| Macedonia |
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Map:
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| Background: Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations. The United States began referring to Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, in 2004 and negotiations continue between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the name issue. Some ethnic Albanians, angered by perceived political and economic inequities, launched an insurgency in 2001 that eventually won the support of the majority of Macedonia's Albanian population and led to the internationally-brokered Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting by establishing a set of new laws enhancing the rights of minorities. The undetermined status of neighboring Kosovo, implementation of the Framework Agreement, and a weak economy continue to be challenges for Macedonia. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Skopje
geographic coordinates: 41 59 N, 21 26 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Area Total: 25,333 sq km |
| Area Land: 24,856 sq km |
| Area Water: 477 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly larger than Vermont |
| Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) |
| Climate: warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall |
| Terrain: mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Vardar River 50 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest 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 |
| Land Use Arable Land: 22.01% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 1.79% |
| Land Use Other: 76.2% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: 550 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: high seismic risks |
| Environment Current Issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants |
| Geography Note: landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe |
| Population |
| Population: 2,055,915 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 19.8% (male 210,418/female 195,884) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 69.1% (male 715,997/female 704,739) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 11.1% (male 99,892/female 128,985) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 34.4 years |
| Median Age Male: 33.5 years |
| Median Age Female: 35.5 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 0.263% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 12.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 8.78 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.08 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.074 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.016 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.774 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.997 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 9.53 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 9.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 74.21 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 71.73 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 76.88 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 1.57 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.37%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census) |
| Languages: Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census) |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 96.1% |
| Literacy Male: 98.2% |
| Literacy Female: 94.1% (2002 est.) |
Administrative Divisions: 85 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom (Skopje), Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debartsa, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rastusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj (Skopje), Skopje, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci
note: the ten municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute the larger Skopje Municipality |
| Legal System: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts |
| Economy |
| Overview: At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized Yugoslavia, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then averaged 4% per year during 2003-06. Macedonia has maintained macroeconomic stability with low inflation, but it has lagged the region in attracting foreign investment, and job growth has been anemic. Macedonia has an extensive gray market, estimated to be more than 20 percent of GDP, that falls outside official statistics. |
GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $16.91 billion
note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 3.2% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 9% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 29% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 62% (2006 est.) |
| Labor Force: 899,000 (2006 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 32.6%
services: 45.7% (September 2006) |
| Unemployment Rate: 36% (September 2006 est.) |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 3% (2006 est.) |
| Industries: food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 3.4% (2006 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 5.935 billion kWh (2006) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 83.7% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 16.3% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 8.929 billion kWh (2006) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2006) |
| Electricity Imports: 2.994 billion kWh (2006) |
| Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil Consumption: 23,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 100 million cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Imports: 100 million cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $2.341 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: food, beverages, tobacco; textiles, miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel |
| Exports Partners: Serbia and Montenegro 22.5%, Germany 17.8%, Greece 15.3%, Italy 8.3% (2005) |
| Imports: $3.631 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products |
| Imports Partners: Russia 13.2%, Germany 10.4%, Greece 9.2%, Serbia and Montenegro 8.2%, Bulgaria 7.3%, Italy 6% (2005) |
| Debt External: $2.285 billion (November 2006) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $NA |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 533,200 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 1.261 million (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: NA |
| Telephone System Domestic: NA |
| Telephone System International: country code - 389 |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios: 410,000 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995) |
| Televisions: 510,000 (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 6 (2000) |
| Internet Users: 392,671 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Railways Total: 699 km |
| Railways Standard Gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) (2005) |
| Airports: 17 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 6% (2005 est.) |
| Disputes International: ethnic Albanians in Kosovo object to demarcation of the boundary with Serbia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia |
| Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons: IDPs: fewer than 1,000 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2006) |
| IllicitDrugs: 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 |