71] IMRO, together with local Albanians, organised
the Ohrid–Debar uprising against the Serbian occupation. 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. Thousands were killed, and tens of thousands refugees fled to Bulgaria and Albania.

The division of the region of Macedonia after the Balkan Warsaccording to the Treaty of Bucharest

In the fall of 1915, Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in the First World War and gained control over
most of the territory of the present-day Republic of North Macedonia.[71] After the end of the First
World War, the area returned to Serbian control as part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats and Slovenes[72] and saw a reintroduction of the anti-Bulgarian measures of the first
occupation (1913–1915): Bulgarian teachers and clergy were expelled, Bulgarian language signs
and books removed, and all Bulgarian organisations dissolved.[71]
The Serbian government pursued a policy of forced Serbianisation in the region,[73][74] which included
systematic suppression of Bulgarian activists, altering family surnames, internal colonisation, forced
labour, and intense propaganda.[75] To aid the implementation of this policy, some 50,000 Serbian
army and gendermerie were stationed in North Macedonia.[71] 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 North Macedonia).[71]

Winnipeg Free Press front page dated 15 October 1934, mentioning the assassination of King Alexander I of
Yugoslavia by IMRO member Vlado Chernozemski. King Alexander was killed for his harsh policies against
Macedonian Bulgarians.
In 1929, the Kingdom was officially renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and divided into provinces
called banovinas. South Serbia, including all of what is now the Republic of North Macedonia,
became the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.[76]
The concept of a United Macedonia was used by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization (IMRO) in the interbellum. 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.[77] The Bulgarian
government of Alexander Malinov in 1918 offered to give Pirin Macedonia for that purpose
after World War I,[78] but the Great Powers did not adopt this idea because Serbia and Greece
opposed it. In 1924, the Communist International suggested that all Balkan communist parties adopt
a platform of a "united Macedonia" but the suggestion was rejected by the Bulgarian and Greek
communists.[79]
IMRO followed by starting an insurgent war in Vardar Banovina, 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.[80] On 9 October 1934
IMRO member Vlado Chernozemski assassinated Alexander I of Yugoslavia for his harsh policies
on Macedonian Bulgarians.
The Macedonist ideas increased during the interbellum, in Yugoslav Vardar Macedonia, and among
the left diaspora in Bulgaria, and were supported by the Comintern.[81] In 1934, the Comintern issued
a special resolution in which for the first time directions were provided for recognising the existence
of a separate Macedonian nation and Macedonian language.[82]
World War II period
Main article: World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia

Dimitar Vlahov, Mihajlo Apostolski, Metodija Andonov-Čento, Lazar Kolishevski and others, greeted in Skopje
after the capture of the city in November 1944

During World War II, Yugoslavia was occupied by the Axis powers from 1941 to 1945. The Vardar
Banovina was divided between Bulgariaand Italian-occupied Albania. Bulgarian Action
Committees were established to prepare the region for the new Bulgarian administration and
army.[83] The Committees were mostly formed by former members of IMRO and MYSRO, but
some IMRO (United) former members also participated.[84][85]
As leader of the Vardar Macedonian communists, Shatorov switched from the Yugoslav Communist
Party to the Bulgarian Communist Party[85][86] and refused to start military action against the Bulgarian
Army.[87] The Bulgarian authorities, under German pressure,[88] were responsible for the round-up and
deportation of over 7,000 Jews in Skopje and Bitola.[89] Harsh rule by the occupying forces
encouraged many Vardar Macedonians to support the Communist Partisan resistance movement
of Josip Broz Tito after 1943,[g] and the National Liberation War ensued.[90][91]
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.[92] 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.[93] The Bulgarian army would reach the Alps in Austria, participating in the
expulsion of the Germans to the West, through Yugoslavia and Hungary.
Compelled by the Soviet Union with a view towards the creation of a large South Slav Federation,
the Bulgarian government led by Georgi Dimitrov once again offered to give Pirin Macedonia to such
a United Macedonia in 1945. Creation of a distinct Macedonian nation within the new country and a
separate Macedonian language were part of the Bled agreement. 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.
Socialist Yugoslavia period
Main article: Socialist Republic of Macedonia

Josip Broz Tito was the leader of SFR Yugoslavia from 1944 to 1980. Pictured: Tito with US president Richard
Nixon in the White House, 1971.

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.[94] 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 Petkov Misirkov. During the 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.
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.[95][96][97]
Declaration of independence
North Macedonia officially celebrates 8 September 1991 as Independence day (Macedonian: Ден на
независноста, Den na nezavisnosta), with regard to the referendum endorsing independence from
Yugoslavia, albeit legalising participation in future union of the former states of Yugoslavia.[98] The
anniversary of the start of the Ilinden Uprising (St. Elijah's Day) on 2 August is also widely celebrated
on an official level as the Day of the Republic.
Robert Badinter, as the head of the Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia,
recommended EC recognition in January 1992.[99]
North 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 Kosovotook refuge in the
country.[100] They departed shortly after the war, and 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
North Macedonia.[100][101]
2001 insurgency
Main article: 2001 insurgency in North Macedonia
A conflict took place between the government and ethnic Albanian insurgents, mostly in the north
and west of the country, between February and August 2001.[101][102][103] 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.[104] The Albanian side agreed to abandon separatist demands and to recognise all
Macedonian institutions fully. In addition, according to this accord, the NLA were to disarm and hand
over their weapons to a NATO force.[105]
Inter-ethnic tensions flared in North Macedonia in 2012, with incidents of violence between ethnic
Albanians and Macedonians.[106]
Antiquisation policy
Main articles: Antiquization and Macedonism
Since the coming to power in 2006, and especially since the country's non-invitation to NATO in
2008, the VMRO-DPMNE government of the Republic of Macedonia pursued a policy of
"Antiquisation" ("Antikvizatzija") as a way of putting pressure on Greece as well as for the purposes
of domestic identity-building.[107] Statues of Alexander the Great and Philip of Macedon have been
built in several cities across the country. Additionally, many pieces of public infrastructure, such as
airports, highways, and stadiums have been 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.[108] The policy has also attracted criticism
domestically, as well as from EU diplomats,[107] and, following the Prespa Agreement, it has been
partly reversed after 2016 by the new SDSM government of North Macedonia.[109][110]
Prespa agreement, NATO accession, and EU path
Main articles: Macedonia naming dispute, Prespa agreement, Accession of North Macedonia to
NATO, and Accession of North Macedonia to the European Union

Prime Ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras in Oteševo, North Macedonia, after signing the agreement

The Prespa agreement, which replaces the Interim Accord of 1995,[111] was signed on 17 June 2018
in a high-level ceremony at the Greek border village of Psarades on Lake Prespa, by the two foreign
ministers Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias and in the presence of the respective prime
ministers, Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras.[112][113][114][115] The meeting was attended by the UN's Special
Representative Matthew Nimetz, the U.S. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary
DiCarlo, the EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica
Mogherini, and the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood
Policy Johannes Hahn, among others.[116] After the ceremony, Tsipras, along with his North
Macedonian counterpart, crossed over the border to the North Macedonian side of Lake Prespa for
lunch at the village of Oteševo, in a highly symbolic move that marked the first time a Greek Prime
Minister had entered the Republic of Macedonia since it declared independence in 1991.[117][118]
The withdrawal of the Greek veto resulted in the European Union on 27 June approving the start
of accession talks with the Republic of Macedonia, which are expected to take place in 2019, under
the condition that the Prespa deal is implemented and the country's name is changed to Republic of
North Macedonia.[119] On 5 July, the Prespa agreement was ratified again by the Macedonian
parliament with 69 MPs voting in favour of it.[120] On 12 July, NATO invited Macedonia to start
accession talks in a bid to become the EuroAtlantic alliance's 30th member.[121] On 30 July, the
parliament of Macedonia approved plans to hold a non-binding referendum on changing the
country's name that took place on 30 September.[122]91% of voters voted in favour with a 37%
turnout,[123] but the referendum was not carried because of a constitutional requirement for a 50%
turnout.[124]
As stipulated in the Prespa agreement, the government moved forward with the name changing
process in the Macedonian parliament.[125] On 15 October, the parliament of Macedonia began
debating the name change.[126] The proposal for the constitutional amendments required the vote of
80 MPs, i.e. two-thirds of the 120-seat parliament.[127][128]
US Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell on 16 October 2018 sent a letter to VMRO-
DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski, in which he expresses the disappointment of the United
States with the positions of the leadership, including him personally, and asks to "set aside partisan
interests" and work to get the name change approved.[129][130] Mickoski expressed his hope that the
Republic of Macedonia will be very soon a part of the NATO and EU families, "but proud and
dignified, not humiliated, disfigured and disgraced."[131]
On 19 October 2018 the Macedonian parliament voted to start the process of renaming the country
after a total of 80 MPs voted in favour of the constitutional changes.[132] On 11 January 2019, the
Macedonian parliament approved the constitutional amendments required by the Prespa Agreement
by 81 deputies voting for out of 120.[133] On 25 January, the Greek parliament ratified the Prespa
Agreement with 153 votes in favour, 146 against, and 1 abstaining.[134]
On 6 February 2019, the permanent representatives of NATO member states and Macedonian
Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Dimitrov, signed in Brussels the accession protocol of North
Macedonia into NATO.[135][136] 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.[137][138]
Prime Ministers Zoran Zaev and Alexis Tsipras have received international praise for realising
the Prespa agreement. On 16 February, they received at the Munich Security Conference the 'Ewald
von Kleist Award',[139] and have also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by senior members
of the European Parliament.[140]

