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Macedonia:
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Other pages in this profile of Macedonia:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
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Background |
Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations. The United States began referring to Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, in 2004 and negotiations continue between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the name issue. Some ethnic Albanians, angered by perceived political and economic inequities, launched an insurgency in 2001 that eventually won the support of the majority of Macedonia's Albanian population and led to the internationally-brokered Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting by establishing a set of new laws enhancing the rights of minorities. The undetermined status of neighboring Kosovo, implementation of the Framework Agreement, and a weak economy continue to be challenges for Macedonia. |
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Location |
Southeastern Europe, north of Greece |
Geographic coordinates |
41 50 N, 22 00 E |
Map references |
Europe |
Area |
total: 25,333 sq km land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km |
Area - comparative |
slightly larger than Vermont |
Land boundaries |
total: 766 km border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia 221 km |
Coastline |
0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims |
none (landlocked) |
Climate |
warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall |
Terrain |
mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River |
Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Vardar River 50 m highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m |
Natural resources |
low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land |
Land use |
arable land: 22.01% permanent crops: 1.79% other: 76.2% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
550 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards |
high seismic risks |
Environment - current issues |
air pollution from metallurgical plants |
Environment - international agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note |
landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe |
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Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |