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Macedonia, the home ground of the ancient Macedonian civilization, is a small southeast European country. The country remained entangled in an air of confusion with Greece for a long time over it’s use of name “Macedonia”. While the United Nations officially refers it as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in short, FYROM, many countries prefer to address the nation as Republic of Macedonia. The country got its name after it broke away the former Yugoslavia in 1991. Skopje is the capital and the largest city of Macedonia.
The Macedonian terrain is basically mountainous that is spilt with valleys and rivers. The race and culture is of this country is heavily influenced by the great Macedonian civilization and its Balkan neighbours. Numerous churches, monasteries and mosques can be seen in Macedonia. The town of Ohrid, a World Heritage site, has many religious buildings. In Ohrid's town centre the houses of Robevi and Urania are very good examples of nineteenth century Macedonian architecture. But most of the ancient splendours of Skopje have been destroyed after the devastating 1963 earthquake. After Skopje, the largest cities are Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, and Tetovo.
The tourism industry of Macedonia has developed considerably supported by its ancient heritage and environmental treasure. Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa are two largest Macedonian natural lakes. Wildlife such as the bear, boar and deer can be found in the Galicica National Park. Other National Parks are Mavrovo and Pelister. The Jasen Forest Reserve, the habitat of many species of animals and birds, is thirty kilometres south west of Skopje and is a popular wild stopover for tourists’ worldwide.
Mount Korab
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Geography
The Republic of Macedonia is one of the smallest members of the great Balkan Peninsula. It shares the borders with Serbia and Montenegro on the north, Albania on the west, Greece on the south, and Bulgaria on the east. The country with an approximate population of 2,022,547 is spread over 9,930 sq mi (25,720 sq km) in South Eastern Europe and covers the least area of original Macedonian region.
Macedonia is predominately a mountainous and landlocked country with deep river valleys. It is drained by the Vadar River, which runs through the center of the country, and its tributaries, including the Bregalnica, the Crna Reka, and the Treska rivers. Almost 40% of the country is forested, with a concentration of wooded areas in its western section.
Macedonia's climate is Continental in the north and Mediterranean in the south. It is generally cold and snowy in the winter and hot and dry in the summer. Earthquakes have been the greatest natural terror in Macedonia.
Ethnic Macedonians constitute nearly two thirds of the population. The rest of the population is a large community of minorities consisting of Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Greeks, Bulgarians, and other groups. About 65% of the people belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church, while 30% are Muslims and about 5% are non-Orthodox Christians. Macedonian is the official language; Albanian is widely spoken too by that minority.
History
St.Jovan Kaneo church at Ohrid |
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Although Macedonia is a young state, since it became independent in 1991, its roots run deep into history. It has been inhabited since early times and the great Macedonian civilisation flourished in this region. The most well known Macedon king was Alexander the Great. Eventually the country went under the Roman and Byzantine empires as well as medieval Bulgarian and Serbian states. In the 14th century the region was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.
After the Balkan Wars, Macedonia suffered division between its neighbouring countries Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, and, again, lost territory after the First World War. In 1929, the kingdom was officially renamed Yugoslavia. During the Second World War, Fascist armies occupied Macedonia. In August 1944, the Anti-Fascist Assembly of the National Liberation of Macedonia declared Macedonia a state.
The new state became part of the Federal Peoples' Republic of Yugoslavia in November 1945. The Yugoslavian federation began to disintegrate in 1990 and Macedonia declared its independence in Sept. 1991. In 1993, Macedonia was admitted to the United Nations under the provisional name of “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (FYROM). By 1995, Macedonia resolved its dispute with Greece and Bulgaria, and in 2001 Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) and Macedonia signed an agreement demarcating their border.
Economy
Since becoming independent in 1991, Macedonia is one of the least developed members of the Federal Peoples' Republic of Yugoslavia. The Macedonian economy has been shaken by tensions starting from the Greek trade blockade till 1995, war of Kosovo to ethnic clashes. To combat the high level of unemployment it has embarked upon an exhaustive programme of privatisation. But the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration collectively has helped in boosting up the economy.
Ten percent of the country's GDP comes from the agricultural sector. Agricultural products include corn, millet, wheat, rice, vegetables and citrus fruits. Almost sixty percent of the Macedonia's GDP is provided by the services sector, for example, banking, insurance and tourism. Industry and mining sector contribute over thirty percent of Macedonia's GDP.
A view of Ohrid
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Politics
The Republic of Macedonia is a sovereign, independent, democratic and social state. This sentence is the opening line of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia and explains the stature of the country politics precisely. The Macedonian legislature is represented by a unicameral parliamentary democracy. The executive government is composed of a coalition of parties elected by the population. Every citizen on reaching 18 years of age acquires the right to vote.
The post of the President of the Republic is mostly ceremonial with limited power. The real authority rests in the hands of the President of the Government of Macedonia who wields the executive power. The judicial branch with a constitutional court is an independent section and stays beyond any intervention from other sectors. For administrative convenience, the local government functions are divided between 78 municipalities round the country.
The Republic of Macedonia, politically and judicially, fosters the spirit of inter-ethnic tolerance, which has a long tradition in the country. It is a member of numerous international organisations including the United Nations and organisations for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Macedonia is now looking forward to join NATO and the European Union.
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