Geography
Main article: Geography of North Macedonia

Mount Korab, the highest mountain in North Macedonia

North Macedonia has a total area of 25,713 km2 (9,928 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 40° and 43°
N, and mostly between longitudes 20°and 23° E (a small area lies east of 23°). North Macedonia has
some 748 km (465 mi) of boundaries, shared with Serbia (62 km or 39 mi) to the
North, Kosovo (159 km or 99 mi) to the northwest, Bulgaria (148 km or 92 mi) to the
east, Greece (228 km or 142 mi) to the south, and Albania (151 km or 94 mi) 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, which
also includes Macedonia (Greece)and the Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria.
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.[141] 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.
North Macedonia also has scenic mountains. They belong to two different mountain ranges: the first
is the Šar Mountains[142][143] that continues to the West Vardar/Pelagonia group of mountains (Baba
Mountain, Nidže, Kozuf and Jakupica), also known as the Dinaric range. The second range is
the Osogovo–Belasica mountain chain, also known as the Rhodope range. The mountains
belonging to the Šar Mountains and the West Vardar/Pelagonia range are younger and higher than
the older mountains of the Osogovo-Belasica mountain group. Mount Korab of the Šar Mountains on
the Albanian border, at 2,764 m (9,068 ft), is the tallest mountain in North Macedonia.

Matka Canyon

In North Macedonia there are 1,100 large sources of water. The rivers flow into three different
basins: the Aegean, the Adriatic and the Black Sea.[144]
The Aegean basin is the largest. It covers 87% of the territory of North Macedonia, which is 22,075
square kilometres (8,523 sq mi). Vardar, the largest river in this basin, drains 80% of the territory or
20,459 square kilometres (7,899 sq mi). 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 3,320 km2 (1,282 sq mi),
i.e., 13% of the territory. It receives water from Lakes Prespa and Ohrid.
The Black Sea basin is the smallest with only 37 km2 (14 sq mi). It covers the northern side of
Mount Skopska Crna Gora. This is the source of the river Binachka Morava, which joins the 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.
Climate
See also: Climate of North Macedonia

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Köppen–Geiger climate classification map for North Macedonia

North Macedonia has a transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. The summers are hot
and dry, and the winters are moderately cold. Average annual precipitation varies from 1,700 mm
(66.9 in) in the western mountainous area to 500 mm (19.7 in) in the eastern area. There are three
main climatic zones in the country: temperate Mediterranean, mountainous, and mildly continental.
Along the valleys of the Vardar and Strumica rivers, in the regions of Gevgelija, Valandovo, Dojran,
Strumica, and Radoviš, the climate is temperate Mediterranean. The warmest regions are Demir
Kapija and Gevgelija, where the temperature in July and August frequently exceeds 40 °C (104 °F).
The mountainous climate is present in the mountainous regions of the country, and it is
characterised by long and snowy winters and short and cold summers. The spring is colder than the
fall. The majority of North Macedonia has a moderate continental climate with warm and dry
summers and relatively cold and wet winters. There are thirty main and regular weather stations in
the country.
Biodiversity
Main articles: Flora of North Macedonia and Fauna of North Macedonia
The flora of North Macedonia is represented by around 210 families, 920 genera, and around 3,700
plant species. The most abundant group are the flowering plants with around 3,200 species,
followed by mosses (350 species) and ferns (42).
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 ecoregions: the Pindus Mountains mixed
forests, Balkan mixed forests, Rhodopes mixed forests and Aegean sclerophyllous and mixed
forests.
Pinus peuce, the Macedonian Pine or Molika, one of North Macedonia's most recognisable trees

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 Molika, was first noted on Pelister in 1893.
North Macedonia's limited forest growth also includes Macedonian Oaks, 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.[145]
The Eurasian lynx and the Šarplaninec

The fauna of North Macedonian forests is abundant and includes bears, wild boars, wolves, foxes,
squirrels, chamois and deer. The 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 imperial eagle and the forest owl.
The three artificial lakes of the country represent a separate fauna zone, an indication of long-lasting
territorial and temporal isolation. The fauna of Lake Ohrid is a relict of an earlier era and the lake is
widely known for its letnica trout, lake whitefish, gudgeon, roach, podust, and pior, as well as for
certain species of snails of a genus older than 30 million years; similar species can be found only
in Lake Baikal. Lake Ohrid is also noted in zoology texts for the European eel and its baffling
reproductive cycle: it comes to Lake Ohrid from the distant Sargasso Sea,[146][147]thousands of
kilometres away, and lurks in the depths of the lake for 10 years. When sexually mature, the eel is
driven by unexplained instincts in the autumn to set off back to its point of birth. There it spawns and
dies, leaving its offspring to seek out Lake Ohrid to begin the cycle anew.[147]
The shepherd dog of Šar Mountain, the Šarplaninec (Yugoslav shepherd), is known
worldwide.[148][h][149] It stands some 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) tall[148] and is a brave and fierce fighter that
may be called upon to fight bears or wolf packs while guarding and defending flocks. The
Šarplaninec originates from the shepherd's dog of the ancient Epirotes, the molossus, but it was
recognised as its own breed in 1939 under the name of Illyrian shepherd and since 1956 has been
known as Šarplaninec.[h][148][149]
National parks
The country has three national parks:

Name Established Size Map Picture

Mavrovo 1948 731 km2

Galičica 1958 227 km2

 Name Established Size Map Picture

Pelister 1948 125 km2

Politics
Main article: Politics of North Macedonia

Gjorge Ivanov Zoran Zaev

President Prime Minister

North Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a

coalition of parties from the unicameral legislature (Собрание, Sobranie) and an
independent judicial branch with a constitutional court. The Assembly is made up of 120 seats and
the members are elected every four years. The role of the President of the Republic is mostly
ceremonial, with the real power resting in the hands of the Prime Minister. The President is
the commander-in-chief of the state armed forces and a president of the state Security Council. The
President is elected every five years and he or she can be elected twice at most. On the second run
of the presidential elections held on 5 April 2009, Gjorge Ivanov was elected President.[150]
With the passage of a new law and elections held in 2005, local government functions are divided
between 78 municipalities (општини, opštini; singular: општина, 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.
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.
After a troublesome pre-election campaign, North Macedonia saw a relatively calm and democratic
change of government in the elections held on 5 July 2006. The elections were marked by a decisive
victory of the centre-right party VMRO-DPMNE led by Nikola Gruevski. Gruevski's decision to
include the Democratic Party of Albanians in the new government, instead of the Democratic Union
for Integration – Party for Democratic Prosperity coalition which won the majority of the Albanian
votes, triggered protests throughout the parts of the country with a respective number of Albanian
population. 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.[151]
After the early parliamentary elections held in 2008, VMRO-DPMNE and Democratic Union for
Integration formed a ruling coalition in Macedonia.[152]
In April 2009, presidential and local elections in the country were carried out peacefully, which was
crucial for Macedonian aspirations to join the EU.[153] 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.
As of 31 May 2017, the Prime Minister of North Macedonia is Zoran Zaev, who also heads
the SDUM,[154] and the current President of the Parliament is Talat Xhaferi.[155] The election of Xhaferi
was immediately met with protests led by VMRO-DPMNE, which was quickly handled by the
police.[155]
Governance
Main article: Assembly of North Macedonia

The interior of the parliament of North Macedonia in Skopje

Parliament, or Sobranie (Macedonian: 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.[156] 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.
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. The current Prime
Minister is Zoran Zaev.
Judiciary power is exercised by courts, with the court system being headed by the Judicial Supreme
court, Constitutional Court and the Republican Judicial Council. The assembly appoints the judges.
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of North Macedonia
See also: List of diplomatic missions of North Macedonia

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev with Prime Minister of the United KingdomTheresa May in Skopje on 17 May 2018.

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 long-running dispute with Greece about the country's name.
The major interest of the country is a full integration in the European and the Trans-
Atlantic integration processes.[157] Five foreign policy priorities are:[158]

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

 Lifting the visa regime for Macedonian nationals
 NATO membership
 Resolving the naming issue with Greece
 Strengthening the economic and public diplomacy
North Macedonia is a member of the following international and regional organisations:[159] IMF (since
1992), WHO (since 1993), EBRD (since 1993), Central European Initiative(since 1993), Council of
Europe (since 1995), OSCE (since 1995), SECI (since 1996), WTO (since 2003), CEFTA (since
2006), La Francophonie (since 2001).
In 2005, the country was officially recognised as a European Union candidate state.
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.[160] The U.S. had previously
expressed support for an invitation,[161] but the summit then decided to extend an invitation only on
condition of a resolution of the naming conflict with Greece.
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.[162] Prior to the Prespa Agreement, the country failed to receive a start date for accession
talks as a result of the naming dispute. 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.
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.[163]
Human rights
Main article: Human rights in North Macedonia
North Macedonia is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights and the U.N.
Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Convention against Torture, and the
Constitution guarantees basic human rights to all Macedonian citizens.
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.[164][165]
Military
Main article: Army of the Republic of North Macedonia

Army of the Republic of North Macedonia

The military of North Macedonia comprises the army, air force, and special forces. The government's
national defence policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of
the state, the integrity of its land area and airspace and its constitutional order. Its main goals remain
the development and maintenance of a credible capability to defend the nation's vital interests and
development of the Armed Forces in a way that ensures their interoperability with the armed forces
of NATO and the European Union member states and their capability to participate in the full range
of NATO missions.
The Ministry of Defence develops the 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.[166]
Naming dispute
Main article: Macedonia naming dispute
See also: Macedonia (terminology)

The flag of the then-Republic of Macedonia between 1992 and 1995, bearing the Vergina Sun

