The Republic
of Macedonia is a country in Southeast Europe in the Balkan
peninsula. The capital and largest city is Skopje. The majority of the 2.
million residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form
a significant minority at around 25 percent, followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs,
and others.
Macedonia's
history dates back to antiquity, beginning with the kingdom of
Paeonia, and by the Kingdom of Macedonia in the fourth century BCE.
The Romans conquered the region in the second century BCE and made it part of
the much larger province of Macedonia. Macedonia remained part of the Byzantine
(Eastern Roman) Empire, and was often raided and settled by Slavic peoples
beginning in the sixth century CE. Following centuries of contention between
the Bulgarian and Byzantine empires, it gradually came under Ottoman
dominion from the 14th century. Between the late 19th and early 20th
century, a distinct Macedonian identity emerged, although following
the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913, the modern territory of Macedonia
came under Serbian rule. In the aftermath of the First World War (1914–1918)
it became incorporated into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which after the Second
World War was re-established as a republic (1945) and which became the Socialist
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963. Macedonia remained a constituent
socialist republic within Yugoslavia until its peaceful secession in 1991.
Since 1991, The Republic of Macedonia is an independent country.
The
Republic of Macedonia has a total area of 25,713 km2 .
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| Skopje |
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| Skopje Fortress |
Macedonia
is a landlocked country that is geographically clearly defined by a
central valley formed by the Vardar river and framed along its borders by
mountain ranges. The terrain is mostly rugged, located between the Šar
Mountains and Osogovo, which frame the valley of the Vardar river.
Three large lakes — Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Dojran
Lake — lie on the southern borders, bisected by the frontiers with Albania
and Greece.
Macedonia
has a transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. The summers are
hot and dry, and the winters are moderately cold.
The flora of
Republic of Macedonia is represented by around 210 families, 920 genera,
and around 3,700 plant species. The most abundant group are the flowering
plants with around 3,200 species, followed by mosses (350
species) and ferns (42).
The fauna
of Macedonian forests is abundant and includes bears, wild boars,
wolves, foxes, squirrels, chamois and deer. The lynx is
found, although very rarely, in the mountains of western Macedonia, while deer
can be found in the region of Demir Kapija. Forest birds include the blackcap,
the grouse, the black grouse, the imperial eagle and the
forest owl.
The
three artificial lakes of the country represent a separate fauna zone, an
indication of long-lasting territorial and temporal isolation. The fauna of
Lake Ohrid is a relict of an earlier era and the lake is widely known for its
letnica trout, lake whitefish, gudgeon, roach, podust, and
pior, as well as for certain species of snails of a genus older than
30 million years; similar species can be found only in Lake Baikal.
Lake Ohrid is also noted in zoology texts for the European eel and
its baffling reproductive cycle: it comes to Lake Ohrid from the distant Sargasso
Sea, thousands of kilometres away, and lurks in the depths of the lake for
10 years. When sexually mature, the eel is driven by unexplained instincts
in the autumn to set off back to its point of birth. There it spawns and dies,
leaving its offspring to seek out Lake Ohrid to begin the cycle anew.
Macedonia
has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry, and music. It has
many ancient, protected religious sites.
Macedonian
cuisine is a representative of that of the Balkans-reflecting Mediterranean (Greek) and Middle Eastern (Turkish)
influences, and to a lesser extent Italian, German and Eastern
European (especially Hungarian) ones. The relatively warm climate in
Macedonia provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables,
herbs and fruits. Thus, Macedonian cuisine is particularly diverse. Famous for
its rich Šopska salad, an appetiser and side dish which accompanies almost
every meal, Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of
its dairy products, wines, and local alcoholic beverages, such as rakija. Tavče
Gravče and mastika are considered the national dish and drink of
the Republic of Macedonia, respectively.
The
main public holidays in the Republic of Macedonia are:
1–2 January, New Year
7 January, Christmas Day (Orthodox)
April/May, Easter Sunday (Orthodox)
1 May, Labour Day
24 May, Saints Cyril and Methodius Day
2 August, Day of the Republic
8 September, Independence Day
11 October, Revolution Day
23 October, Day of the Macedonian
Revolutionary Struggle
8 December, Saint Clement of Ohrid Day
Ohrid,
a lakeside resort and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered the
jewel in Macedonia's crown.
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| Ohrid |
Aside
from the lake, Ohrid is most famous for its ancient churches, basilicas, and
monasteries where Saints Kliment and Naum wrote their teachings and formulated
the Cyrillic alphabet used in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as neighboring
countries Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro and as far as Russia, and many of the
countries of the former Soviet Union.
Important sites and
churches
-Ohrid
Fortifications and King Samoil Fortress -The first fortifications were
built in the 5th century BC, but the oldest remains preserved are from 3th
century BC.
-Antique
Theater
-Ohrid
Traditional Architecture-Robevci
& Uranija houses are the two best examples of traditional architecture.
-St.Sophia
church 11th c.
- Cathedral of Ohrid archbishops
-St.Bogorodica
Perivlepta 13th c.
- The church was built and painted in 1295.
-St.
John the Theologian - Kaneo church 13th c. – most known for its scenic location,
standing on a cliff over Lake Ohrid.
-St.Pantelejmon
– Plaoshnik
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| Ohrid Traditional Architecture |
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| St. John the Theologian - Kaneo church 13th c |
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| St.Sophia church 11th c. |
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| St.Pantelejmon – Plaoshnik |
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| St.Naum church |
Apart
from sightseeing, there are a few different natural beaches, usually the
further from the city center the more scenic they become, and each offers a
unique beach experience. Beaches are most crowded in July and August, and quiet
the rest of the year, which is a whole different experience.
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| Ohrid Lake |
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| Ohrid Lake Beach |
Events
-Ohrid
Summer Festival-The
Ohrid Summer Festival is held each year from July 12 to August 20.
-Ohrid
Swimming Marathon-in
the second half of July.
-The
Balkan Folklore Festival