North Macedonia

Republika Makedonija

emerging democracyIndependence 17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

North Macedonia as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSkopje
Position41 50 N, 22 00 E
Area25,333 sq km
LocationSoutheastern Europe, north of Greece
Populationas each edition published it
2 million July 1997 est. · 2.17m in 1992
Population growth% a year
0.68% 1997 est. · 0.91% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 32.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 73.19 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.07 children per woman 1997 est. · 2 in 1993
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
20.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 29.7 in 1993
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$960 1996 est. · $3,110 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
1.1% 1996 est. · -18% in 1993

Geography

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

18 fields

Land useshare of 25,333 sq km

arable land 24%permanent crops 2%permanent pastures 25%forests and woodland 39%other 10% (1993 est.)irrigated 830 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
25,333sq km
land: 24,856 sq kmwater: 477 sq kmslightly larger than Vermont
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
2,753m
Korablowest point : Vardar River 50 m
Land boundaries
748km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 228 km, Serbia and Montenegro 221 km (all with Serbia)

Location

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

Geographic coordinates

41 50 N, 22 00 E

Climate

hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

Terrain

  • mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys;
  • there are three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line;
  • country bisected by the Vardar River

Natural resources

chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber

Natural hazards

high seismic risks

Environment - current issues

air pollution from metallurgical plants

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified :
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe

People

15 fields
Population
1,995,859
(July 1997 est.)note: the Macedonian government census of July 1994 put the population at 1.94 million, but ethnic allocations were likely undercountedgrowth rate: 0.68% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
15.88Death
8.13Net migration
-1.01

Ethnic groups

Macedonian 65%Albanian 22%Turkish 4%Serb 2%Gypsies 3%other 4%

Religions

Eastern Orthodox 67%Muslim 30%other 3%

Age structure

0-14 years:
24% (male 245,923; female 231,621)
15-64 years:
67% (male 670,535; female 665,556) 65 years and over : 9% (male 82,285; female 99,939) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.82 male(s)/female
total population:
1 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population :
72.48 years
male:
70.41 years
female:
74.71 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.07 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Macedonian(s)
adjective:
Macedonian

Languages

Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%

Government

Emerging democracy; President Kiro GLIGOROV (since 27 January 1991); Prime Minister Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 4 September 1992)

21 fields

Country name

conventional long form :
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
conventional short form:
none
local long form:
Republika Makedonija
local short form:
Makedonija
abbreviation:
FYROM

Government type

emerging democracy

Administrative divisions

34 counties (opstinas, singular - opstina) Berovo, Bitola, Brod, Debar, Delcevo, Gevgelija, Gostivar, Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kocani, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Murgasevo, Negotino, Ohrid, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Resen, Skopje-Centar, Skopje-Cair, Skopje-Karpos, Skopje-Kisela Voda, Skopje-Gazi Baba, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Sveti Nikole, Tetovo, Titov Veles, Valandovo, Vinica; note: in September 1996, the Macedonian Parliament passed legislation changing the territorial division of the country; names of the 123 new municipalities are not yet available

Independence

17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday

8 September

Constitution

adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Kiro GLIGOROV (since 27 January 1991)
head of government:
Prime Minister Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 4 September 1992)
cabinet:
  • Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly;
  • note - after the withdrawal of the Liberal Party (LP) from the ruling coalition in early 1996, the Council of Ministers was reorganized without LP participation
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1994 (next to be held NA 1999)
election results:
Kiro GLIGOROV elected president; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch

unicameral Assembly or Sobranje (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 16 and 30 October 1994 (next to be held NA November 1998)
election results :
  • percent of vote by party - NA;
  • seats by party - SDSM 58, LP 29, SP 8, PDP 10, NDP 4, independents 7, other 4;
  • note - since October 1994 elections, some members of the Assembly have changed their party affiliation;
  • the seating as of January 1997 is as
follows:
SDSM 61, LP 27, SP 6, PDP 11, NDP 2, PDPA 5, independents 3, other 5

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the Judicial Council; Judicial Court of the Republic, judges are elected by the Judicial Council

