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Macedonian is a small, landlocked Balkan country. Macedonia is best known as the ancient kingdom north of Greece. Macedonia was culturally part of the Ancient Greek world, but the Greeks looked down on them as semi-barbarians. The Macedons under Philip and his son Alexander proceeded to conquer first Greece and then much of the known world. Modern Macedonia is also located north of Greece, but it's boundaries are different than the ancient kingdom. Modern Macedonia is located in the south central Balkan Peninsula. What is now Macedonia as well as most of the Balkans was conquered and ruled by the Ottoman Turks (14th century) and ruled by them for several centuries. While most Macedons remained Christian, the Ottomans left an important cultural imprint as well as preventing the major movements from the West like the Renaissance and Enligtenment to affect Macedonia. The Ottomans were eventually driven out by the Bulgars, Greeks, Serbs, and Russians (19th century), but like much of the Balkans, the region was left poor and the people largely undeducated in compaison to Western Europe. After World War I, Macedonia became one of the provinces of the Yugoslav Kingdom and after World War II Communist Yugoslavia. It declared independence from Yugoslavia (1991), and unlike other provinces, the Serbs did not fight to hold it--probably because of the small number of ethnic Serbs living there. Greece disputes the name Macedonia. he modern borders include by Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. This is reflected in the etnicity of the country. Macedonians comprise about 65 percent of the population. Albanians are also important, making up abnopur 25 percent, concentrated in the nothwest. Other ethic groups include Turks (4 percent), Roma (3 percent), Serbs (2 percent), and others (including Bosniaks and Vlachs). The small Jewish community was murdered in the Holocaust. Macedonia's modern territory comprises the northwestern half of the larger area of ancient Macedonia which is split with Greece and Bulgaria. The capital is Skopje. The populatio is slightly over 2 million people (2002). The other majpr cities are Bitola, Gostivar, Kavadarci, Kočani, Kumanovo, Ohrid, Prilep, Štip, Strumica, Tetovo, and Veles. Most Macedonians are nominally Orthodox Christians (about 65 percent). Religion follows the ethnic divided, while ethnnic Macedonians are mostly Orthodox. Islam is the other major religion (30 percent), most Muslims are ethnic Albanians. There are also small numbers of Roman Catholics and various Protestant denominations as well as other faiths. The terraine is both rugged and beautiful, but the rugged terraine limits agriculture. Macedonia has more than 50 lakes and 16 mountains exceeding 2,000 m (6,562 ft). Despite the natural beauty, the country like most former Communist countries faces serious enviromental problems. The most severe is poor air quality as a result of emissions from metallurgical plants.
Macedonian is a small, landlocked Balkan country. Modern Macedonia is also located north of Greece, but it's boundaries are different than the ancient kingdom. Modern Macedonia is located in the south central Balkan Peninsula.
Macedonia's modern territory comprises the northwestern half of the larger area of ancient Macedonia which is split with Greece and Bulgaria. The capital is Skopje. The other majpr cities are Bitola, Gostivar, Kavadarci, Kočani, Kumanovo, Ohrid, Prilep, Štip, Strumica, Tetovo, and Veles. The terraine is both rugged and beautiful, but the rugged terraine limits agriculture. Macedonia has more than 50 lakes and 16 mountains exceeding 2,000 m (6,562 ft). Despite the natural beauty, the country like most former Communist countries faces serious enviromental problems. The most severe is poor air quality as a result of emissions from metallurgical plants.
Macedonia is a small mountainous country with small basins of agricultural land. The Vardar is the largest and most important river. Macedonia is best known as the ancient kingdom north of Greece. Macedonia was culturally part of the Ancient Greek world, but the Greeks looked down on them as semi-barbarians. Macedonia entered history with King Philip and Alexander the Great. Ohilip as king of Macedonia conquered/united the Greeks. Alexaander who suceeded his assasinated father with the added power of the Greek city states defeated first the vast Persian Empire and then much of the known world. Seni-barbarians or not, Akexander's Macedonian Kingdom prived to be the vessel by which Greek Helenistic culture which had already influenced the Mediterranean world was spread throughout the Middle East. Alexander's huge empire did not survive his death. Macedonia survived for some time as am independent kingdom. The Greeks today claim Macedonia as part of Greek history. Rome defeated Macedonia (148 AD), ending the country's independence for nearly two millenia. Macedonia became a Roman province. With the division of the Roman Empire (395 AD), Macedonia becme part of the Eastern or Byzantine Empire. Byzantine control, however, was intermittent. The Byzantines were assaulted by the Huns and other Barbarian tribes. During the early-medieval era, Bulgar and Slavic tribes moved into the Balkans. This lends some credence to the Greek idea that ancunt Macedonia is more attributable to Greek history than modern Slavic Madeconia. The Ottoman Empire defeaed the Serbs at the Maritsa River, extending their control over southern Serbia and Macedonia (1371). The Ottoman Empire thus dominated what is now Macedoia for five centuries. While most Macedons remained Christian, the Ottomans left an important cultural imprint as well as preventing the major movements from the West like the Renaissance and Enligtenment to affect Macedonia. The Ottomans were eventually driven out by the Bulgars, Greeks, Serbs, and Russians (19th century), but like much of the Balkans, the region was left poor and the people largely undeducated in compaison to Western Europe. After World War I, Macedonia became one of the provinces of the Yugoslav Kingdom. It was occupied by Bulgaria after the World War II German invasion. After World War II Communist Yugoslavia. It declared independence from Yugoslavia (1991), and unlike other provinces, the Serbs did not fight to hold it--probably because of the small number of ethnic Serbs living there. Greece disputes the name Macedonia which has inhibited efforts to achieve full membership in the European Union and NATO.
Macedonia throughout most of its historty has had an agrciculturan economy. The relatively poor rocky soil and mountenous terraine has meant that it has been a poor country, part of the reason that after the fall of the Macedonian Kingdom to Rome (148 AD), Macedonia has been a province of larger more powerful neigboting states. This has meant Rome, the Byzantines, and the Ottomans. Unlike the surrounding states (Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Albania, Macedonia failed to gain independenceas these states emerged from Ottomn control and rather became a province these states fought over in a series of Balkan wars. Throughout all of this. Macedonia remained a poor agriculturaL area. Much of it became souther Serbia which expanded into Yugolkavia after World War I (1914-18). As part of Yugoslavia there was some industrial development, especially during the Communist era (1945-91), although much of tgis was ineffucent, uncompetitive satate-owned enterprises. Macedonia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia (1991). This ended Communist rule, but Macedonia hardly embraced free market capitalism. . Fiscal policy has been weak with continued unproductive public expenditures, including substantial subsidies and pension increases. In addition there have been expensive and rising guarantees for the debt of state-owned enterprises. Informal economic activity appears to be generatimg a substantial share of GDP. Government corruption and a bloated bureaucracy continue to be major priblems. The overall legal framework is sound, but enforcement isseen as slow and weak. The center-right VMRO-DPMNE won the most seats in parliamentary elections but failed to win a majority (2016). Zoran Zaev of the center-left Social Democratic Union became prime minister (2017). He forgd a coalition with two ethnic Albanian parties. The European Union (EU) is Macedonia’s principal trade and investment partner, and their economies are now intertwined. This relationship has been complicated by Greek insistence that Macedonia is part of Greece. Voters approved a referendum changing the country’s name to the Republic of North Macedonia (2018). It was hoped that this would end a long-running dispute with Greece which had been blocking membership in both the EU and NATO. Pro-Russia President Gjorge Ivanov sided with opponents who called the change a betrayal of Macedonian identity.
The modern borders of the Republic of Macedonia include by Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. This is reflected in the etnicity of the country. Macedonians comprise about 65 percent of the population. ` Macedonians (Македонци) are also referred to as Macedonian Slavs/Slavic Macedonians. They are a southern Slavic ethnic group native to Macedonia meaning the southern Baltics. They speak the Macedonian language, a southern Slavic language. Today two-thirds of all ethnic Macedonians live in the Republic of Macedonia. The rest mostly live in neigboring countries. Albanians make up most of the rest of the population--about 25 percent, concentrated in the nothwest boredering on Albania. Other ethic groups include Turks (4 percent), Roma (3 percent), Serbs (2 percent), and others (including Bosniaks and Vlachs). Macedonia The small Jewish community was murdered in the Holocaust. The ethnic make up of Macedonia has varied over time. Ancient Macedonia was more of a Greek people, culturally and ethically. Slavs did not enter the Balkans about a millenia later. The area of modern Macedonia has been part of major empires, the Greeks, Roman, Byzantue, and Ottoman. After World War I it became part of Yugoslavia. As a result, the ethnic composition has varied. And as part of larger empires, ethnic groups tended to mix. Thus before modern Macedinia was created the population was more varied than is the case today. This is true of all the republics formed out of Yugosalvia. This process began with the Balkan nationlist movements (19th century) and the disolution of the Ottoman Empire (1919) and ended with the disolution of Yugoslavia (1991).
The population is slightly over 2 million people (2002).
Most Macedonians are nominally Orthodox Christians (about 65 percent). Religion follows the ethnic divided, while ethnnic Macedonians are mostly Orthodox. Islam is the other major religion (30 percent), most Muslims are ethnic Albanians. There are also small numbers of Roman Catholics and various Protestant denominations as well as other faiths.
As far as we can tell, Macedonians dressed much like ancient Greeks, although they were located on the nirthern perifery of the Greek world. With the decline of Greece, Macedonia was conquered by Rime and thus there was aoman fashion influence. We are not sure about fashions in the medieval era, but assume they were similar to those of central Europe. Just as the Renaissance began changing Europe, the Balkans was conquered by the Ottoman Turks (14th century). This intriduced a new fashion tradition to Macedonia. Thus for five centuries, Macedoniaas cut off from the European mainstream, both by the Ottomans and the geography of the Balkans. The isolation resulting from the motaneous terrine. As a resilt in the 19th century many in Macedonia still dressed in traditional styles and this was common even in the early-20th century. By this tome the traditional style began to be sen as folk styles. This was the case in the countryside, although modern Western styles were worn by the middle and upper classes in Skopje and the other cities.
Since World war II, Macedonians have adopted mosrernWestern styles and is now part of ythe overall pan-European scene.
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