Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greek objection to Macedonia’s name, insisting it implies territorial pretensions to the northern Greek province of the same name, and democratic backsliding have stalled the country’s movement toward Euro-Atlantic integration. Immediately after Macedonia declared independence, Greece sought to block Macedonian efforts to gain UN membership if the name “Macedonia” was used. Macedonia was eventually admitted to the UN in 1993 as “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,” and at the same time it agreed to UN-sponsored negotiations on the name dispute. In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, but the issue of the name remained unresolved and negotiations for a solution are ongoing. Since 2004, the US and over 130 other nations have recognized Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia. Ethnic Albanian grievances over perceived political and economic inequities escalated into an insurgency in 2001 that eventually led to the internationally brokered Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA), which ended the fighting and established guidelines for constitutional amendments and the creation of new laws that enhanced the rights of minorities. Relations between Macedonians and ethnic Albanians remain fragile, however.

Macedonia has been engulfed in a political crisis that began after the 2014 legislative and presidential election, and which escalated in 2015 when opposition party began releasing wiretap content that it alleged showed widespread government corruption. Although Macedonia became an EU candidate in 2005, the country still faces challenges, including overcoming the political crisis, fully implementing OFA, resolving the outstanding name dispute with Greece, improving relations with Bulgaria, halting democratic backsliding, and stimulating economic growth and development. At the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania, the Allies agreed that Macedonia would be invited to join the Alliance as soon as a mutually acceptable resolution to the name dispute was reached with Greece.

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

41 50 N, 22 00 E

Europe

slightly larger than Vermont

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

mountainous with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River

highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m

low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land

arable land 16.4%; permanent crops 1.4%; permanent pasture 26.5%

1,280 sq km (2012)

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

high seismic risks

air pollution from metallurgical plants

landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe

2,100,025 (July 2016 est.)

Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 est.)

Macedonian (official) 66.5%, Albanian (official) 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 est.)

Macedonian Orthodox 64.8%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.4%, other and unspecified 1.5% (2002 est.)

0.18% (2016 est.)

11.5 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations

SKOPJE (capital) 503,000 (2015)

26.6 (2013 est.)

8 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

1.6 children born/woman (2016 est.)

40.2% (2011)

6.5% of GDP (2014)

2.62 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

4.5 beds/1,000 population (2011)

urban: 99.8% of population

rural: 98.9% of population

total: 99.4% of population

urban: 0.2% of population

rural: 1.1% of population

total: 0.6% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 97.2% of population

rural: 82.6% of population

total: 90.9% of population

urban: 2.8% of population

rural: 17.4% of population

total: 9.1% of population (2015 est.)

0.01% (2013 est.)

200 (2013 est.)

fewer than 100 (2013 est.)

20.8% (2014)

1.3% (2011)

parliamentary republic

70 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina) and 1 city* (grad); Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Caska, Centar Zupa, Cesinovo-Oblesevo, Cucer Sandevo, Debar, Debarca, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Gevgelija, Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rostusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Skopje*, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vrapciste, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci

8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed independence from Yugoslavia)

Independence Day, 8 September (1991); also known as National Day

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Alliance for Albanians

Besa Movement [Bilal KASAMI]

Citizens Option for Macedonia or GROM [Stevco JAKIMOVSKI]

Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh [Menduh THACI]

Democratic Union for Integration or BDI [Ali AHMETI]

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]

National Democratic Revival or RDK [Vesel MEMEDI]

Social Democratic Union of Macedonia or SDSM [Zoran ZAEV]

Federation of Free Trade Unions [Mirjana ANDREVSKA]

Federation of Trade Unions [Zivko MITREVSKI]

Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture or SONK [Jakim NEDELKOV]

Student Plenum

Eco Guerilla [Arianit XHAFERI]

BIS, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (candidate country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

a yellow sun (the Sun of Liberty) with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field; the red and yellow colors have long been associated with Macedonia

eight-rayed sun; national colors: red, yellow

Since its independence in 1991, Macedonia has made progress in liberalizing its economy and improving its business environment, but has lagged the Balkan region in attracting foreign investment. Corruption and weak rule of law remain significant problems. Some businesses complain of opaque regulations and unequal enforcement of the law.

