Macedonia

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Macedonia

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Republika Makedonija/Republic of Macedonia (official internal name); Poranesna Jugoslovenska Republika Makedonija/Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (official international name) Area 25,700 sq km/9,922 sq mi Capital Skopje Language Macedonian (related to Bulgarian; official), Albanian Religion Christian, mainly Orthodox 67%; Muslim 30% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1–2 January, 1–2 May, 2 August, 11 October


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Bitola, Prilep, Kumanovo, Tetovo Physical features mountainous; rivers: Struma, Vardar; lakes: Ohrid, Prespa, Scutari; partly Mediterranean climate with hot summers Airports two international airports; four other airports with paved runways; total passengers carried: 201,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 699 km/434 mi; total passenger journeys: 930,000 (2002) Roads total road network: 8,684 km/5,396 mi, of which 63.8% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 155.4 per 1,000 people (2000)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Branko Crvenkovski from 2004 Head of government Nikola Gruevski from 2006 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 123 municipalities Political parties Socialist Party (SP); Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM) bloc, former Communist Party; Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDP), ethnic Albanian, left of centre; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization–Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO–DPMNE), radical nationalist; Democratic Party of Macedonia (DPM), nationalist, free market Death penalty laws do not provide for the death penalty for any crime Armed forces 10,900; plus 21,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 7,600 (2006 est) Conscription military service is compulsory for six months Defence spend (% GDP) 2.3 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3.5 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency Macedonian denar GDP (US$) 5.8 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 4 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 5.8 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 7,080 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 2.9% (2006 est) Unemployment 42% (2005 est) Labour force 19.5% agriculture, 32.3% industry, 48.2% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 2.2 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Germany, Serbia and Montenegro, Russia, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria Resources coal, iron, zinc, chromium, manganese, lead, copper, nickel, silver, gold Industries metallurgy, chemicals, textiles, buses, refrigerators, detergents, medicines, wood pulp, wine Exports iron and steel, clothing, tobacco, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, metals, miscellaneous manufactured articles, chemicals. Principal market: Serbia and Montenegro 22.5% (2005) Imports mineral fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, industrial machinery, meat and meat preparations. Principal source: Russia 13.2% (2005) Arable land 22% (2006 est) Agricultural products rice, wheat, barley, sugar beet, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, sunflowers, potatoes, grapes (wine industry is important); livestock rearing and dairy farming


POPULATION

Population 2,037,200 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 81 (2005 est) Urban population (% of total) 60 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 20%, 15–59 65%, 60+ 15% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 67% Macedonian ethnic descent, 23% ethnic Albanian, 4% Turkish, 2% Romanian, 2% Serb, and 2% Muslim, comprising Macedonian Slavs who converted to Islam during the Ottoman era, and are known as Pomaks. This ethnic breakdown is disputed by Macedonia's ethnic Albanian population, who claim that they form 40% of the population, and seek autonomy and by ethnic Serbs, who claim that they form 11.5% Life expectancy 72 (men); 77 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 14 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 21.9 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4.9 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) <0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 26.2 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 62 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 206 (1998) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 250 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 22.2 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 7.9 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

4th century BC Part of ancient great kingdom of Macedonia, which included northern Greece and southwest Bulgaria and, under Alexander the Great, conquered a vast empire; Thessaloniki founded. 146 BC Macedonia became a province of the Roman Empire. 395 AD On the division of the Roman Empire, came under the control of Byzantine Empire, with its capital at Constantinople. 6th century Settled by Slavs, who later converted to Christianity. 9th–14th centuries Under successive rule by Bulgars, Byzantium, and Serbia. 1371 Became part of Islamic Ottoman Empire. late 19th century The ‘Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization’, through terrorism, sought to provoke Great Power intervention against Turks. 1912–13 After First Balkan War, partitioned between Bulgaria, Greece, and the area that constitutes the current republic of Serbia. 1918 Serbian part included in what was to become Yugoslavia; Serbian imposed as official language. 1941–44 Occupied by Bulgaria. 1945 Became constituent republic within Yugoslav Socialist Federation. 1967 Orthodox Macedonian archbishopric of Skopje, forcibly abolished 200 years earlier by the Turks, restored. 1980 Rise of nationalism after death of Yugoslav leader Tito. 1990 Multiparty elections produced inconclusive result. 1991 Referendum supported independence. 1992 Independence declared, and accepted by Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), but international recognition withheld due to Greek objections to country name. 1993 Sovereignty recognized by UK and Albania; United Nations membership won under provisional name of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Greece blocked full European Union (EU) recognition. 1994 Independence recognized by USA; trade embargo imposed by Greece, causing severe economic damage. 1995 Independence recognized by Greece and trade embargo lifted. 1998 1,700-strong NATO force deployed in Macedonia to safeguard ceasefire verification monitors in neighbouring Kosovo, in Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 2001 Heavy fighting between Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanians before peace accord. 2002 Albanian recognized as official language. Macedonia joined World Trade Organization (WTO). 2003 EU took over peacekeeping duties from NATO. 2004 Former social democratic prime minister Branko Crvenkovski elected president; legislation gave ethnic Albanians greater local autonomy in areas where they predominate. 2005 Macedonia became candidate for EU membership. 2006 Coalition of four ethnic Macedonian parties and one Albanian party took office under new prime minister Nikola Gruevski following elections.


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