LocationFormer Yugoslav Republic; southeastern Europe.
Area25,713 sq km (9928 sq miles).
The former Yugoslav republic of ‘Macedonia’ is only one of three areas of the historical region of ‘Macedonia’, which includes Pirin Macedonia (Bulgaria) and Aegean Macedonia (Greece), with a total area of 66,600 sq km (25,700 sq miles), most of which is in Greece. In deference to Greek sensibilities, the United Nations and other international organizations have formally recognized Macedonia under the interim name of ‘The Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia’; however this is gradually reverting to ‘The Republic of Macedonia’.
Population2 million (official estimate 2002).
Population Density79.7 per sq km.
CapitalSkopje.
Population: 467,257 (2002).
GovernmentRepublic since 1991. Gained independence from Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) in 1991.
Head of State: President Branko Crvenkovski since 2004.
Head of Government : Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski since 2006.
Recent history: Vlado Buckovski’s Social Democrat coalition was beaten by the opposition nationalist party VMRO-DPMNE in the July 2006 elections. VMRO-DPMNE is led by Nikola Gruevski, a former finance minister. Macedonia was awarded EU candidate status in December 2005. The Macedonian parliament approved a new government proposed by Gruevski on 26 August 2006.
LanguageMacedonian (a slavonic language using the Cyrillic script) is the most widely used language. Albanian, Turkish and Serbo-Croat are also used by ethnic groups. English, French and German are widely spoken.
Religion67 per cent of the population are Eastern Orthodox Macedonians and around 23 per cent are Muslim Albanians. There are also Muslim Turks and Serbian Orthodox minorities. As elsewhere in the former Yugoslav federation, local politics are now strongly divided along national religious lines.
TimeGMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity220 volts AC, 50Hz.
TelephoneCountry code: 389. All telecommunications services are generally working normally.
Mobile TelephoneRoaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is mostly good.
InternetThere are a few Internet cafes in the main towns.
MediaThe constitution guarantees freedom of speech.
PostServices work normally.
Press• The main daily newspapers are
Dnevnik,
Flaka e Vëllazërimit,
Nova Makedonija and
Vecer (an evening paper).
• Weekly papers include
Fokus and
Puls.
• The
Macedonian Times comes out monthly in English and Macedonian.
Radio• Radio Macedonian is state owned.
• Kanal 77 and
Antenna 5 are private stations.
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.
2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6-7 Jan Orthodox Christmas.
8 Mar International Women’s Day.
9 Apr Orthodox Easter Monday.
1 May May Day.
2 Aug Ilinden (National Holiday).
8 Sep Independence Day.
2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6-7 Jan Orthodox Christmas.
8 Mar International Women’s Day.
28 Apr Orthodox Easter Monday.
1 May May Day.
2 Aug Ilinden (National Holiday).
8 Sep Independence Day.
Contact Information:Tourist Association of SkopjeStreet address: Dame Gruev Gradski Blok 3, 1000 Skopje, Macedonia
Tel: (2) 3118 498. Fax: (2) 3230 803.
Website:
www.skopjetourism.org Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in the UKSuite 2.1 & 2.2, Buckingham Court, Buckingham Gate 75/83, London SW1E 6PE, UK
Tel: (020) 7976 0535
or 0538 (consular section).
Website:
www.macedonianembassy.org.uk Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; Mon, Wed and Fri 1000-1300 (for personal callers).
Embassy of the Republic of Macedonia in the USA2129 Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, USA
Tel: (202) 667 0501.
Website:
www.macedonianembassy.org
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