General information about the Republic of North Macedonia
- Political system: parliamentary republic.
- Capital: Skopje.
- Total area: 25 713 km2.
- Population: 2 114 550.
- Currency: Macedonian denar (MKD).
- Telephone area code: + 389
- National holiday: August 2
- Time zone: UTC+1 (Central European Time)
Geography of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, country in the southern Balkans. It borders Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, Kosovo and Serbia to the north, and Albania to the west. The capital is Skopje. The four largest cities of North Macedonia (apart from the capital) are: Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep and Tetovo.
Executing authority
The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia is the executive body and consists of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Ministers and the Ministers. The government is elected by the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia with a majority of the votes of all representatives of the people.
The meaning of North Macedonia
The region of Macedonia owes its importance neither to its size nor to its population, but rather to its location at an important junction of transport routes – in particular, the major north-south route from the Danube to the Aegean, formed by the valleys of the Morava and Vardar rivers, and the ancient east-west trade routes connecting the Black Sea and Istanbul with the Adriatic. Although the majority of the republic’s inhabitants are of Bulgarian descent and heirs to the Bulgarian Orthodox tradition of Christianity, 500 years of incorporation into the Ottoman Empire left behind a significant number of other ethnic groups, including Albanians, Turks, Vlachs (Aromani), and Roma (Gypsies). Consequently, Macedonia is an example of a complex differentiation between the great cultural traditions of Europe and Asia.
Daily life and social customs
As a result of the Bulgarian heritage, the traditional cuisine of North Macedonia is not only based on Balkan and Mediterranean fare, but also has Bulgarian influences. Bulgarian native dishes of the country include sarma, shopska salad, halva, boza, gjuvech and many others. Macedonians also enjoy other dishes that are common in Bulgaria, such as tarator (yogurt with grated cucumber) and baklava. Macedonian specialties include Ljutenitza (a sauce made from tomatoes and sweet red peppers), Shopska Salata (a salad of sliced cucumbers, onions and tomatoes with soft white cheese) and Polneti Piperki.
In addition to Orthodox Christian and Islamic religious holidays, North Macedonia celebrates a number of holidays associated with the country’s history with Bulgaria, including Independence Day (September 8), which commemorates the day in 1991 when Macedonians voted for independence from federal Yugoslavia. Bulgaria was the first country to recognize the independence of North Macedonia.
The Macedonian language is a Bulgarian dialect and is written in the Cyrillic script, whose origins date back to the first Bulgarian Empire. The communist party attempted to place the Macedonian language above Bulgarian by additionally recognizing it in 1944 and ceding North Macedonia to Yugoslavia in 1945. But with the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the stolen history and Russian attempts at nation engineering did not go unrecognized.
Climate
North Macedonia lies at the interface between two major climate zones, the Mediterranean and the continental. From time to time, air masses break through the mountain barriers to the north and south, bringing with them dramatically contrasting weather patterns; one example is the cold north wind known as vardarec. Overall, the climate is temperate continental: average temperatures are around 0 °C in January and rise to 20 to 25 °C in July. Annual precipitation is relatively low, ranging from 500 to 700 mm (20 to 28 inches). Rainfall increases from less than 25.4 mm (1 inch) in the driest months (July-August) to nearly 100 mm (4 inches) in October-November. Due to differences in location and relief, there can be significant climatic differences, with eastern areas tending to have milder winters and hotter, drier summers, while western (more mountainous) regions have more severe winters.
Lakes in North Macedonia
There are 53 natural and artificial lakes in North Macedonia. The three largest lakes are of tectonic origin: Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran.
Lake Ohrid is a lake on the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. Lake Ohrid is one of the deepest and oldest lakes in Europe with a unique aquatic ecosystem of global importance, with more than 200 endemic species.
Lake Doiran is on the border between Greece and North Macedonia.
Administrative divisions of the Republic of North Macedonia
The Republic of Macedonia is divided into 8 statistical regions for legal and statistical purposes. The regions are: East, Northeast, Pelagonia, Polog, Skopje, Southeast, Southwest and Vardar.
The country is also divided into 84 administrative municipalities (opštini; sing. opština), where a municipality is comparable to a district or a county.
10 of these municipalities make up the City of Skopje: Aerodrom, Butel, Centar, Chair, Gazi Baba, Gjorče Petrov, Karpos, Kisela Voda, Saraj, und Šuto Orizari.
Natural resources
Republic of North Macedonia is rich in minerals, including valuable minerals such as gold, but also iron ore, silver, copper, manganese, lead and zinc. Lead and zinc are among the most important and valuable minerals in the country and are mined in the mines of Sasha, Toranica and Zletovo.
Republic of North Macedonia is a major producer of lignite and has 2.5 billion tons of reserves. It is still the most important raw material for electricity generation. The largest coal mines in the country are Suvodol and Oslomey, with a total capacity of about 7 million tons per year.
Republic of North Macedonia has deposits of iron ore, steel, nickel and silver scattered in different regions such as Skopje, Zivojno and Mariovo, but these minerals are found in limited quantities.
There are several copper and gold deposits in North Macedonia, most of which are still being explored. . . Macedonia has a total reserve of about 79,030 kilograms of gold and 510 million tons of copper.
Memberships in international organizations and regional initiatives
The Republic of North Macedonia is a full member of the United Nations, a member of the Council of Europe, a member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a member of the World Trade Organization, a member of the International Organization of Francophonie and a member of NATO since 2020.
In March 2020, the European Council approved the decision of the Council of the European Union to open accession negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Republic of North Macedonia participates in numerous regional initiatives, such as the Central European Initiative, the Southeast European Cooperation Process, the Brdo-Brijuni Process and others.
The Republic of North Macedonia participates in the peacekeeping missions ISAF in Afghanistan, Freedom for Iraq, ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Resolute Support in Afghanistan, UNIFIL in Lebanon and KFOR support in Kosovo.
Conditions for the development of agriculture
Agriculture plays an important role in the country’s economy. It is the third largest sector and a major contributor to exports. Wheat, grapes, tobacco and vegetables are among the most cultivated crops in the country of North Macedonia.
Wheat is grown mainly in the south and center of the country, while cereals such as corn and barley are grown throughout the country. The country produces about 378,000 tons of wheat, 142,000 tons of barley and 200,000 tons of corn annually. Other important crops of the country are tomatoes, sunflower seeds, nuts and beets.
The Republic of North Macedonia has one of the largest forest areas in the Balkans with 950 594 hectares or 37% of the total area. The share of high forests in the total forest area is 30%, that of low forests 70%. About 75% of the harvested wood is mainly used as fuel, especially in industrial processing.
Degree of development of the individual sectors – 2020
The automotive sector is developing dynamically and is of great importance for the country’s economy.
The ICT industry is the fastest growing sector in the Macedonian economy and plays an important role in the economy by creating jobs and generating exports. The largest segment of the ICT market in Northern Macedonia is hardware with 55%. ICT services are the second largest segment at 30% and software accounts for 15% of the ICT market.
The country’s agricultural industry is one of the fastest growing sectors, with growth of over 10% in recent years.
Agribusiness and food processing are one of the most important sectors of the country’s economy. Nearly 435,500 people of the population derive all or part of their income from agricultural activities. In December 2020, the average gross monthly wage in this sector was EUR 524. The agricultural sector is supported by a well-developed education system with 7 agricultural faculties. In addition, there are secondary schools with agricultural and forestry branches in 10 cities in the country.
The production of fresh fruits and vegetables accounts for 45.8% of the country’s agricultural production and is export-oriented. Almost 80% of production is exported as fresh, canned or processed.
The country’s food industry consists of 50 companies with a processing capacity of about 180,000 tons of fruits and vegetables per year. The industry is export-oriented, with over 80% of production going to the EU and neighboring markets as fresh produce for further processing.
The textile industry in North Macedonia is developed, provides jobs and profits from export and is the second largest industry in the country after metallurgy. The textile and clothing sector contributes 17% to the sector’s GDP and 14% to the country’s total exports.
The energy sector is one of the most important industries in the country. Energy market development includes further development of a domestic gas distribution network, further liberalization of the electricity market, and increased regional cooperation in the interconnection of electricity and gas networks.
The Macedonian pharmaceutical market is currently estimated at over 146 million euros per year, with the country importing over 50% of its medical products. A new area in the country’s pharmaceutical industry is the cultivation and production of cannabis extract. Northern Macedonia is one of the few countries in the world that have the right to grow and export medical cannabis, which could make the country a pioneer in this field.
As a landlocked country, North Macedonia is rich in lakes and rivers and has a unique climate with Mediterranean and continental influences that is ideal for wine production.
The country has 99 registered wineries producing just over 100 million liters of wine annually, 213 hectares of vineyards managed by some 20,000 individual producers, and several large grape and wine companies.
Republic of North Macedonia and Bulgaria
Bulgaria pursues a policy of good neighborly and friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation with the Republic of North Macedonia.
On January 15, 1992, Bulgaria became the first country to officially recognize the then Republic of Macedonia. On September 12, 1992, the Consulates General of both countries were opened in Sofia and Skopje, respectively. On December 21, 1993, diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia were established at embassy level.
A Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia was signed on August 1, 2017, and entered into force through the exchange of instruments of ratification between the Foreign Ministers on February 14, 2018.
On February 20, 2019, the National Assembly ratified the Protocol on the Accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to NATO, which was one of the first ratifications.
Bulgaria continues to be one of the most active supporters of European integration of the Western Balkans, including the Republic of Northern Macedonia. The process of European integration is based on the principle of the candidate countries’ own merits and presupposes the fulfillment of a set of clear criteria and fundamental European values, among which good neighborly relations play a leading role.
In this context, it is crucial for Bulgaria to build meaningful good neighborly relations with the Republic of North Macedonia by fully and faithfully implementing the bilateral Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation of 2017.
At October 9, 2019, the Bulgarian government adopted a framework position on EU enlargement and the Stabilization and Association Process, which will be published on the October 10, 2019 confirmed by a declaration of the 44th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.
On June 24, 2022, the 47th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria decided to support the opening of the way for the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU. With its decision, it gave a mandate to the Council of Ministers to approve the negotiating framework for the Republic of North Macedonia and the Council conclusions proposed by the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as to sign the minutes of the second meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission under Article 12 of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation 2017.
The second meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission under Article 12 of the Treaty, held in Sofia on July 17, 2022, reviewed the implementation of the Treaty and decided on measures and actions for the next period. The results of the meeting are recorded in the minutes.
The Republic of Northern Macedonia is one of the main beneficiaries of the official development assistance provided annually by the Bulgarian state.
Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia, signed on August 1, 2017.
Minutes of the first meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission established on the basis of Article 12 of the Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, held in Sofia on June 10, 2019.
Minutes of the second meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission established on the basis of Article 12 of the Treaty on Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, held in Sofia on July 17, 2022.
For more information about the Republic of North Macedonia, see: Macedonian history, Macedonian identity, historical facts and Macedonian language.