Political parties and leaders

  • Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president];
  • Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Abdurahman ALITI, president];
  • National Democratic Party or NDP [Ilijas HALIMI, president];
  • Liberal Party or LP [Stojan ANDOV, president];
  • Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubislav IVANOV-ZINGO, president];
  • Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Ljupco GEORGIEVSKI, president];
  • Democratic Party or DP [Petar GOSEV, president];
  • Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians or PDPA [Arben XHAFFERI, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • Movement for All Macedonian Action or MAAK;
  • Democratic Party of Serbs;
  • Democratic Party of Turks;
  • Party for Democratic Action (Slavic Muslim)

International organization participation

CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NACC, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Ljubica Z. ACEVSKA
chancery:
3050 K Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
[1] (202) 337 3063

FAX

[1] (202) 337 3093

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Christopher Robert HILL (18 July 1996)
embassy:
Ilindenska BB, 9100 Skopje
mailing address:
American Embassy Skopje, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch)
telephone :
[389] (91) 116-180

FAX

[389] (91) 117-103

Flag description

a rising yellow sun with 8 rays extending to the edges of the red field

Economy

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, | although the poorest republic in the former Yugoslav federation, can | meet basic food and energy needs through its own agricultural and coal | resources.

22 fields
Real growth rate
1.1%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 3.4% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate
38%
(1996 est.); note - many employed workers are, in fact, furloughees
Labor force
591,773
(June 1994)by occupation: manufacturing and mining 40% (1992)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture 24%industry 44%services 32%

Budget

Revenues
$1.06 billionExpenditures
$1 billion (1996 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Economy - overview

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, although the poorest republic in the former Yugoslav federation, can meet basic food and energy needs through its own agricultural and coal resources. The economy slowly rebounded in 1996 after years of recession. Continued recovery depends on Macedonia's ability to redevelop trade ties with Greece and Serbia and Montenegro;

as well as on Skopje's continued commitment to economic liberalization. The economy depends on outside sources for all of its oil and gas and most of its modern machinery and parts. An important supplement of GDP is the remittances from thousands of Macedonians working in Germany and other West European nations.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $960 (1996 est.)

Industries

coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel, textiles, wood products, tobacco

Electricity - capacity

1.38 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

5.22 billion kWh (1994)

Agriculture - products

rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, millet, cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus, vegetables; beef, pork, poultry, mutton

Exports

total value:
$900 million (1996 est.)
commodities:
food, beverage, tobacco 17.0%, machinery and transport equipment 13.3%, other manufactured goods 58%
partners :
Bulgaria, other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, Italy

Imports

total value:
$1.4 billion (1996 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment 19%, chemicals 14%, fuels 12%
partners:
other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria

Debt - external

$1.2 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA note: US, $10 million (for humanitarian and technical assistance); in December 1995, the EU agreed to provide a credit line of ECU 21.7 million for investment projects

Currency

1 Macedonian denar (MKD) = 100 deni

Exchange rates

denar per US$1 - 40.5 (September 1996), 38.8 (December 1995), 39 (November 1994), 865 (October 1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Telephone system

domestic:
NA
international:
NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios

369,000 (1992 est.)

Televisions

327,011 (1992 est.)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
12
total: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

Networkskm

Highways
8,532Railways
699Pipelines
0
Highways: paved: 5,401 km (including 133 km of expressways) · unpaved: 3,131 km (1995 est.) · Railways: standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (232 km electrified) (1995)

Railways

total:
699 km
standard gauge:
699 km 1.435-m gauge (232 km electrified) (1995)

Highways

total:
8,532 km
paved:
5,401 km (including 133 km of expressways)
unpaved:
3,131 km (1995 est.)

Waterways

none, lake transport only

Airports

16 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Military

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Police | Force

7 fields

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Police Force

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 532,578 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

7 billion denars (1993 est.); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

  • dispute with Greece over name;
  • in September 1995, Skopje and Athens signed an interim accord resolving their dispute over symbols and certain constitutional provisions;
  • Athens also lifted its economic embargo on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
  • Albanians in Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to public-sector jobs and representation in government

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine MADAGASCAR

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Macedonia,.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/north-macedonia/1997.