The use of the name "Macedonia" was disputed between Greece and North Macedonia (formerly the
Republic of 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.[167] Since then, it was an ongoing issue in bilateral and international relations until it was settled
with the Prespa agreement in June 2018, the subsequent ratification by the Macedonian and Greek
parliaments in late 2018 and early 2019, and the official renaming of Macedonia to North Macedonia
in February 2019.
In the south, North Macedonia borders the region of Greek Macedonia, which administratively is split
into three peripheries (one of them comprising both Western Thrace and a part of Greek
Macedonia). Citing historical and territorial concerns resulting from the ambiguity between the then-
Republic of Macedonia, the adjacent Greek region of Macedonia and the ancient Kingdom of
Macedon which falls within Greek Macedonia, Greece opposed the use of the
name Macedonia without a geographical qualifier such as "Northern Macedonia" for use "by all ...
and for all purposes". (erga omnes).[168] As millions of 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. North Macedonia was accused of appropriating symbols and figures that are historically
considered parts of Greece's culture (such as Vergina Sun, a symbol associated with the ancient
Kingdom of Macedon, and Alexander the Great), and of promoting the irredentistconcept of a United
Macedonia, which would include territories of Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia.[169]
From 1992 to 1995, the two countries engaged in a dispute over the Macedonian state's new flag,
which incorporated the Vergina Sun symbol. This aspect of the dispute was resolved when the flag
was changed under the terms of an interim accord agreed between the two states in October 1995.

The first flag of the sovereign Republic of Macedonia (from September 1991 to August 1992) was simply the
former SRM flag, used until a replacement was legislated.

The UN adopted the provisional reference the former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia (Macedonian: Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија) when the country
was admitted to the organisation in 1993.[170] The lower-cased "former" was chosen intentionally to
display the provisionality of the name.[171] Most international organisations, such as the European
Union, NATO, the European Broadcasting Union, and the International Olympic Committee, adopted
the same convention.[172][173][174][175][176] However, most UN member countries soon abandoned the
provisional reference and recognised the country as the Republic of Macedonia instead. These
included four of the five permanent UN Security Council members: the United States,[177] Russia,
United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China; several members of the European Union such
as Bulgaria, Poland, and Slovenia; and over 100 other UN members.[178] The UN set up a negotiating
process with a mediator, Matthew Nimetz, and the two parties to the dispute to try to mediate the
dispute.
Initially the European Community-nominated Arbitration Commission's opinion was that "the use of
the name 'Macedonia' cannot therefore imply any territorial claim against another State";[179] despite
the commission's opinion, Greece continued to object to the establishment of relations between the
Community and the Republic under its constitutional name.[180]
In November 2008, the then-Republic of Macedonia instituted proceedings before the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) against Greece alleging violations of the 1995 Interim Accord that blocked its
accession to NATO.[181] The ICJ was requested to order Greece to observe its obligations within the
Accord, which is legally binding for both countries. In 2011, The United Nations' International Court
of Justice ruled that Greece violated Article 11 of the 1995 Interim Accord by vetoing Macedonia's
bid for NATO membership at the 2008 summit in Bucharest.[182] However, the court did not consider it
necessary to instruct Greece to refrain from similar actions in the future since "[a]s a general rule,
there is no reason to suppose that a State whose act or conduct has been declared wrongful by the
Court will repeat that act or conduct in the future, since its good faith must be presumed".[183] After the
entering into force of the Prespa Agreement, Greece ratified the protocol for North Macedonia to join
NATO, and actively supports North Macedonia's bid to join the EU.[184][185]
On 17 June 2018, the two countries signed an agreement to end their dispute, which would result in
the Republic of Macedonia being renamed the Republic of North Macedonia(Република Северна
Македонија).[186] On July 30, the Macedonian parliament approved plans to hold a non-
binding referendum on changing the country's name that took place on September 30.[187] 91% of
voters voted in favour with a 37% turnout,[188] On 11 January 2019, the Macedonian Parliament
completed the legal implementation of the Prespa Agreement by approving the constitutional
changes for renaming the country to North Macedonia with a two-thirds parliamentary majority (81
MPs).[189][190] On 25 January 2019, the Greek Parliament approved the Prespa agreement with 153
votes in favor and 146 votes against.[191]
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.[192][193][194] Soon
afterwards, four of the five UN permanent members (the United States, Russia, France and the UK)
recognised North Macedonia under its new official name.[195][196][197][198]

Administrative divisions
Main articles: Statistical regions of North Macedonia and Municipalities of North Macedonia

Rural/Urban municipalities

Statistical regions of North Macedonia

North Macedonia's statistical regions exist solely for legal and statistical purposes. The regions are:

 Eastern
 Northeastern
 Pelagonia
 Polog
 Skopje
 Southeastern
 Southwestern
 Vardar
In August 2004, the country was reorganised into 84 municipalities (opštini; sing. opština); 10 of the
municipalities constitute the City of Skopje, a distinct unit of local self-government and the country's
capital.
Most of the current municipalities were unaltered or merely amalgamated from the previous 123
municipalities established in September 1996; others were consolidated and their borders changed.
Prior to this, local government was organised into 34 administrative districts, communes, or counties
(also opštini).

Economy
Main article: Economy of North Macedonia
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.[199] 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.[200] The government has proven successful in its efforts to combat inflation, with an inflation
rate of only 3% in 2006 and 2% in 2007,[199] and has implemented policies focused on
attracting foreign investment and promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs).

Vineyard in North Macedonia

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.[201][202] Despite these reforms, as of 2005 North Macedonia's unemployment rate was
37.2%[203] and as of 2006 its poverty rate was 22%.[200] 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%.[204] 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 Inc., Van Hool
NV, Johnson Matthey plc, Lear Corp., Visteon Corp., Kostal GmbH, Gentherm Inc., Dräxlmaier
Group, Kromberg & Schubert, Marquardt GmbH, Amphenol Corp., Tekno Hose SpA, KEMET
Corp., Key Safety Systems Inc., ODW-Elektrik GmbH, etc.
In terms of GDP structure, as of 2013 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.[205]

Graphical depiction of North Macedonia's product exports.

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.[206]
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.[207] Corruption and a relatively ineffective legal
system also act as significant restraints on successful economic development. North Macedonia still
has one of the lowest per capita GDPs in Europe. Furthermore, the country's grey market is
estimated at close to 20% of GDP.[208] According to Eurostat data, North Macedonian PPS GDP per
capita stood at 36% of the EU average in 2014.[209] With a GDP per capita of US$9,157 at purchasing
power parity and a Human Development Index of 0.701, North Macedonia is less developed and has
a considerably smaller economy than most of the former Yugoslav states.
Infrastructure and e-infrastructure
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 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.
North Macedonia's IT market increased 63.8% year on year in 2007, which was the fastest growing
in the Adriatic region.[210]
Trade and investment
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.
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,[211] 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.[212]
Other key partners are Germany, Italy, the United States, Slovenia, Austria and Turkey.
Transport

International Airport Skopje, Map of current and planned highways and European route E75 in North
Macedonia.
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.
Railways
Main article: Makedonski Železnici
The total length of the railway network in North Macedonia is 699 km. 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.
Post and telecoms
Macedonian Post is a Macedonian state-owned company for the provision of postal traffic. It was
founded in 1992 as PTT Macedonia. In 1993 she was admitted to the World Postal Union in 1997,
PTT Macedonia was divided into Macedonian Telekom and Macedonian Post.
Waterways
As far as Water Transport is concerned, only lake traffic through Ohrid and Prespan Lake has been
developed, mostly for tourist purposes.
Airports
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.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in North Macedonia
Tourism is an important part of the economy of North Macedonia. The country's abundance of
natural and cultural attractions make it an attractive destination of visitors. It receives about 700,000
tourists annually.[213]

Lake Ohrid, Bitola, Mavrovo

Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of North Macedonia, List of cities in North Macedonia,
and Macedonians (ethnic group)
Ethnic groups in 2002

Macedonians   64.18%
Albanians   25.17%
Turks   3.85%
Romani   2.66%
Serbs   1.78%
Bosniaks   0.84%
Aromanians   0.48%
other   1.04%
The above table shows ethnic affiliation of
the population according to the 2002
census:[2]
The last census data from 2002 shows a population of 2,022,547 inhabitants.[2] The last official
estimate from 2009, without significant change, gives a figure of 2,050,671.[214] According to the last
census data, the largest ethnic group in the country are the ethnic Macedonians. The second largest
group are the Albanians who dominated much of the northwestern part of the country. Following
them, 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 in North Macedonia, there are possibly up to 260,000 Romani.[215]
Religion
Main article: Religion in North Macedonia

Religion in North Macedonia (2002)[216]

Eastern Orthodoxy (64.8%)

Islam (33.3%)
Other Christian (0.4%)
Others/None (1.5%)

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%),[217] Turkey(90%),[218] Albania (59%),[219] and Bosnia and Herzegovina (51%).[220] 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.[221]
Altogether, there were 1,842 churches and 580 mosques in the country at the end of 2011.[222] The
Orthodox and Islamic religious communities have secondary religion schools in Skopje. There is an
Orthodox 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.

The Church of St. George in Kumanovo (left) and Šarena Džamija Mosque in Tetovo (right).

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 claims ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the Republic of 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.
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.[223]

A 19th-century Macedonian silver Hanukkah Menorah

The 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.[224]
There is a small Protestant community. The most famous Protestant in the country is the late
president Boris Trajkovski. He was from the Methodist community, which is the largest and oldest
Protestant church in the Republic, dating back to the late 19th century. Since the 1980s the
Protestant community has grown, partly through new confidence and partly with outside missionary
help.
The 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% of Macedonian Jews survived
the Holocaust.[225] After their liberation and the end of the War, most opted to emigrate to Israel.
Today, the country's Jewish community numbers approximately 200 persons, almost all of whom live
in Skopje. Most Macedonian Jews are Sephardic – the descendants of 15th-century refugees who
had been expelled from Castile, Aragon and Portugal.
Languages
Main articles: Macedonian language and Languages of North Macedonia
See also: Political views on the Macedonian language

Linguistic map of North Macedonia, 2002 census.

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 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 language
group, while Albanian occupies an independent branch of the 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.
Macedonian is closely related to and mutually intelligible with standard Bulgarian. It also has some
similarities with standard Serbian and the intermediate Torlakian/Shop dialects spoken mostly in
southeastern Serbia and western Bulgaria (and by speakers in the northeast of Macedonia).
The standard language was codified in the period following World War II and has accumulated a
thriving literary tradition.
A wide variety of languages are spoken in North Macedonia, reflecting its ethnic diversity. Besides
the official national language, Macedonian, and co-official, Albanian, minority languages with
substantial numbers of speakers are Turkish (including Balkan
Gagauz[226]), Romani, Serbian/Bosnian and Aromanian (including Megleno-
Romanian).[227][228][229][230][231] Macedonian Sign Language is the primary language of those of the deaf
community who did not pick up an oral language in childhood.
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.[1]
Cities

 v

 t

 e
Largest cities or towns in North Macedonia
2002 Census results

Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name

1 Skopje Skopje 506,926 11 Kavadarci
2 Bitola Pelagonia 74,550 12 Kočani
3 Kumanovo Northeastern 70,842 13 Kičevo
4 Prilep Pelagonia 66,246 14 Struga
5 Tetovo Polog 52,915 15 Radoviš
Skopje 6 Veles Vardar 43,716 16 Gevgelija
7 Štip Eastern 43,652 17 Debar
8 Ohrid Southwestern 42,033 18 Kriva Palanka
9 Gostivar Polog 35,847 19 Sveti Nikole

Bitola 10 Strumica Southeastern 35,311 20 Negotino

Education

The state university Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje

The higher levels of education can be obtained at one of the five state universities: Ss. Cyril and
Methodius University of Skopje, St. Clement of Ohrid University of Bitola, Goce Delčev University of
Štip, State University of Tetovo and University for Information Science and Technology "St. Paul The
Apostle" in Ohrid. There are a number of private university institutions, such as the European
University,[232] Slavic University in Sveti Nikole, the South East European University and others.
The United States Agency for International Development has underwritten a project
called Macedonia Connects, which has made 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.[233] 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.
The North Macedonian education system consists of:

 pre-school education
 primary
 secondary
 higher

Culture
Main articles: Culture of North Macedonia, List of Macedonians (ethnic group), and Music of North
Macedonia

Female folk dancers

Office of Struga Poetry Evenings in Struga

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. Macedonian
music styles developed under the strong influence of Byzantine church music. North Macedonia has
a significant number of preserved Byzantine fresco paintings, mainly from the period between the
11th and 16th centuries. There are several thousands square metres of fresco painting preserved,
the major part of which is in very good condition and represent masterworks of the Macedonian
School of ecclesiastical painting.
The most important cultural events in the country are the Ohrid Summer festival of classical music
and drama, the Struga Poetry Eveningswhich gather poets from more than 50 countries in the world,
International Camera Festival in Bitola, Open Youth Theatre and Skopje Jazz Festival in Skopje etc.
The National Opera opened in 1947, then named "Macedonian Opera", with a performance
of Cavalleria rusticanaunder 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.[234]
Cuisine
Main article: Macedonian cuisine

Tavče Gravče

The country's cuisine is a representative of that of the Balkans—reflecting Mediterranean and Middle
Eastern (Ottoman) influences, and to a lesser extent Italian, German and Eastern European
(especially Hungarian) ones.[235] 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.
Famous for its rich Šopska salad, an appetiser and side dish which accompanies almost every meal,
Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of its dairy products, wines, and local
alcoholic beverages, such as rakija. Tavče Gravče and mastika are considered the national dish and
drink of North Macedonia, respectively.
Sport

Toše Proeski Arena

Football and handball are the most popular sports in North Macedonia. The national football team is
controlled by the Football Federation of Macedonia. Their home stadium is the Philip II Arena.
Handball is the other important team sport in the country. In 2002 Kometal Skopje won the EHF
Women's Champions League European Cup. The European Women's Handball Championship took
place in 2008 in North Macedonia. The venues in which the tournament took place were located in
Skopje and Ohrid; the national team finished seventh place. Macedonian clubs enjoyed success in
European competitions. RK Vardar won 2016–17 EHF Champions League, while Kometal Gjorče
Petrov Skopje won the women's event in 2002.
The 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 Eurobaskets since then with its best finish at 4th place in 2011.
It plays its home games at the Boris Trajkovski Arena in Skopje.
In the summer months The Ohrid Swimming Marathon is an annual event on Lake Ohrid and during
the winter months there is skiing in 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.[236]
Cinema
Main article: Cinema of North Macedonia
The history of film making in the republic dates back over 110 years.[citation needed] The first film to be
produced on the territory of the present-day the country was made in 1895 by 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. 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. In 1994 Milco Manchevski's film Before the Rain was
nominated as Best Foreign Film. Manchevski continues to be the most prominent modern filmmaker
in the country having subsequently written and directed Dust and Shadows.
Media
Main article: Media of North Macedonia
The oldest newspaper in the country is Nova Makedonija from 1944. Other well known newspaper
and magazines are: Utrinski vesnik, Dnevnik, Vest, Fokus, Večer, 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, Kanal 5, Telma, Alfa TV, and Alsat-M.
Public holidays
Main article: Public holidays in North Macedonia
The main public holidays in North Macedonia are:

Date English name Macedonian name Remarks

1–2
New Year Нова Година, Nova Godina
January

Christmas Day
7 January Прв ден Божик, Prv den Božik
(Orthodox)

Orthodox Easter and other

April/May Good Friday (Orthodox) Велики Петок, Veliki Petok Easter dates do not match;
see: List of dates for Easter
 Easter Прв ден Велигден, Prv den
April/May
Sunday (Orthodox) Veligden

Easter Втор ден Велигден, Vtor den

April/May
Monday (Orthodox) Veligden

1 May Labour Day Ден на трудот, Den na trudot

Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на

сèсловенските
Saints Cyril and
24 May просветители; Sv. Kiril i
Methodius Day
Metodij, Den na sèslovenskite
prosvetiteli

Day when the Republic was

Republic Day (North Ден на Републиката, Den na
2 August established in 1944, also Ilinden
Macedonia) Republikata
uprising in 1903.

8 Independence Day Ден на независноста, Den na Day of independence

September (Republic of Macedonia) nezavisnosta from Yugoslavia

11 Day of Macedonian Ден на востанието, Den na Beginning of Anti-fascist war

October Uprising in 1941 vostanieto during WWII in 1941

Ден на македонската Day when the Internal

Day of the Macedonian
23 револуционерна борба,Den na Macedonian Revolutionary
Revolutionary Struggle
October makedonskata revolucionarna Organization (IMRO) was
(Holiday)
borba established in 1893.

1 Рамазан Бајрам, Ramazan

Eid ul-Fitr moveable, see: Islamic Calendar
Shawwal Bajram

8 Saint Clement of Св. Климент Охридски, Sv.

December Ohrid Day Kliment Ohridski

Besides these, there are several major religious & minorities holidays. (See:Public holidays in North
Macedonia)
 International rankings

Organisation Survey Ranking

Institute for Economics and Peace Global Peace Index[237] 79 out of 162

Worldwide Press Freedom Index 116 out of

Reporters Without Borders
2013[238] 179

The Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street

Index of Economic Freedom 2013[239] 43 out of 177
Journal

Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2013[240] 67 out of 177

United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 2013[241] 78 out of 207

World Bank Ease of doing business index 2016[242] 12 out of 189

See also
 North Macedonia portal

 Outline of North Macedonia

North Macedonia – Wikipedia book

Footnotes
1. ^ National and official language in all aspects of the whole territory of the state and in its international
relations.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ Macedonian: Северна Македонија, translit. Severna Makedonija; Albanian: Maqedonia e Veriut
4. ^ Macedonian: Република Северна Македонија, translit. Republika Severna
Makedonija; Albanian: Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut
5. ^ United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/225 of 8 April,[8] United Nations Security
Council Resolutions 817 of 7 April and 845 of 18 June 1993[9]
6. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of
Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia
continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise
relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognized as an independent
 state by 112 out of 193 United Nations member states. 10 states have recognized Kosovo only to later
withdraw their recognition.
7. ^ 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 Sharlo's pro-Bulgarian policy. At a meeting of the partisan brigades, as well as a
group of battalions in the Resen region on 21 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...."
8. ^ Jump up to:a b The breed was initially standardised by the Yugoslavian Federation of Cynology
(Jugoslovenski kinološki savez, JKS) and recognised as a Yugoslav breed with two types by
the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) in 1939 under the designation Ilirski
ovčar (Illyrian Shepherd Dog), FCI-Standard N° 41. Kraški ovčar and Šarplaninac were considered
Type A and B of the breed. In 1957, the General Assembly of the F.C.I. accepted a motion proposed
by the Yugoslavian Federation of Cynology to change the name of the breed to Jugoslovenski
ovčarski pas Šarplaninac (Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog Sharplanina), and this is the official name of
the breed. After the collapse of Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Serbia were recognised as the countries
of origin. In 1968, type B was recognised as a separate breed under the designation Kraški
ovčar (Karst Shepherd Dog), FCI-Standard N° 278.

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8. ^ A/RES/47/225, resolution fro the UN GA 98th plenary meeting, 8 April 1993
9. ^ UN SC resolutions made in 1993
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24. ^ Beekes, Robert (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, II, Leiden, Boston: Brill, p. 894
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name change, but turnout low".
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37. ^ Strabo, Geography, Book 7, Frg. 4:
38. ^ Bauer, Susan Wise: The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of
Rome (2007), ISBN 0-393-05974-X, page 518: "...to the north, Thracian tribes known collectively as
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39. ^ Willkes, John (1996). The Illyrians. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-631-19807-9. Retrieved 10
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40. ^ Sealey, Raphael (1976). A history of the Greek city states, ca. 700-338 B.C. University of California
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41. ^ Evans, Thammy (2007). Macedonia. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-84162-186-9.
42. ^ Borza, Eugene N. (8 September 1992). In the shadow of Olympus: the emergence of Macedon.
Princeton University Press. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-691-00880-6.
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Further reading
 "North Macedonia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.