North Macedonia

North Macedonia (; officially the Republic of North Macedonia), also sometimes known by its old name Macedonia, is a country located on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe. 

It was part of Yugoslavia. Macedonia is bordered by Serbia, Albania, Greece  and Bulgaria. The capital and largest city is Skopje, with more than 500,000 residents. It has many smaller cities. Some important ones are Bitola, Prilep, Tetovo, Kumanovo, Ohrid, Veles, Stip, and Strumica.

Macedonia is a member of the United Nations and World Trade Organization (WTO). It joined NATO on 30 March 2020. Since December 2005, it is a candidate for joining the European Union.

The language spoken by the majority of the population is Macedonian. Albanian is also spoken by ethnic Albanians. The country's currency is the Macedonian denar (MKD).

History 
In past centuries the territory which today is the Republic of Macedonia was ruled by many different states such as Bulgaria and many other empires.

Earliest residents 
People have been living in Macedonia for thousands of years. Neolithic people lived in Macedonia from 7000 to 3500 BCE. The Iliad mentions the Kingdom of Paeonia in Macedonia. From 1000 to 1 BCE, Dacians, Thracians,Illyrians, Celts, and Greeks lived in Northern Macedonia.

Alexander the Great's empire 
The Ancient Macedonian kingdom of Macedonia was just hundreds of small, independent, city-states. One example of a city state is Illyria. They sometimes merged together, but not often. One city-state that grew over time was the kingdom of Macedon. The Macedonian kingdom of Macedon is best known for Alexander the Great. He invaded and controlled the Middle East (excluding Arabia),Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Gujarat state of India. However, when Alexander died in 323 BCE, at the age of 33, he lost his vast empire. The empire was divided into 5 countries, Lysimachia (Macedon), Cassander (Northern Greece), the Antigonid Empire (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Southern Greece), the Ptolemaic Empire (Egypt), and the Seleucid Empire (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan).

Roman rule 
Towards the end of the 3rd century BCE, the Romans invaded the Balkan peninsula. Illyria was taken over in 9 CE. The North and East of Macedonia were taken over by the Roman Empire in the year 29 CE. They became the Roman province of Moesia. Starting in the 3rd century CE, the borders of Macedonia were being attacked by the Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Avars, and others. In 395 AD, the Roman Empire split in two. They were the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire).

Byzantine rule 
Although, Macedonia was part of the Byzantine Empire, there was little Byzantine influence. In the mid-6th century, Slavic tribes started to settle in Macedonia. From the 7th century to the 13th century, Byzantine Macedonia was governed by local princes and kings, allied with the Byzantine Empire. In the 9th century, the Byzantine Empire brought Christianity to Macedonia. The people who brought Christianity to Macedonia were saints Cyril and Methodius. Their goal was to bring Christianity and the Cyrillic alphabet to Slavs in Europe.

Ottoman rule 
The Ottoman Empire was originally a small city-state in Turkey. The city-state grew, and it invaded Adrianople in 1354. From there, it expanded and took over Turkey. Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, did not get invaded by the Ottomans until 1453. After the Battle of the Maritsa River, the Ottomans conquered southern Serbia and Macedonia. Macedonia was under Ottoman Rule until 1913.

Yugoslav rule and modern history 
After the Ottoman Empire dissolved, Macedonia became a part of the newly formed country Yugoslavia. From 1914 to 1941, Yugoslavia was a monarchy. During WW2, the Axis Powers took over Yugoslavia. Macedonia was taken over by Bulgaria. The Axis powers left Yugoslavia after WW2. After WW2, Yugoslavia became a communist state. Josip Broz Tito was the leader of Yugoslavia from 1944 to 1980. On 8 September 1991, Macedonia became an independent state.

During the Yugoslav Wars, Macedonia was mostly peaceful. However, in 2001, fighting broke out between ethnic Albanians and Slavic Macedonians. The fighting ended with the Ohrid Agreement.

Geography 
North Macedonia is located in the Balkan region, which is in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Serbia to the north, Greece to the south, Albania to the west and Bulgaria to the east.

Macedonia is often called a land of lakes and mountains. Three large lakes are on the borders of Albania and Greece, and there are many smaller ones. Sixteen mountains are higher than 2000 meters above sea level.

Politics 

The country is a parliamentary system and republic. North Macedonia is run by a parliament, in which there is 120 seats (members). The public elect for the political party they want to rule the country. The leader of the party with the most seats in parliament becomes the prime minister. The prime minister is responsible for leading the government.

The head of state is the president. The president's role is to act as a figurehead and represent the country. The president is elected by the people every four years and is also the head of the military. North Macedonia is divided into 80 municipalities (areas for local government).

Naming dispute with Greece 
Greece and the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) were arguing over the name "Macedonia". This is because the country of (North) Macedonia does not cover the entire region of Macedonia (which covers a region of Greece and parts of several other countries).

On 17 June 2018, North Macedonia and Greece agreed to the Prespa agreement by which the country would change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. The government completed the necessary constitutional change on 12 February 2019.

International opinions 
The United Nations calls the Republic of North Macedonia, "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM). The north and northeast part of Greece has been called Macedonia for ages and officially since 1912. 'FYROM' is also used by NATO and many other international organisations. But, many countries now call the country 'Republic of Macedonia'. The United Kingdom, for example, uses Republic of Macedonia in the diplomatic list.

Related pages 
 List of rivers of North Macedonia
 Macedonia
 North Macedonia at the Olympics
 North Macedonia national football team

Notes

References

External links 
 360° Virtual tour of North Macedonia

 
North Macedonia