Република Македонија Republika Makedonija Republika e Maqedonisë Republic of Macedonia
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Денес над Македонија  (Macedonian) "Today over Macedonia"
Location of the  Republic of Macedonia  (orange) on the European continent  (white)  —  [ Legend] This article is about the use of the name Macedonia and its derivatives. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Macedonia. ... Image File history File links Grb. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The Flag of the Republic of Macedonia represents a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field. ... The coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia is composed of a double bent garland of ears of wheat, tobacco leaves and poppy seeds, tied by a ribbon decorated with the pattern of a traditional Macedonian costume. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nations government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Today Over Macedonia is the national anthem of the Republic of Macedonia. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 112 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Republic of Macedonia Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Countries ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Capital (and largest city)	Skopje 42°0′N 21°26′E
Official languages	Macedonian, Albanian1
Government	Parliamentary republic
- President	Branko Crvenkovski
- Prime Minister	Nikola Gruevski
Independence	from Yugoslavia
- Declared	September 8, 1991
Area
- Total	25,333 km² (148th) 9,779 sq mi
- Water (%)	1.9
Population
- 2005 estimate	2,034,000 (143rd)
- 2002 census	2,022,547
- Density	79 /km² (111th) 205 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$15.78 billion (121st)
- Per capita	$7,645 (80th)
HDI (2004)	0.796 (medium) (66th)
Currency	Macedonian denar (MKD)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD	.mk
Calling code	+389
1 Macedonian is designated as the primary official language. As of June 2002, any language spoken by at least 20% of the population is also an official language. At present, only Albanian fulfils this requirement, but it can only be used as prescribed by law (e.g., issuing official documents, when communicating with government offices, in municipal self-government) and always in addition to Cyrillic Macedonian. In communities where over 20% of the population speak another language, that language can be used as a municipal official language along with Macedonian and any other official languages; such languages include Turkish, Serbian, Romany and Aromanian.

The Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian: Република Македонија Republika Makedonija listen (help· info), Albanian: Republika e Maqedonisë), often referred to as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east. As the result of a naming dispute with Greece, in 1993 it was admitted to the United Nations under the provisional reference the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), pending resolution of the dispute.^[1] This is a list of national capitals of the world in alphabetical order. ... // Demographics of the Republic of Macedonia , Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands. ... Image File history File links MMCA(Skopje). ... Skopje (Macedonian: ) is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as the political, cultural, economical and academic centre of the country. ... An official language is a language that is given a privileged legal status in a state, or other legally-defined territory. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      For other uses, see Republic (disambiguation). ... The Macedonian Presidency began after the Macedonian declaration of independence on September 18, 1991, and its first president was Kiro Gligorov, the oldest president in the world up until his resignation as president in 1999. ... Missing image Image:.jpg Branko Crvenkovski in Macedonian Бранко Црвенковски is the President of the Republic of Macedonia. ... List of Prime Ministers of the Republic of Macedonia See also President of the Republic of Macedonia Categories: | ... Nikola Gruevski was the Minister of Finance in the VMRO-DPMNE government led by Ljubco Georgievski until September 2002. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in Latin, Југославија in Cyrillic, English: Land of the South Slavs) describes four political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 10,000 km² and 100,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... This is a list of sovereign states and other territories by population, using the most recently available official figures. ... Population density by country, 2006 Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. ... Population density by country, 2006 List of countries and dependencies by population density in inhabitants/km². The list includes sovereign states and self-governing dependent territories that are recognized by the United Nations. ... Purchasing power parity (PPP) is in economics the method of using the long-run equilibrium exchange rate of two currencies to equalize the currencies purchasing power. ... Map of world GDP (PPP) by country using the IMF list for 2005 There are three lists of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year). ... Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head. ... Map of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita, based on the 2005 IMF data. ... World map indicating Human Development Index (2004). ... Image File history File links Red_Arrow_Down. ... This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Programmes Human Development Report 2006, compiled on the basis of 2004 data. ... ISO 4217 Code MKD User(s) Republic of Macedonia Inflation rate 0% Source The World Factbook, 2005 est. ... ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Time zones of Europe: Light colours indicate countries not observing summer time Central European Time (CET) is one of the names of the time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a high-precison atomic time standard. ... Daylight saving time around the world  DST used  DST no longer used  DST never used Daylight saving time (DST), or summer time in British English, is the convention of advancing clocks so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. ... Time zones of Europe: Pale colours indicate countries without daylight saving Central European Summer Time (CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. ... Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is a high-precison atomic time standard. ... The following is a list of currently existing Internet Top-level domains (TLDs). ... .mk is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for the Republic of Macedonia. ... This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164. ... The Cyrillic alphabet (pronounced , also called azbuka, from the old name of the first two letters) is an alphabet used for several East and South Slavic languages—Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Rusyn, Serbian, and Ukrainian—and many other languages of the former Soviet Union, Asia and Eastern Europe. ... Serbian (српски језик; srpski jezik) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs everywhere. ... Romany (or Romani) is the language of the Roma and Sinti, peoples often referred to in English as Gypsies. The Indo-Aryan Romany language should not be confused with either Romanian (spoken by Romanians), or Romansh (spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland), both of which are Romance languages. ... Aromanian (also known as Macedo-Romanian, Arumanian or Vlach in most other countries; in Aromanian: limba aromână, limba armânească, armâneashti or armãneshce) is an Eastern Romance language spoken in Southeastern Europe. ... Image File history File links Makedonija. ... A landlocked country is one that has no coastline. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Anthem: Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city)  Belgrade Official languages Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet1 Government Parliamentary republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  - Formation 8th century   - Independence c. ... For an in depth analysis of the often confusing terms regarding Macedonia, see Macedonia (terminology). ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

The capital is Skopje, with 500,000 inhabitants, and there are a number of smaller cities, notably Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, Kočani, Gostivar and Strumica. It has more than 50 natural and artificial lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,550 ft) above sea level. Skopje (Macedonian: ) is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as the political, cultural, economical and academic centre of the country. ... City motto : Битола, бабам Битола (Bitola, babam Bitola) Coordinates Municipality : Bitola municipality Elevation 576 m Population 95 385 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 047 Postal code 7000 Car plates BT Official Website www. ... City motto : Coordinates Municipality : Kumanovo municipality Elevation 340 m Population 105 484 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 031 Postal code 1300 Car plates KU Official Website www. ... City motto : Coordinates Municipality : Prilep municipality Elevation 620 – 650 m Population 76 768 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 048 Postal code 7500 Car plates PP Official Website www. ... City motto : Coordinates Municipality : Tetovo municipality Elevation 486 m Population 80 841 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 044 Postal code 1200 Car plates TE Official Website tetovo. ... City motto : Coordinates Municipality : Ohrid municipality Elevation 695 m Population 55 749 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 046 Postal code 6000 Car plates OH Official Website www. ... Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. ... City motto : Coordinates Municipality : Å tip municipality Elevation m Population 46 732 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 032 Postal code 2000 Car plates Å T Official Website www. ... Category: ... Gostivar-view on the city center Gostivar (Macedonian: Гостивар; Albanian: Gostivari) is city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog region. ... Strumica (Macedonian/Bulgarian: Струмица, Greek: Στρώμνιτσα Stromnitsa, Turkish: Usturumca) is a city of about 55,000 people in southeastern Republic of Macedonia. ... This article is about a foot as a unit of length. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ...

The country is a member of the UN and the Council of Europe and a member of La Francophonie, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since December 2005 it is also a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Council of Europe Flag: used by the Council of Europe The Council of Europe () is an international organization of 46 member states in the European region (with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus also extending into Southwest Asia and Russia into North Asia). ... La Francophonie (formally lOrganisation internationale de la Francophonie), a French language term coined in 1880 by French geographer Onésime Reclus, brother of Elisée Reclus, to designate the community of people and countries using French, is an international organisation of and governments. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ...

History

Main article: History of the Republic of Macedonia

The lands governed by the Republic of Macedonia were previously the southernmost part of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. Its current borders were fixed shortly after World War II when the government of the then People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia established the People's Republic of Macedonia, recognizing the Macedonian ethnicity, and the region as a separate nation within Yugoslavia. This does not cite its references or sources. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in Latin, Југославија in Cyrillic, English: Land of the South Slavs) describes four political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In the past, these lands came under a number of ancient states and former empires. The first recorded state on the territory was Paionia, which was succeeded by the kingdom of ancient Macedon (which gave its name to the whole Macedonian region). It must be noted though, that the ancient kingdom of Macedon was centred in what is today Greek Macedonia and its boundaries did not span north of the modern town of Bitola until after 323 BC, a date by which most of the world then known to the Greeks was already under Macedonian rule.^[2] Later, in 146 BC, the area became part of the Roman and Byzantine empires, becoming Christian in the 3rd and 4th century AD. Paionia (also Romanized as Paeonia) was, in ancient geography, the land of the Paionians (Gk. ... Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (from Greek ; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordering the kingdom of Epirus on the west and the region of Thrace to the east[1... For an explanation of terms related to Macedonia, see Macedonia (terminology). ... City motto : Битола, бабам Битола (Bitola, babam Bitola) Coordinates Municipality : Bitola municipality Elevation 576 m Population 95 385 Time zone  - Standard  - Summer (DST) CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2) Founded Area code +389 047 Postal code 7000 Car plates BT Official Website www. ... Motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, c. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ...

In the late 6th century AD, Byzantine control over the area disintegrated, and the region was conquered by Slavic tribes from the north, assimilating the preexisting Greek, Latin, Illyrian and Thracian-speaking inhabitants.^[3] In the 9th century, the territory converted to Christianity through the evangelizing work of the Saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples. In the same century, the First Bulgarian Empire assumed control of most of the area. Sclaveni (variants: Sclauini, Sthlaueni in Latin, Σκλαβήνοι, Σκλαυήνοι, Σθλαβίνοι in Greek) is an old form of the name of the Slavs that was used in the Middle Ages. ... Monument to Sts. ... The First Bulgarian Empire was founded in 681 AD in the lands near the Danube delta and disintegrated in 1018 AD by annexion to the Byzantine Empire. ...

The Byzantines reassumed full control of the Balkans by the early 11th century, but by the late 12th century Byzantine decline brought about the birth of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The empire soon met with political difficulties, and the wider geographical Macedonia region fell once again under Byzantine control. In the 14th century, it became part of the Serbian Empire, only to pass a few decades later into Ottoman hands, under whose rule it was to remain for five centuries. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 (or 1422). ... Serbia was formerly a principality (1817-1882), kingdom (1882-1918) and part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918-1945, until 1929 the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI...

Ottoman rule over the region was considered harsh. One of the earliest uprisings against Ottoman rule came in 1689 with Karposh's Rebellion. Several movements whose goals where the establishment of an independent Macedonian state encompassing the entire region of Macedonia began to arise in the mid and late 1800s, the most famous of these was the IMRO. In 1903, IMRO organised the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottomans, which after the initial successes including the forming of the Krushevo Republic, was crushed with much loss of life. The uprising and the forming of the Krushevo Republic are considered the corner-stone and precursors to the eventual establishment of the Republic of Macedonia. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija, Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Орг&#1072... The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija, Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Орг&#1072... The Ilinden Uprising as seen by the English daily The Times, Aug. ... KruÅ¡evo Republic was a short-lived republic proclaimed by the rebels of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising on 3 August 1903 in he city of KruÅ¡evo (then Ottoman Empire) - the first modern day republic in the Balkans. ... KruÅ¡evo Republic was a short-lived republic proclaimed by the rebels of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising on 3 August 1903 in he city of KruÅ¡evo (then Ottoman Empire) - the first modern day republic in the Balkans. ...

Following the two Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913 and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the wider region of Macedonia was divided between Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. The territory of the present-day Republic of Macedonia was then named Južna Srbija, "Southern Serbia". After the First World War, Serbia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929, the Kingdom was officially renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and divided into provinces called banovinas. So-called "Southern Serbia" (Vardar Macedonia), including all of what is now the Republic of Macedonia, became known as the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Combatants Ottoman Empire Balkan League Bulgaria Commanders Nizam Pasha, Zekki Pasha, Esat Pasha, Abdullah Pasha, Ali Rizah Pasha Bulgaria: Vladimir Vazov, Vasil Kutinchev, Nikola Ivanov, Radko Dimitriev Serbia: Radomir Putnik, Petar Bojović, Stepa Stepanović Greece:Crown Prince Constantine, Panagiotis Danglis, Pavlos Kountouriotis Nikola Ivanov, Vasil Kutinchev, Radko Dimitriev The outcome... Anthem: Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city)  Belgrade Official languages Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet1 Government Parliamentary republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  - Formation 8th century   - Independence c. ... Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian: Вардарска Македонија, Vardarska Makedonija ; Bulgarian: Вардарска Македония, Vardarska Makedoniya), also known as Southern or Old Serbia ( Serbian:Јужна/Стара Србија , Južna/Stara Srbija) is an area in the north of the Macedonia region. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a Balkan state which existed from December 1, 1918 to mid-April 1941. ... Motto: One nation, one king, one country Anthem: Medley of Bože pravde, Lijepa naÅ¡a domovino, and Naprej zastava slave Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croato-Slovenian (see: Serbo-Croat and Slovenian) [1] Government Value specified for government_type does not comply King  - 1918-1921 Peter I  - 1921-1934 Alexander... Ban was a title used in some states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 9th century and the 20th century. ... National motto: None Official languages Macedonian2 Capital Skopje President Branko Crvenkovski Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 145th 25,713 km² 1. ... Map of the Vardar Banovina Map showing Yugoslav banovinas in 1929 (The Vardar Banovina is coloured green, on the lower right part of the map) The Vardar Banovina or Vardar Banate or in Serbian: Вардарска бановина/Vardarska banovina) was a province (banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. ... Motto: One nation, one king, one country Anthem: Medley of Bože pravde, Lijepa naÅ¡a domovino, and Naprej zastava slave Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croato-Slovenian (see: Serbo-Croat and Slovenian) [1] Government Value specified for government_type does not comply King  - 1918-1921 Peter I  - 1921-1934 Alexander...

In 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied by the Axis Powers and the Vardar Banovina was divided between Bulgaria and Italian-occupied Albania. Local recruits and volunteers formed the Bulgarian 5th Army, based in Skopje, which was responsible for the round-up and deportation of over 7,000 Jews in Skopje and Bitola. Harsh rule by the occupying forces encouraged some Macedonians to support the Communist Partisan resistance movement of Josip Broz Tito. After the end of the Second World War, when Tito became Yugoslavia's president, the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was established. The People's Republic of Macedonia 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, becoming the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. It dropped the "Socialist" from its name in 1991 when it peacefully seceded from Yugoslavia. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Yugoslav Partisan Flag The Yugoslav Partisans were the main resistance movement engaged in the fight against the Axis forces in the Balkans during World War II, the Yugoslav Peoples Liberation War. ... Josip Broz Tito (Cyrillic: Јосип Броз Тито, May 7, 1892 (May 25th according to official birth certificate) – May 4, 1980) was the leader of the Second Yugoslavia, which lasted from 1943 until 1991. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian Government Socialist republic President  - 1945 - 1953 Ivan Ribar  - 1991 Stjepan Mesić Prime Minister  - 1945 - 1963 Josip Broz Tito  - 1989 - 1991 Ante Marković Historical era Cold War  - Proclamation November 29, 1943  - UN membership October 24, 1945  - Constitution February 21, 1974  - dissolution June 25...

The country officially celebrates 8 September 1991 as Independence day (Ден на независноста), with regard to the referendum endorsing independence from Yugoslavia, albeit legalizing participation in future union of the former states of Yugoslavia. The anniversary of the start of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising (St. Elijah's Day) on the 2 August is also widely celebrated on an official level. September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Republic of Macedonia independence day (Den na nezavisnosta or Ден на независноста) is held on September 8. ... The Ilinden Uprising as seen by the English daily The Times, Aug. ...

