ceres country profile - macedonia

7/30/2019 CERES Country Profile - Macedonia

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Country in a Box:

Republic of MacedoniaRepublika Makedonija

Saint Panteleimon Church in Ohrid, Macedonia

A Teachers Guide Compiled by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European StudiesEdmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown Universityhttp://ceres.georgetown.edu
http://www.ceres.georgetown.edu/http://www.ceres.georgetown.edu/


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Macedonia in a Box: Table of Contents

Macedonia: Facts at a Glance 3-5

History of Macedonia 6-8

Timeline of Major Events in Macedonian History 8-9

Macedonian Culture 9-10

Childrens Folklore 10-13

Additional Resources on Macedonia 13

Morodvis Archaeological Ruins near Kocani


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Macedonia: Facts at a Glance

_______Text taken directly from Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: Macedonia .Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.html

Country Name : Republic of Macedonia

Background : Macedonia gained itsindependence peacefully from Yugoslaviain 1991. Greece's objection to the newstate's use of what it considered a Hellenicname and symbols delayed internationalrecognition, which occurred under the

provisional designation of "the FormerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In1995, Greece lifted a 20-month tradeembargo and the two countries agreed tonormalize relations, but the issue of thename remained unresolved andnegotiations for a solution are ongoing.Since 2004, the US and over 130 othernations have recognized Macedonia by itsconstitutional name, Republic ofMacedonia. Ethnic Albanian grievancesover perceived political and economicinequities escalated into an insurgency in 2001 that eventually led to the internationally brokeredOhrid Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting and established guidelines forconstitutional amendments and the creation of new laws that enhanced the rights of minorities.Although Macedonia became an EU candidate in 2005, the country still faces challenges,including fully implementing the Framework Agreement, improving relations with Bulgaria,carrying out democratic reforms, and stimulating economic growth and development.Macedonia's membership in NATO was blocked by Greece at the Alliance's Summit ofBucharest in 2008.

Capital : Skopje

Location : Southeastern Europe, landlocked between Kosovo and Serbia to the north, Bulgaria tothe east, Albania to the west, and Greece to the south.

Area : total: 25,713 sq km (slightly larger than Vermont)land: 25,433 sq kmwater: 280 sq km

Terrain : mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, eachdivided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River


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The sun design is a simplifiedversion of Alexander theGreats Star of Vergina,which appeared on

Macedonia's former nationalflag. The sun also represents"the new sun of liberty",which is mentioned in thecountry's national anthem. [Text taken directly from WorldFlags 101 Available at:http://www.worldflags101.com/m/macedonia-flag.aspx]

Elevation Extremes : lowest point: Vardar River 50 mhighest 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

Natural Hazards : high seismic risks

Environmental Issues : air pollution from metallurgical plants

Population : 2,091,719 (July 2014 est.)

Ethnic Groups : Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish3.9%, Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census)

Religions : Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, Muslim 33.3%, otherChristian 0.37%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census)

Government Type : parliamentary democracy

Executive Branch : Chief of State: President Gjorge IVANOV(since 12 May 2009)Head of Government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 26August 2006)Cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all thedeputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by thegovernment coalition parties VMRO-DPMNE, BDI/DUI, andseveral small partiesElections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);two-round election: first round held on 13 April 2014, second round held on 27 April 2014;

prime minister elected by the Assembly following legislative elections; the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister

Legislative Branch : unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (123 seats; all members elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall vote the parties gain in eachof the six domestic and three diaspora electoral districts; members serve four-year terms)

Judicial Branch : highest court(s): Supreme Court (consist of NA judges); Constitutional Court(consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office : Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial Council, a 7-member body of legal professionals, and appointed by the Assembly; judge tenure NA;Constitutional Court judges appointed by the legislature for nonrenewable, 9-year terms subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Basic Courts

Economy Overview : Since its independence in 1991, Macedonia has made significant progressin liberalizing its economy and improving its business environment, but has lagged the Balkanregion in attracting foreign investment. Unemployment has remained consistently high at more


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The denar (MKD) isMacedonias official unit ofcurrency. One denar is equal to100 Deni. In 1993, reformsreplaced the old denar with thenew denar (worth 100 of theold), which has been in use eversince. Images and information from:http://www.gocurrency.com/countries/macedonia.htm

than 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, that is not captured by official statistics.Macedonias economy is closely linked to Europe as a customer for exports and source ofinvestment, and has suffered as a result of prolonged weakness in the euro zone. Macedoniamaintained macroeconomic stability through the global financial crisis by conducting prudent

monetary policy, which keeps the domestic currency pegged against the euro, and by limitingfiscal deficits. The government has been loosening fiscal policy, however, and the budget deficitexpanded to 4.2% of GDP in 2013. Macedonia achieved modest GDP growth in 2013 after asmall contraction in 2012; inflation is under control.

GDP (purchasing power parity) : $22.57 billion (2013 est.)

GDP (composition by sector) : agriculture: 10.2% ,industry: 27.5% , services: 62.3% (2013 est.)

Labor Force (by occupation) : agriculture: 18.8% ,

industry: 27.5% , services: 53.7% (31 September 2013) Industries : food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals,iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals.

Exports (commodities): food, beverages, tobacco; textiles,various manufactures, iron, steel

Exports (partners): Germany 20.2%, Italy 7.1%, Bulgaria7.1%, Greece 6.4% (2010)

Imports (commodities): machinery and equipment,automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products.

Imports (partners): Germany 36.9%, Bulgaria 7.6%, Italy6.5%, Kosovo 6.5%, Serbia 6.3%, Greece 5% (2012 est.)

Debt (external): $7.451 billion (30 September 2013 est.); country comparison to the world: 107

International Disputes : Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary inSeptember 2008; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic ofMacedonia.


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Taken from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/354223/Macedonia/307434/Cultural-institutions#toc214459

During the 1st millennium bce the Macedonian region was populated by a mixture of peoples Dacians, Thracians, Illyrians, Celts, and Greeks. Although Macedonia is most closely identifiedhistorically with the kingdom of Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century bce andthe subsequent expansion of that empire by his son Alexander III (the Great), none of the statesestablished in that era was very durable. At the end of the 3rd century bce, the Romans began toexpand into the Balkan Peninsula in search of metal ores, slaves, and agricultural produce. Bythe mid-6th century Slavic tribes had begun to settle in Macedonia, and from the 7th to the 13thcentury the entire region was little more than a system of military marches governed uneasily bythe Byzantine state through alliances with local princes.

By the end of the 14th century the Macedonian region had been incorporated into the Ottoman

Empire. Within the empire, administrators, soldiers, merchants, and artisans moved in pursuit oftheir professions. For all these reasons, many Balkan towns acquired a cosmopolitan atmosphere.This was particularly the case in Macedonia during the 19th century, when, as the Serbian,Greek, and Bulgarian states began to assert their independence, many who had becomeassociated with Turkish rule moved into lands still held by the Sublime Porte.

Conflict and confusion deepened in Macedonia in the closing decades of the 19th century. As theTurkish Empire decayed, Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria all looked to benefit territorially from theapproaching division of Macedonia that would inevitably follow the end of Ottoman rule. TheTreaty of London (May 1913), which concluded this First Balkan War, left Bulgaria dissatisfied,

but, after that countrys attempt to enforce a

new partition in a Second Balkan War, theTreaty of Bucharest (August 1913) confirmed a pattern of boundaries that (with smallvariations) has remained in force ever since.Although the region was again engulfed inconflict during World War I, and Bulgariaoccupied large parts of Macedonia, the partitionof 1913 was reconfirmed at the end of war in1918.

When war overtook the Balkans again in 1941,

the kingdom of Yugoslavia was again divided,this time between the Axis powers and theirallies. Yugoslav Macedonia was occupied

principally by Bulgaria, the western part being joined to a united Albania under Italian control.In 1945 the area was reincorporated intoYugoslavia, this time under communist control.

History of Macedonia
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/354223/Macedonia/307434/Cultural-institutions#toc214459http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/354223/Macedonia/307434/Cultural-institutions#toc214459http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/354223/Macedonia/307434/Cultural-institutions#toc214459http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/354223/Macedonia/307434/Cultural-institutions#toc214459


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Gjorge Ivanov, President of Macedonia(2009 Present)

The autonomy of the republic was perhaps more cosmetic than real, although great efforts weremade to support a sense of national identity among Macedonians. A Macedonian language wascodified and disseminated through the educational system (including the first Macedonianuniversity), the mass media, and the arts. An important symbol of the existence of a Macedoniannation was the creation of an autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church. The Macedonian

Orthodox Church is not recognized by the patriarch or by any other Orthodox church.In contrast to the other Yugoslav republics, whose efforts to secede from Yugoslavia provokedcampaigns of nationalist violence and ethnic cleansing in the early 1990s, the Republic ofMacedonia was peacefully established as a sovereign and independent state on September 8,1991, by a vote of the citizens of Macedonia.

Kiro Gligorov deftly guided the republic through its difficult early years as its first president. Amember of the moderate Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), which consisted offormer communists and social democrats, he was seriously wounded in an assassination attemptin 1995. After having turned over the reins of power to an acting president for six weeks, heresumed his duties and served as president until 1999. That year power shifted to the right,

and Boris Trajkovski of the more nationalist Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) came to power. In 2004 the presidency shifted to the SDSM, to Branko Crvenkovski, then in 2009 back to the VMRO-DPMNE in the person of Gjorge Ivanov. Historically, the Albanian minority has voted as a blocfor ethnic Albanian parties, and all governments since independence have been coalitions thatincluded an Albanian party.

In 1999, during the Kosovo conflict, more than 350,000 Kosovar Albanian refugees fled toMacedonia with significant consequences for the republic. Living standards in Macedonia

plummeted, exports declined, andunemployment, already at more than 30 percent

before the conflict, rose dramatically to as high as40 50 percent, according to some estimates.Another serious threat to the countrys politicalstability was posed by the armed insurgency thaterupted between an Albanian military group andMacedonian security forces in 2001. This conflictwas brought to an end in August 2001 by thesigning of the Ohrid Framework Agreement,which contained the governments promises tomake Albanian an official language, to increaseautonomy for areas with large Albanian

populations, and to raise the number of Albaniansserving in the army and police as well as in thegovernment. The Macedonian economy graduallyrecovered with slow but steady GDP growthand minimal inflation until 2009, when it beganto struggle in response to the global financialdownturn.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/426084/Ohridhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/426084/Ohridhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/426084/Ohridhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/426084/Ohrid


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By far the greatest challenge for the Republic of Macedonia was Greeces effort to prevent itsneighbor from gaining international recognition under its constitutional name, along with

blocking Macedonias participation in international organizations. Greeces attempt tomonopolize the name Macedonia successfully prevented the republic from gaining entry into avariety of international organizations and from enjoying the economic and political stability that

membership in such organizations would provide.

Responding to the Republic of Macedonias attempt to gain recognition from the EuropeanCommunity (EC; later the European Union), an EC arbitration commission concluded not onlythat the newly independent country met all the criteria necessary for recognition but also that itsuse of the name Macedonia implied no claims on Greek territory the contention of the Greekgovernment. Only by acceding to a provisional designation as the Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia did Macedonia gain admission to t he United Nations in 1993.

Timeline of Major Events in Macedonian History _______Text taken directly from BBC News. Timeline: Macedonia . Available at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1410364.stm

1913 - Ottoman rule in Europe ends after five centuries. Macedonia is partitioned betweenSerbia, Bulgaria and Greece.

1914 - World War I. Macedonia is occupied by Bulgaria.

1918-19 - End of the war, Macedonia becomes part of Serbia again. The Kingdom of Serbs,Croats and Slovenes is founded, and is renamed Yugoslavia in 1929.

1941 - Germany invades Yugoslavia.

1945 - Establishment of Yugoslav socialist federation, comprising six republics, includingMacedonia, with Tito as president.

1980 - Death of Tito, rise of nationalism among federation's constituent republics.

1991 - Declaration of Independence.

1993 - Gains UN membership under the name Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

1995 - President Kiro Gligorov injured in assassination bid. Greece recognises independence,lifts trade restrictions.


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Sarma (rice wrapped in cabbage leaves)

1998 - Thousands of ethnic Albanians gather in Skopje in support of ethnic Albanians in Serbia.Elections bring into power a coalition government which is led by Ljubco Georgievski andincludes ethnic Albanian representatives.

1999 November - Boris Trajkovski elected president.

2001 November - Parliament approves new constitution incorporating reforms required byAugust peace deal. It recognizes Albanian as an official language and increases access for ethnicAlbanians to public-sector jobs, including the police. Moderate Social Democrats leavegovernment coalition.

2004 March - Macedonia submits application to join EU.

2004 April - Branko Crvenkovski elected president.

2005 December - Macedonia becomes a candidate for EU membership.

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Text taken directly from the World InfoZone. Macedonia Information Page 1 . Available at:http://worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Macedonia#food

Food

The cuisine of Macedonia is influenced by its Balkanneighbors. Traditional food includes bread, soups, stews,lamb kebabs, stuffed vegetables, moussaka and mincedmeat dishes such as kjebapchinja and meat balls.

Meat (pork, chicken, lamb, beef) and fish are served withrice, pasta and vegetables: eggplant, beans, cucumber,mushrooms, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. Dairy

products include yoghurt and feta, a white salty cheese.

Desserts eaten in Macedonia are fruit salads, puddings,cakes and pastries.

Turkish coffee is popular. Wine, beer and soft drinks are produced locally.

Arts (Text taken directly from Countries and their Cultures, Macedonia . Available at:http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Macedonia.html)

Macedonian Culture


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Colorful carpets at a market in Skopje

Literature. Modern Macedonian literature made its appearance during the late 1800s with the poetry of the brothers Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinov, whose works are still recited bystudents. The growing literary collection grounded in the current, or codified, standards of theMacedonian language, on the other hand, marks its beginning with the 1939 publication of KostaRacin's programmatic collection of poems entitled Beli Mugri (White Dawns). While most of the

distinguished nineteenth and early twentieth century literary figures were poets, since the end ofWorld War II there has been an increase in the number of prose writers and playwrights.

Graphic A rts. Villagers in Macedonia are known for their weaving of colorful blankets andcarpets. Gold and silversmiths are plentiful in the bazaars of larger cities, and stomnari, or urn-

makers, still produce glazed terra cotta utensils such asurns, pitchers, cups, and bowls.

Perfor mance Ar ts. Since gaining independence,Macedonia has produced a number of promising filmdirectors whose pictures have acquired international

recognition and praise. The film Before the Rain, forexample, was nominated in 1994 by the American FilmAcademy for the Best Foreign Language Film Award. Ithad already won the Golden Lion award at the VeniceFilm Festival.

Childrens Folklore: The Three Brothers and the Dragon _______Text taken directly from Macedonian Cultural & Information Centre. Macedonian Fairy Tales .Available at: http://www.macedonia.co.uk/client/index1.aspx?page=226

Once upon a time, there were three brothers, the youngest of whom was considered good-for-nothing. The three brothers had a garden with different fruit trees. In the middle of the gardenstood an apple tree on which grew golden apples. As the apples ripened, somebody or somethingtook them from the tree. Seeing the problem, the oldest brother told the middle brother to watchthe garden the whole night through to discover who kept stealing the ripe apples. When thegood-for-nothing brother heard the oldest brother's words, he said to him, "My dear brother, letme stay and watch the garden".

"Get out of my way, you good-for-nothing," replied his brother, "how could you even think thatyou are capable of doing something like that?"

That night, the oldest brother went to the garden to watch the apple tree. He watched andwatched, but the moment he fell asleep, a she-dragon came and picked the ripe apples. When the


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older brother awoke, he saw that somebody or something had picked the apples. The next nightthe middle brother went to watch the apple tree. Again the youngest brother begged them to lethim guard the apple tree, but the two brothers would not let him. So the next night, the middle

brother went to guard, but he also fell asleep, and the she-dragon came and picked the apples. Onthe third night, the worthless youngest brother begged his brothers to let him watch the apple

tree. The oldest brother shouted at him.

"Go to hell, you good-for-nothing. Stop boasting and pretending you are a hero. How can youeven think that you can watch the apple tree when we could not? Get out of my way before I slapyou so hard that you won't know which way to run!" As he spoke, the oldest brother slapped his

brother across the face.

"Slap me once again, my brother," said the good-fog-nothing, "but let me guard the apple treetonight."

"Let him guard", said the middle brother. "We'll see what he does."

When the worthless brother got permission, he went to the garden and climbed up the apple tree.Exactly at midnight, the she-dragon walked directly into the apple tree. Instantly the good-for-nothing brother jumped down from the tree and ran to catch her. When the she-dragon saw thegood-for-nothing brother run after her, she was frightened and started to run away. As she ran,the good-for-nothing brother kept running after her until they came to a hole in the ground. Theshe-dragon went into the hole and hid there.

The next morning the good-for-nothing brother told his brothers where the she-dragon went. Thegood-for-nothing brother asked for a stout rope. He asked his brothers to tie him with the ropeand lower him into the hole.

"When I shake the rope from inside the hole, pull me up," he said to his brothers.

They took a rope and the good-for-nothing brother tied the rope to his waist. Then his brotherslowered him into the hole. Once inside, the good-for-nothing brother looked to and fro for theshe-dragon. He found a big chest full of jewelry. He tied the rope to the chest and shook the ropeto signal his brothers. They pulled the chest out of the hole and let the rope down again becausethey expected to pull out more treasure. But the good-for-nothing brother could not find anythingelse, and therefore tied the rope to his waist and shook it in order to be pulled out. The two

brothers began to pull the rope, but when they saw their brother, they paused.

"Let's drop him back down; let the dragon eat him because he is a better hero then we are," saidthe oldest brother.

"That's a good idea, my brother," said the middle one. "Let's drop him down."

Instantly they dropped the good-for-nothing brother. He kept falling down and down until hefound himself in the underworld. He untied the rope and started walking along a narrow streetuntil he came to an old granny's house.


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"Good evening, granny," said the good-for-nothing brother. "Please, my old mother, give mesome water to drink because I have been walking the whole day and I could find no water alongthe way. Why is there no water in this world?"

"Oh, my dear son, there are many water fountains in our world, but all of them are shut by an

evil she-dragon. Each day she stops the water fountains. People cannot fetch drinking water untilwe give her one person to eat for each day of water. That is why I have only a small amount ofwater. I will let you drink a little. Then let's go to the edge of the town. There we shall watch and

pity the king's daughter, who will be eaten by the she-dragon. Today is the king's turn to feed theshe-dragon with a human body so that she will let the water fountains run."

The good-for-nothing brother drank a little water and together with the granny went to watch thedragon eat the king's daughter. The young man went to the king's daughter and sat beside her.

"Don't sit near me, young man, because here comes the she-dragon to eat me up. Go away because she may eat you up with me," she said to the good-for-nothing brother.

When the she-dragon arrived and saw the two people, she was happy and said, "Look! See, I'mlucky today. I used to eat only one person a day, but now I'm going to eat two!" She opened hermouth to eat them, but since the good-for- nothing brother was strong, he hit the dragon'sforehead with his mace and she fell down dead.

When the king saw what happened, he was very happy and he offered the good-for-nothing brother a lot of money. But the young man would not accept anything. The only thing he wantedwas to return to the upper world. When the king heard the good-for-nothing brother's wish, hegave him three eagles - one white, one black, and the third one red - to carry him to the upperworld. He gave him three young cows to feed the eagles with. The eagles took the good-for-

nothing brother on their wings and began to fly. Each time the eagles opened their beaks, thegood-for-nothing brother cut a piece of meat from the cows and gave meal to the eagles, saying,"Here you are. Eat." But not having enough meat and fearing that the eagles might drop him backinto the underworld, he cut a piece of flesh from his own thigh and fed the eagles, and they tookhim to the upper world.

Before the eagles returned to the underworld, each of them gave the good-for-nothing brotherone feather so that he could call them whenever he found himself in trouble. They told him thathe could light the feathers by touching each to a flame, and that then the eagle he chose wouldcome to help him.

When he returned home, his brothers wondered how he had managed to climb out of the hole inwhich they had dropped him. The good-for-nothing brother said nothing and behaved as if theyhad done nothing bad to him. During that time, the king wanted to get his three daughtersmarried. He therefore made an announcement to the entire world that the man who could jumpfrom one mountain to another on horseback would be given the king's daughter as his wife.

The good-for-nothing brother lit the feather of the white eagle and the white eagle came to him.The young man asked for a strong white horse and white clothing for himself. The eagle brought


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him the things he asked for. He took everything he needed and jumped from one mountain toanother the way the king required. He then took the king's daughter and hid her in his house. Heused the same trick and took the other two daughters of the king and hid them in his house. Aftera few days he invited his brothers to his house and gave a bride to each of them. He kept one

bride for himself.

"Although you, my brothers, hurt me badly, I shall do something good for you. Each of you takeone of the king's daughters," he said, and they went on living the way real brothers should.

Beki Bahar-Engler. Building a Civil Society in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

(Washington, DC: National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 1995).CIA: The World Factbook. Macedonia . Central Intelligence Agency. Last updated October 21,2011. Accessed on October 24, 2011. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.html

Dimitris Litvianos. The Macedonian Question: Britain and the Southern Balkans: 1939-1949 (New York: University Press, 2008).

Exploring Macedonia National Tourism Portal . February 2005. Ministry of Economy of theRepublic of Macedonia. Nov. 11, 2011 .

Republic of Macedonia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 2007. Republic of Macedonia, Ministry ofForeign Affairs. Nov. 11, 2011 .

Select Bibliography of Sources on Macedonia

ceres country profile - macedonia

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