Settlement

What is now known as North Macedonia, this region in Europe has had a

complicated and confusing history. Once known as the largest empire in the world,

name changes and historical claim disputes have flooded the recent history of the area,

but what was there before all of that?

There is evidence that can place European civilizations in the area of present day

Macedonia as early as 7000 BC. However, the first documentation of settlement occurs

in 808 BC with Caranus establishing the Macedonian kingdom. From this point on, the

kingdom will begin its growth and expand its power. But eventually, it becomes the area

known today as North Macedonia (“History.com Editors, 2018).

North Macedonia is located in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a

landlocked country, with Greece to its south, Albania to its west, Kosovo to its

northwest, Serbia to its northeast, and Bulgaria to its east (Kästle, 2020). About 80% of

North Macedonia’s terrain is mountainous, with two different ranges - the Šar Mountains

and the Rila-Rhodope Mountains - dominating the country. Another defining part of the

country's terrain is the Varda River that runs directly through, splitting the country in half

(“The World”, 2018). The Vardar River begins in North Macedonia, and flows through

Greece, dumping into the Aegean Sea. With its close proximity to the Mediterranean

Sea, it only makes sense that on top of its mountainous style biome, North Macedonia

is dominated by a Mediterranean climate (Kästle, 2020). Because of this climate and its

close proximity to the Fertile Crescent, North Macedonia has an abundance of crops,

such as tobacco, potatoes, beans, and grapes (History.com Editors, 2017).

 Settlement in this region can be explained through a few different natural

occurrences. The first is the Vardar River. With this river running through the middle of

the country and opening up into the Aegean Sea, importing and exporting goods was

made much easier. The next is the Mediterranean climate. This climate creates fertile

soil and prosperous crops, providing the earliest settlers of the area with plenty of food

and a way to earn a living. The final reason is the mountainous terrain. Begin a

landlocked and relatively small county, having mountain ranges to protect from

unwelcome guests is plenty of reasons to settle in a region.

Based on the discussed factors such as climate, natural resources, and location,

the earliest settlement of present day North Macedonian supports theories from the

Guns, Germs, and Steel module. The east-west axis theory specifically can be

supported. When one examines the general latitude coordinates of North Macedonia in

relation to general latitude coordinates of places in the fertile crescent, it can be

concluded that there would be similar fertile success in the area, explaining settlement

(Diamond, 2005).

References

Diamond, Jared M. (2005). Guns, germs, and steel : the fates of human societies.

Retrieved September 02, 2020 from https://youtu.be/i885hopsw6E

History.com Editors. (2017, December 20). Fertile Crescent. Retrieved September 03,

2020, from https://www.history.com/topics/pre-history/fertile-crescent

History.com Editors. (2018, February 13). Macedonia. Retrieved September 03, 2020,

from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/macedonia

Kästle, K. (2020). Republic of Macedonia. Retrieved September 03, 2020, from

https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/macedonia_rep.htm

The World Factbook: North Macedonia. (2018, February 01). Retrieved September 03,

2020, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.htm