The Republic of 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. However, it was seriously destabilized by the Kosovo War in 1999, when an estimated 360,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo took refuge in the country. Although they departed shortly after the war, soon after, Albanian radicals on both sides of the border took up arms in pursuit of autonomy or independence for the Albanian-populated areas of the Republic. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts (a civil war followed by an international war) in the southern Serbian province called Kosovo (officially Kosovo and Metohia), part of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ... This article is about Albanians as an ethnic group. ... The National Liberation Army (Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare Kombëtare - UÇK ; Macedonian: Ослободителна национална армија - ОНА), also known as the Macedonian UÇK, is a military organization that operated in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001. ...

A short conflict was fought between government and ethnic Albanian rebels, mostly in the north and west of the country, between March and June 2001. This war ended with the intervention of a NATO ceasefire monitoring force. In the Ohrid Agreement, the government agreed to devolve greater political power and cultural recognition to the Albanian minority. The Albanian side agreed to surrender separatist demands and to fully recognise all Macedonian institutions. In addition, according to this accord, the NLA were to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force. In 2005, the country was officially recognized as a European Union candidate state, under the reference "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia". Combatants Republic of Macedonia National Liberation Army Commanders Boris Trajkovski Ali Ahmeti Strength 9,000 (State Army with Tanks APCs, Air Force and other heavy equipment) also some 4,000 - 5,000 NATO troops 1,000. ... NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on April 4, 1949. ... The Ohrid Agreement, or the Ohrid Framework Agreement was the peace deal signed by the government of the Republic of Macedonia and Albanian representatives in 2001. ...

Politics

Main article: Politics of the Republic of Macedonia

President of the Republic of Macedonia, Branko Crvenkovski

The Republic of Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a coalition of parties from the unicameral legislature (Собрание, Sobranie) and an independent judicial branch with a constitutional court. The Assembly is made up of 120 seats and the members are elected every four years. Politics of the Republic of Macedonia: From the CIA World Factbook 2000/2001, partially updated Country name: conventional long form: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia conventional short form: none local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija abbreviation: F.Y.R.O.M. Data code: MK Government type... Image File history File links Macedoniapresident1. ... Image File history File links Macedoniapresident1. ... Missing image Image:.jpg Branko Crvenkovski in Macedonian Бранко Црвенковски is the President of the Republic of Macedonia. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ...

The role of the President of the Republic is mostly ceremonial, with the real power resting in the hands of the President of the Government. The President is the commander-in-chief of the state armed forces and a president of the state Security Council. The President of the Republic is elected every five years and he or she can be elected twice at most. The current President is Branko Crvenkovski. Missing image Image:.jpg Branko Crvenkovski in Macedonian Бранко Црвенковски is the President of the Republic of Macedonia. ...

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 the Republic of Macedonia are units of local self-government. Neighbouring municipalities may establish cooperative arrangements. In linguistics, grammatical number is a morphological category characterized by the expression of quantity through inflection or agreement. ... Skopje (Macedonian: ) is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as the political, cultural, economical and academic centre of the country. ...

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.

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, the Republic's 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, the country 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. The parliamentary election, 2006 in the Republic of Macedonia was held on 5 July 2006. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (Macedonian: Vnatrešno-Makedonska Revoluciona Organizacija-Demokratska Partija za Makedonsko Nacionalno Edintsvo), or VMRO-DPMNE is a political party in the Republic of Macedonia. ... Nikola Gruevski was the Minister of Finance in the VMRO-DPMNE government led by Ljubco Georgievski until September 2002. ...

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 Albanian-dominated parts of the country. The Democratic Party of Albanians (Partia Demokratike Shqiptare/Demokratska Partija na Albancite) is a political party of the ethnic Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. ... DUI symbol The Democratic Union for Integration (Bashkimi Demokratik për Integrim, BDI, Demokratska Unija za Integracija, DUI) is the largest political party in the Republic of Macedonia among ethnic Albanians, and the third largest political party in all of Macedonia. ... The Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP is ethnic Albanian political party in the Republic of Macedonia. ...

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of the Republic of Macedonia

// The Republic of Macedonia became a member state of the United Nations on April 8, 1993, eighteen months after its independence from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...

General situation

The Republic of Macedonia is a member of a number of international organisations such as the United Nations, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, associate member of La Francophonie, World Trade Organization (WTO) etc. It is seeking to join NATO and the European Union, although its accession to either is unlikely to occur before 2008 and 2012, respectively. In December 2005, the leaders of the EU formally named it as a candidate country but did not set a date for starting entry talks. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... Council of Europe Flag: used by the Council of Europe The Council of Europe () is an international organization of 46 member states in the European region (with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia and Cyprus also extending into Southwest Asia and Russia into North Asia). ... La Francophonie (formally lOrganisation internationale de la Francophonie), a French language term coined in 1880 by French geographer Onésime Reclus, brother of Elisée Reclus, to designate the community of people and countries using French, is an international organisation of and governments. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... The European Union (EU) was created by six founding states in 1958 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952) and has grown to 27 member states. ...

The United States Agency for International Development has underwritten a project called "Macedonia Connects" which has made the Republic of Macedonia the first all-broadband wireless country its size or larger in the world. The Ministry of Education and Sciences reports that 461 schools (primary and secondary) are now connected to the internet. 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. USAID logo The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the U.S. government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. ...

Diplomatic representation

The Republic of Macedonia is represented abroad by embassies in the following countries: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, People's Republic of China, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and the Vatican. Anthem: Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city)  Belgrade Official languages Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet1 Government Parliamentary republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  - Formation 8th century   - Independence c. ...

The Republic of Macedonia also maintains consulates or representative offices in Pristina, Kosovo (Serbia); Thessaloniki, Greece; Toronto, Canada; Detroit, USA; Istanbul, Turkey and Podgorica, Montenegro. There are also permanent missions at the UN, NATO, EU, UNESCO, Council of Europe, and FAO headquarters. There is currently no representation in Taiwan (Republic of China) since 2001 when diplomatic relations were formally severed between the two countries and the Macedonian embassy in Beijing was reopened. Anthem: Oj, svijetla majska zoro Oh, the bright dawn of May Montenegro() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city)  Podgorica Official languages Serbian (Ijekavian dialect)1 Government Republic  - President Filip Vujanović  - Prime Minister Željko Å turanović Independence from Serbia and Montenegro   - Declared June 3, 2006   - Recognised June 8, 2006  Area...

Greece

The Republic of Macedonia generally has good relations with Greece and includes substantial foreign investment to the country from Greece. However, the naming dispute has inhibited the establishment of full diplomatic relations so far but has not prevented Greece and the Republic from engaging in military and security co-operation, cross-border investments, and cultural exchanges. The November 2005 European Commission report states that, "Relations with Greece have improved in the last few years. Greece is the most important investor in the country (57% of the total foreign investments) and trade has been constantly increasing." For the official position of the Hellenic Republic on its trade relations with the Republic, and on the name issue, see [3] and [4] For an in depth analysis of the often confusing terms regarding Macedonia, see Macedonia (terminology). ... The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...

The November 2006 European Commission report states that,[5], "In December 2005 the two countries opened an Office for Consular, Economic and Trade Relations in Bitola and a Consulate in Thessaloniki respectively. Cooperation has developed in many areas, including transport, health, security, culture and customs. However, there has been no progress on the name issue which remains an open problem. Renewed efforts are needed, with a constructive approach, to find a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution on the name issue with Greece, under the auspices of the UN, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolutions (EEC) No 817/93 and (EEC) No 845/93, thereby contributing to regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations." The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ...

Former Greek foreign minister, M. Papakonstandinou, clearly expressed Athens' position towards the republic, "Greek interests demand that this state survives. It must exist [...] This is the firm position of [both ND and PASOK]." (ref: Interview with the minister. In, 'Andi' (weekly socio-political journal), Nr 588, 13 October 1995). Party logo New Democracy (ND, Greek: Νέα Δημοκρατία, Nea Dhimokratia), founded in 1974, is the main center-right liberal-conservative political party in Greece. ... The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, better known as PASOK (Greek: Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima, ΠΑΣΟΚ), is a Greek social democratic political party. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Due to the dispute over the name, the United Nations agreed to a provisional reference — "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) (Macedonian: Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија (ПЈРМ)) — when it became a member state in 1993 [6]. Most international organizations adopted the same convention, including the European Union, NATO, the International Monetary Fund, the European Broadcasting Union, and the International Olympic Committee, among others. The EU recognises the country as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and the negotiations with the EU are held using this reference [7], [8]. FYROM is also used as a provisional name in any discussion to which Greece is a party [9] but is inconsistently used by other countries. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... [[Image:Example. ... <marquee bgcolor=white><text color=lime> sup --> The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), known in French as LUnion Européenne de Radio-Télévision (UER), and unrelated to the European Union, was formed on 12 February 1950 by 23 broadcasting organisations from Europe and the Mediterranean at a conference... Bold textralf is gay IOC redirects here. ...

However, an increasing number of countries have abandoned the United Nations provisional reference and have recognised the country as the Republic of Macedonia instead. These include three of the five permanent UN Security Council members: the United States, Russia, and the People's Republic of China. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...

From 1992 to 1995, the two countries also engaged in a dispute over the Republic's first flag, which incorporated the Vergina Sun symbol, a symbol of the ancient Kingdom of Macedon. Its adoption by the Republic of Macedonia, on 3 July 1992, was seen as a reaction by Skopje to Athens' pressure to change the name. This aspect of the dispute was permanently resolved after an interim accord between the two states, when the flag was changed by an act of parliament, in October 1995. Vergina Sun The Vergina Sun or Star of Vergina is a sixteen-ray star symbol found in archaeological excavations in Vergina in northern Greece. ... Macedons regions and towns Macedon or Macedonia (from Greek ; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was the name of an ancient kingdom in the northern-most part of ancient Greece, bordering the kingdom of Epirus on the west and the region of Thrace to the east[1... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Irredentist ethnic Macedonian groups, however, propagate the idea of United Macedonia, calling for the bringing of Greek and Bulgarian territories under the control of the Republic of Macedonia. A map distributed by extreme Macedonian nationalists circa 1993. ...

Bulgaria

The Republic of Macedonia maintains uneven relations with the Republic of Bulgaria. Bulgaria was the first country to recognize Macedonian independence and the republic under its constitutional name. Many Macedonian students matriculate in Bulgarian universities. Bulgaria supports the Macedonian bid to enter the EU and NATO. It also donated a large amount of tanks, artillery and other materials to the Macedonian army.

According to Bulgarian media, there have been repeated cases of anti-Bulgarian violence towards citzens with a Bulgarian national background and desecrations [10]. The Bulgarian government maintains that there has been conducted in Macedonia an active propaganda against Bulgaria (the police being indifferent in this respect), and that Skopje maintains a harsh attitude towards its citizens with a Bulgarian background.^{[citation needed]}

Issues have also been raised over what many Bulgarians view as appropriation and falsification of their history, and the treatment in the Republic of Macedonia of people espousing a Bulgarian national identity. The organization of the Bulgarian minority in the Republic of Macedonia Radko for example (which was later banned by the Macedonian Constitutional Court) had been publicly harassed after they claimed that there is no Macedonian ethnicity today, and the perpetrators were acclaimed as heroes by the media. [11]

Bulgaria is also concerned at repeated territorial claims against it, backed by the Skopje authorities; for instance, according to the new Macedonian encyclopedia (funded by the Ministry of Culture), some parts of Bulgaria are represented in Macedonia. [12]

Another point of contention in the relationship between the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria is the latter's refusal to recognise the existence of a separate Macedonian ethnicity, instead considering Macedonians to be Bulgarians and their language as a regional "norm" based on local Bulgarian dialects [13]. The so-called "language dispute", which started in 1993 and was effectively impeding diplomatic relations, was resolved in 1999 when the two governments adopted the formula "the official language in the Republic of Macedonia, and the official language in Bulgaria" in their bilateral agreements where they use the Macedonian and Bulgarian languages.^{[citation needed]}

Similarly, the Bulgarian Constitutional Court has banned the political party of the ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria UMO Ilinden-Pirin as separatist; this measure was found not to be "proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued" on October 20, 2005 by the European Court of Human Rights. UMO Ilinden-Pirin (United Macedonian Organisation: Ilinden-Pirin) is a Macedonian organisation in Bulgaria, whose self-declared aims are protection of the human rights, language and nationality of the Macedonian minority in the country. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Turkey

Turkey has very close relations with the "Republic of Macedonia" and recognises this state with its constitutional name (Makedonya Cumhuriyeti) instead of FYROM. Official languages Macedonian language¤,2 Capital Skopje President Branko Crvenkovski Prime Minister Vlado Bučkovski Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water Ranked 145th  25,713 km²  1. ...