Macedonia’s economy is closely linked to Europe as a customer for exports and source of investment, and has suffered as a result of prolonged weakness in the euro zone. Unemployment has remained consistently high at about 30% since 2008, but may be overstated based on the existence of an extensive gray market, estimated to be between 20% and 45% of GDP, which is not captured by official statistics.

Macedonia maintained macroeconomic stability through the global financial crisis by conducting prudent monetary policy, which keeps the domestic currency pegged against the euro, and by limiting fiscal deficits. The government has been loosening fiscal policy, however, and the budget deficit was 4.2% of GDP in both 2013 and 2014, gradually falling to 3.7% in 2015. By yearend 2015, public debt was 40.3%, which although low by regional comparison, is significant for a small economy.

$29.04 billion (2015 est.)

$28.01 billion (2014 est.)

$27.05 billion (2013 est.)

$9.922 billion (2015 est.)

3.7% (2015 est.)

3.5% (2014 est.)

2.9% (2013 est.)

$14,000 (2015 est.)

$13,500 (2014 est.)

$13,100 (2013 est.)

22.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

21.2% of GDP (2014 est.)

22.1% of GDP (2013 est.)

grapes, tobacco, vegetables, fruits; milk, eggs

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts

7.8% (2015 est.)

954,900 (2015 est.)

26.1% (2015 est.)

28% (2014 est.)

30.4% (2011 est.)

43.6 (2013)

39.2 (2011)

29.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

-3.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

46.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

46% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

-0.2% (2015 est.)

-0.1% (2014 est.)

3.25% (31 December 2014)

3.25% (31 December 2013)

7.08% (31 December 2015 est.)

7.46% (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.797 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.692 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$6.129 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$6.282 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$5.308 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$5.111 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.084 billion (31 December 2014)

$2.302 billion (31 December 2013)

$2.423 billion (31 December 2012)

-$141 million (2015 est.)

-$91 million (2014 est.)

$3.372 billion (2015 est.)

$3.682 billion (2014 est.)

foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco; textiles, miscellaneous manufactures, iron, steel; automotive parts

Germany 33.2%, Kosovo 11.5%, Bulgaria 5.1%, Greece 4.5% (2015)

$5.393 billion (2015 est.)

$6.15 billion (2014 est.)

machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products

Germany 15.9%, UK 13.6%, Greece 10.9%, Serbia 8.7%, Bulgaria 6.7%, Turkey 5.5%, Italy 4.7% (2015)

$2.471 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$2.963 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$7.029 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$7.241 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$6.123 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$5.93 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$599.6 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$600.3 million (31 December 2014 est.)

Macedonian denars (MKD) per US dollar -

55.537 (2015 est.)

46.437 (2014 est.)

46.437 (31 December 2013 est.)

47.89 (2012 est.)

44.231 (2011 est.)

4.569 billion kWh (2014 est.)

6.96 billion kWh (2014 est.)

112.9 million kWh (2014 est.)

3.073 billion kWh (2014 est.)

2.011 million kW (2014 est.)

64.5% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)

33% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)

2.6% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

146 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

1,719 bbl/day (2013 est.)

20,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

2,616 bbl/day (2014 est.)

17,950 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2014)

134.7 million cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2014)

134.7 million cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (31 December 2014 )

7.9 million Mt (2013 est.)

public TV broadcaster operates 3 national channels and a satellite network; 5 privately owned TV channels broadcast nationally using terrestrial transmitters and about 15 broadcast on national level via satellite; roughly 75 local commercial TV stations; large number of cable operators offering domestic and international programming; public radio broadcaster operates over multiple stations; 3 privately owned radio stations broadcast nationally; about 70 local commercial radio stations (2012)

.mk

1.475 million

70.4% (July 2015 est.)

Z3 (2016)

10 (2013)

gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2013)

Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM; includes General Staff and subordinate Joint Operational Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Special Operations Regiment) (2012)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2008 (2013)

1.08% of GDP (2015)

1.17% of GDP (2014)

1.14% of GDP (2013)

1.2% of GDP (2012)

1.3% of GDP (2011)

Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement