Welcome to Macedonia

Macedonia Facts • Maps

The Republic of Macedonia is a Southeast European country, north of Greece and west of Bulgaria.

Macedonians make up 66% of Macedonia's population of 2 million, Albanians 23%, and Turks, Vlach, and Serbs, the rest (1994 census).

Skopje is the capital of Macedonia with over 600,000 inhabitants.

Macedonian is the official language of the country and it is also spoken by the Macedonian minorities in Greece, Bulgaria, and Albania, and by the Macedonian Diaspora around the world.

Most of the residents are of Eastern Orthodox Christian and Muslim faith, while some are Roman Catholic or Protestant.

Macedonia Information and History

The landlocked and mostly mountainous country of Macedonia, in southeastern Europe, proclaimed independence from Yugoslavia in September 1991. The UN officially calls the country "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"—due to Greece's fear that use of "Macedonia" might imply territorial ambitions toward the Greek region of Macedonia. The democratic government faced a 2001 rebellion launched by ethnic Albanians, who make up 25 percent of the population. Negotiations led to laws making Albanian an official language and providing other minority rights.

ECONOMY

Industry: coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel, textiles.
Agriculture: rice, tobacco, wheat, corn; beef.
Exports: food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel.

Macedonia Flag and Fast Facts
	Population 2,039,000 Capital Skopje; 447,000 Area 25,713 square kilometers (9,928 square miles) Language Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish Religion Macedonian Orthodox, Muslim	Currency Macedonian denar Life Expectancy 73 GDP per Capita U.S. $5,100 Literacy Percent NA