European Union candidacy and membership

Main article: Accession of the Republic of Macedonia to the European Union

The EU leaders on the meeting held in Thessaloniki in 2003 [14] promised western Balkan countries that they will become an integral part of the EU, once they meet the established criteria. As part of the ongoing efforts to expand its membership, the European Union (EU) granted the Republic of Macedonia candidate status on 17 December 2005, but with no promise of when such negotiations could start. France had made a budget deal as a condition for granting the Republic of Macedonia candidate status and Greece agreed not to veto the decision on the premise that the name dispute will be resolved. The Republic of Macedonia applied for full membership on 22 March 2004. Vlado Bučkovski, then minister of defence and later prime minister, hailed the decision as a "one-way ticket" to the EU for his country. Official logo of the process for European integration of Republic of Macedonia The membership of the Republic of Macedonia in the European Union is the highest strategic interest and priority for the Republic of Macedonia, referred to by the European Union (EU) as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM... Coordinates 40°38′ N 22°57′ E Country Greece Periphery Central Macedonia Prefecture Thessaloniki [1] Population 352,658 source (2006) Metropolitan area population 976. ... The European Union (EU) was created by six founding states in 1958 (following the earlier establishment by the same six states of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952) and has grown to 27 member states. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vlado Buckovski Vlado Bučkovski (Владо Бучковски) (born December 2, 1962 in Skopje) is the current prime minister of the Republic of Macedonia, elected by parliament on December 15, 2004. ...

The country is still included in the black visa list of the EU [15]. According to the EU, namely in accordance with its Copenhagen criteria, the main obstacles towards eventual EU membership for Republic of Macedonia concern good relations with neighbouring countries and reforms to its judicial and police systems. Also, growth rate lags behind that of most EU members, unemployment is high, and foreign investment is relatively low. The decentralisation process imposed after the six-month conflict in 2001 still requires full implementation. In principle, the relatively low population and European characteristics of the Republic promise few strains on the EU budget. At a press conference held in March 2006, German chancellor Angela Merkel suggested a privileged partnership for potential members. Following the rejection of the EU constitution by the French and Dutch voters, the EU is in a period of reflection (time to decide what to do next) that can last for several years. This decision seems to delay the prospect of EU membership for candidates like Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Turkey for some period. The French have warned that they want strict application of the notion of absorption capacity for the EU - a concept which has existed since 1993 but which has rarely been highlighted. The Copenhagen criteria are the rules that define whether a nation is eligible to join the European Union. ... Decentralisation (American: decentralization) is any of various means of more widely distributing decision-making to bring it closer to the point of service or action. ...   (IPA: ) (born in Hamburg, Germany, on July 17, 1954, as Angela Dorothea Kasner), is the Chancellor of Germany. ... The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 by representatives of the EU member states The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE), commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ... The term absorption capacity (as a part of EU Cohesion Rolicy) stands for the degree to which a country is able to effectively and efficiently spend the financial resources received from the European Funds. ...

Another problem in the relations between the EU and the Republic of Macedonia is the EU visa regime with the country, fostering resentment and inhibiting progress on trade, business, education etc, contributing negatively to regional stability. [16].

In February 2006, the Republic became the fourth member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), joining Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania. CEFTA acts as 'sandbox' to encourage joint efforts for the integration of participating countries in Western European institutions and look for opportunities for close economic and political co-operation.  member states  former member states  prospective member states The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) is a trade agreement between Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and the Republic of Macedonia. ... Look up sandbox in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The naming dispute with Greece remains an unresolved issue in the country's accession to the EU. On August 29, 2006, the Greek foreign minister, Ms.Dora Bakoyannis, affirmed that "...the Hellenic