Albanian insurgency

A civil war was fought between government and ethnic Albanian insurgents, mostly in the north and west of the country, between March and June 2001. The war ended with the intervention of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ceasefire monitoring force. Under the terms of the Ohrid Agreement, the government agreed to devolve greater political power and cultural recognition to the Albanian minority. The Albanian side agreed to abandon separatist demands and to fully recognise all Macedonian institutions. In addition, according to this accord, the NLA were to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force.

Delcevo

Delcevo (maced. Делчево) – a city in eastern Macedonia, on Bregalnicą in Pijanec valley on the border of Bulgaria. Delcevo administrative center of the municipality. Population – 11,500 people (93.5% Macedonians, Gypsies 5%) [2002], coordinates – 41 ° 58′02 “N, 22 ° 46′10″ E, height – 606 m

Vinica

Vinica (maced. Виница) – a city in eastern Macedonia, in the Valley Koczańsko-Winickiej between Osogovska Planina mountains in the north and the south Plačkovica. Vinica administrative center of the municipality. Population – 9246 people (85.5% Macedonians, 11% of Gypsies, Turks 2.5%) [2002], coordinates – 41 ° 52′58 “N, 22 ° 30′33″ E, height – 457 m In Vinicy, górującym on a hill above the town, there are the ruins of the fortress from Roman times.

Prilep

In Roman times, the city is called Cerami, and Byzantine – Prilapon. In the second half of XIV century was the city of Prilep państewka independent kings and Marka Vulkašina. At the end of this century has been brought under control by the Turks. 11 October 1941 a group of Macedonian Bulgarian communists attacked police posts in Prilepie – the day that later became a celebration of the Communist Macedonia.

Prilep is famous for its production of cigarettes with excellent local tobacco. In addition, the city is betting the metals industry, electronics, wood, textiles and food and the marble mine. By the city is the road connecting the valley Wardaru with Pelagoniją and railway line from Velesu to Floriny by Bitola.

Literary standard Macedonian language was just on the basis of dialects pelagonijskich from the area Prilepu.

Religion

The majority of the population heard the mazedonisch-orthodoxen Kirche (70%) an, die ein eigenes Oberhaupt hat, however, international will not be recognized. Daneben 29% Muslims (Albanier and Turks), a Serbian-Orthodox minority and Katholiken.

Ancient Regional History

The first recorded state on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia was the Thraco-Illyrian kingdom of Paionia, which covered the Axius River valley and the surrounding areas. Philip II of Macedon took over the southernmost regions of Paeonia in 336 BC and founded the city of Heraclea Lyncestis, near what is now Bitola.^[10] Philip’s son Alexander the Great conquered the remainder of Paeonia, which then became part of his empire. Subsequently the territory was conquered by Rome and became part of two Roman provinces. The greater part was within Macedonia Salutaris, but the northern border regions, inhabited by the Dardani, became a part of Moesia Superior. By 400 AD the Paeonians had lost their identity, and Paeonia was merely a geographic term.

Ohrid

Ohrid is the Macedonian tourist mecca, with stunning Byzantine churches, small cobbled streets, art galleries, good accommodation and picturesque pebbly beaches to relax on. The town rests by the waters of Lake Ohrid, a natural tectonic lake which is Europe’s deepest and one of the world’s oldest.

When to Go

July and August are Macedonia’s busiest months, but also the best months to catch festivals: the Balkan Festival of Folk Dances and Songs is held in Ohrid in early July, while the Ohrid Summer Festival takes place later that same month. Unless you’re planning on heading to the mountains where temperatures can reach as low as -30°C (-22°F), the weather will be bearable year-round. In the higher mountains the snow can stay until the end of May, which makes it great for skiing.

Skopje

Skopje (Macedonian: Скопје, pronounced [ˈskopje]) is the capital and largest city in the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as the political, cultural, economic, and academic centre of the country. It was known from the Roman period under the name Scupi. The city developed rapidly after World War II, but this trend was interrupted in 1963 when it was hit by a disastrous earthquake. Today Skopje is a modern city with a wide range of cultural monuments.

Skopje is located at 42°0′N, 21°26′E, on the upper course of the Vardar River and is located on a major north-south Balkan route between Central Europe and Athens. It has 506,926 inhabitants (2002 census), and is a major centre for metal-processing, chemical, timber, textile, leather, and printing industries but has suffered many closures since 1991. Industrial development of the city has been accompanied by developments of the trade and banking sectors, as well as an emphasis on the fields of culture and sport.

The Republic of Macedonia

The Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian: Република Македонија, Republika Makedonija, ^[1]) listen (help·info), often referred to as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia (and Kosovo) to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east. It was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional reference the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,^[3] commonly abbreviated to FYROM,^{[4] [5]} pending resolution of a naming dispute with Greece.^[6] Many other international institutions and countries have recognised the country under the same reference, although an overall majority of countries recognise it under its constitutional name.^[7]

The Republic of Macedonia forms approximately 35.8% of the land and 40.9% of the population of the wider geographical region of Macedonia. The capital is Skopje, with 500,000 inhabitants, and there are a number of smaller cities, notably Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, Kočani, Gostivar and Strumica. It has more than 50 natural and artificial lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,550 ft).

The country is a member of the UN and the Council of Europe and a member of La Francophonie, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since December 2005 it is also a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership.