Population of Macedonia: features, numbers and interesting facts

The name of the country of Macedonia originated from the Greek word "Macedon", which means "slender, tall, tall". The population of Macedonia in the greater part of the Macedonians is the southern Slavs. They appeared as a result of the assimilation of the indigenous inhabitants of Macedonia - the ancient Macedonians, Thracians and others directly with the Slavs.

Education of the Republic of Macedonia

The correct name of the country is the Republic of Macedonia. This is an independent European state, a former republic that was part of Yugoslavia. It is located on the Balkan Peninsula. It is often called Macedonia, but it should not be confused with Ancient Macedonia. The modern Republic of Macedonia occupies only 38% of its territory. After the proclamation of a sovereign state, called the Republic of Macedonia, this name caused great displeasure to Greece.

The territory of the present republic in different periods of history belonged to various states, which, undoubtedly, affected the composition of the population of Macedonia. Once upon a time there existed an independent state of the same name. The land of today's Macedonia was part of the Piononia, Roman and Byzantine empires, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, thanks to which the majority of the population of the country became Christians.

Bulgarians and modern Macedonians can be considered related peoples, because they are ethnically close to each other. For more than 500 years the territory was under the yoke of Osman. At the end of the Balkan wars of 1912-1913, the land of Ancient Macedonia is divided among three countries - Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria. This largely affected the ethnic composition of Macedonia, where Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs and Turks live. Serbia along with Macedonia became part of Yugoslavia, from which the second was released in 1991.

Ethnic composition

Consider the population of Macedonia, whose ethnic composition is composed of Macedonians - 64% of the inhabitants of the country, Albanians - 25%, Turks - 4%, Roma - 2.7%, Serbs - 2%.

More people are Macedonians, or southern Slavs. The ethnonym "Macedonians" was introduced in 1945. Before that, the people were called "Macedonian Slavs". In Greece they are called Slavic-Macedonians or Skopjeans. In total there are about 2.5 million ethnic Macedonians in the world, including 1.3 million people living in the country.

One of the numerous ethnic groups on the territory of the state is Albanians - the Balkan people living in a neighboring country. The Albanian population of Macedonia is 510 thousand people.

Demography

According to the UN, the male population prevails over the female population by 0.1% and is 1,044,361 in 2017, while the female population is 1,040,521. Population growth, the predominance of those born over the dead, is 3,229 people a year, 9 per day human. The migration rate averages about 1,000 people a year. This indicator is quite large, as the country is poor by European standards. Despite this, the natural increase in the population is 2 229 people, which is quite significant for Europe, because the population is increasing mainly due to migrants.

General information

The state of Macedonia is located in the south-east of Europe, namely in the southern Balkans. The area is 25,712 square kilometers in area. The total population of Macedonia is 2.08 million people. The Macedonian language is recognized in the state, in some areas with the Albanian population - the Macedonian and Albanian languages. The capital of the country is the city of Skopje with a population of 563.3 thousand. The form of state government is a parliamentary republic. The head of the country is the president. The state holiday - Independence Day - is celebrated on September 8. The monetary unit is denar. Membership in the UN since 1993.

Geographical position

The state border lies in the north with Montenegro and Serbia, in the east with Bulgaria, in the west with Albania, in the south with Greece. The country is continental, there are no exits to the sea. On its territory is a railway and road route from Western Europe to Greece.

Landscape

The natural landscape is the ancient massifs of the Rhodes mountains and the younger mountains on the territory of the former part of the Aegean Sea. The famous Vardar lowland stretches along the river Vardar. On the territory of the country there are deposits of minerals. On the Vardar River and in the northern region of Eastern Macedonia there are volcanic hills where deposits of minerals have been discovered: iron, zinc, copper and lead.

Western Macedonia is mostly mountainous, with the alpine highlands of Karadžica (2,538 meters above sea level). On the territory of Macedonia, the Vardar, Strumica rivers flowing into the Aegean Sea flow. The Black Dream River flows into the Adriatic Sea. Deep-water Ohrid lake is similar to our Baikal, and along the tectonic lake Prespansky there is a border with Greece and Albania. In the mountains there are glacial lakes that are adjacent to healing springs that come out to the surface. The population of Macedonia and tourists from other countries come here for treatment.

In those areas where there is a Mediterranean climate, mixed forests grow, they are dominated by the most valuable species - oak and hornbeam, in the Strumnitsa area grows black Crimean pine. Forest tracts occupy more than half of the country.

Industry

What is the population of Macedonia doing? The majority of the population (59.5%) live in cities. Significant cities of the country are Skopje, Bitola, Prilep, Kumanovo. Large enterprises operate in the country, minerals are extracted: iron ore, chromites, polymetals, and coal. There are enterprises of black (cast iron), non-ferrous metallurgy.

There are machine-building enterprises producing equipment, machine tools, electrical appliances, agricultural machines. Some of the population works at pharmacological, woodworking factories, light and food industries.

Agriculture

About 40% of the population of Macedonia is employed in agriculture, where plant growing prevails. Here, wheat, rice, corn, cotton, peanuts, tobacco, opium poppy and anise are grown. Developed viticulture, horticulture and vegetable growing. Livestock is represented by mountain sheep breeding and we grow cattle. Lakes are also developed.

sights

Macedonia - an ancient country, the ancestor of ancient ancient civilization, which preserved the richest historical heritage. This is the birthplace of Slavonic writing, one of the purest countries in Europe. All monuments in the country are carefully guarded. They include the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Heraclea Linzestis, the fortress in Strumice, the castle of the legendary King Samuel and the ancient Christian shrines - the basilica of St. Sophia in Ohrid, the church of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi and St. Michael in Lesnovo, and much more.