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North Macedonia

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Republic of North Macedonia

Република Северна Македонија

(Macedonian)

Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut

(Albanian)

Flag of North Macedonia

Flag

{{{coat_alt}}}

National emblem

Anthem:

Денес над Македонија (Macedonian)

(English: "Today over Macedonia")

MENU0:00

Europe-Macedonia.svg

Location of North Macedonia (green)

in Europe (dark grey) – [Legend]

Capital

and largest city

Skopje

42°0′N 21°26′E

Official languages Macedonian[a]

Albanian[b]

Official regional languages

Turkish[1]

Romani
Serbian

Bosnian

Aromanian

Ethnic groups (2002)

64.2% Macedonians[2]

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

from Yugoslavia

8 September 1991

• Officially recognised

by the United Nations

8 April 1993

• Official name changed


to Republic of North Macedonia

12 February 2019

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) Positive decrease 33.6[5]

medium

HDI (2017) Increase 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 Macedonia in 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 tribes beginning 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

1 Names and etymology

2 History

2.1 Ancient and Roman period

2.2 Medieval and Ottoman period

2.3 Macedonian nationalism

2.4 Kingdoms of Serbia and Yugoslavia

2.5 World War II period

2.6 Socialist Yugoslavia period

2.7 Declaration of independence

2.8 2001 insurgency

2.9 Antiquisation policy

2.10 Prespa agreement, NATO accession, and EU path

3 Geography

3.1 Climate

3.2 Biodiversity

3.2.1 National parks


4 Politics

4.1 Governance

4.2 Foreign relations

4.3 Human rights

4.4 Military

4.5 Naming dispute

5 Administrative divisions

6 Economy

6.1 Infrastructure and e-infrastructure

6.2 Trade and investment

6.3 Transport

6.4 Tourism

7 Demographics

7.1 Religion

7.2 Languages

7.3 Cities

8 Education

9 Culture

9.1 Cuisine

9.2 Sport

9.3 Cinema

9.4 Media

9.5 Public holidays

10 International rankings

11 See also

12 Footnotes

13 References

14 Bibliography

15 Further reading
16 External 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 Turkish Makedonya,
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
Empire several 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 Strumica voted 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 Wars according 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 Bulgaria and 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 Kosovo took 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

North Macedonia is located in Republic of North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia

Mavrovo-Lake-Autumn.jpg

Galičica 1958 227 km2

North Macedonia is located in Republic of North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia

Galichitsa.jpg

Pelister 1948 125 km2

North Macedonia is located in Republic of North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia

Mount Pelister MK.jpg

Politics

Main article: Politics of North Macedonia

Ǵorge Ivanov 2012-04-27.jpg Zaev.jpg

Gjorge Ivanov

President Zoran Zaev

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 Kingdom Theresa 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
irredentist concept 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

vte

Largest cities or towns in North Macedonia

2002 Census results

Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Region Pop.

Skopje

Skopje

Bitola

Bitola 1 Skopje Skopje 506,926 11 Kavadarci Vardar 29,188 Kumanovo

Kumanovo
Prilep

Prilep

2 Bitola Pelagonia 74,550 12 Kočani Eastern 28,330

3 Kumanovo Northeastern 70,842 13 Kičevo Southwestern 27,067

4 Prilep Pelagonia 66,246 14 Struga Southwestern 16,559

5 Tetovo Polog 52,915 15 Radoviš Southeastern 16,223

6 Veles Vardar 43,716 16 Gevgelija Southeastern 15,685

7 Štip Eastern 43,652 17 Debar Southwestern 14,561

8 Ohrid Southwestern 42,033 18 Kriva Palanka Northeastern 14,558

9 Gostivar Polog 35,847 19 Sveti Nikole Eastern 13,746

10 Strumica Southeastern 35,311 20 Negotino Vardar 13,284

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 Evenings which gather poets from more than 50 countries in the world,
International Camera Festival in Bitola, Open Youth Theatre and Skopje Jazz Festival in Skopje etc. The
National Opera opened in 1947, then named "Macedonian Opera", with a performance of Cavalleria
rusticana under the direction of Branko Pomorisac. Every year, the May Opera Evenings are held in
Skopje for around 20 nights. The first May Opera performance was that of Kiril Makedonski's Tsar Samuil
in May 1972.[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 January New Year Нова Година, Nova Godina

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

April/May Good Friday (Orthodox) Велики Петок, Veliki Petok Orthodox Easter and other
Easter dates do not match; see: List of dates for Easter

April/May Easter Sunday (Orthodox) Прв ден Велигден, Prv den Veligden

April/May Easter Monday (Orthodox) Втор ден Велигден, Vtor den Veligden

1 May Labour Day Ден на трудот, Den na trudot

24 May Saints Cyril and Methodius Day Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на сèсловенските просветители;
Sv. Kiril i Metodij, Den na sèslovenskite prosvetiteli

2 August Republic Day (North Macedonia) Ден на Републиката, Den na Republikata


Day when the Republic was established in 1944, also Ilinden uprising in 1903.

8 September Independence Day (Republic of Macedonia) Ден на независноста, Den na


nezavisnosta Day of independence from Yugoslavia

11 October Day of Macedonian Uprising in 1941 Ден на востанието, Den na vostanieto


Beginning of Anti-fascist war during WWII in 1941
23 October Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (Holiday)Ден на македонската
револуционерна борба,Den na makedonskata revolucionarna borba Day when the Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) was established in 1893.

1 Shawwal Eid ul-Fitr Рамазан Бајрам, Ramazan Bajram moveable, see: Islamic Calendar

8 December Saint Clement of Ohrid Day Св. Климент Охридски, Sv. 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

Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2013[238] 116 out of 179

The Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom 2013[239] 43 out
of 177

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

flag North Macedonia portal

Outline of North Macedonia

North Macedonia – Wikipedia book

Footnotes

National and official language in all aspects of the whole territory of the state and in its international
relations.

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.

Macedonian: Северна Македонија, translit. Severna Makedonija; Albanian: Maqedonia e Veriut

Macedonian: Република Северна Македонија, translit. Republika Severna Makedonija; Albanian:


Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut

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]
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.

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...."

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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