Macedonia


The Republic of Macedonia (Albanian: Republika e Maqedonisë), often referred to as Macedonia, is an independent state on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. This landlocked country borders Serbia to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east. As the result of a naming dispute with Greece, it has agreed to the use of the name the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), under which it has entered the United Nations, pending resolution of the dispute.

The capital is Skopje, with more than 600,000 inhabitants. It has a number of smaller cities, notably Bitola, Prilep, Tetovo, Kumanovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, and Strumica. It has more than 50 natural and artificial lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,550 ft) above sea level.

The country is a member of the UN and the Council of Europe and an associate member of La Francophonie, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since December 2005 it is also a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership.