North Macedonia

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

total:

2.27

per capita:

1,118 cu m/yr (2000)

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

noun:

Macedonian(s)

adjective:

Macedonian

conventional long form:

Republic of Macedonia

conventional short form:

Macedonia

local long form:

Republika Makedonija

local short form:

Makedonija

note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM)

former:

People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia

name:

Skopje

geographic coordinates:

42 00 N, 21 26 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• based on civil law system;
• judicial review of legislative acts;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

President Gjorge IVANOV (since 12 May 2009)

head of government:

Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 26 August 2006)

cabinet:

• Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly;
• note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, BDI/DUI, and several small parties

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• two-round election: first round held 22 March 2009, second round held 5 April 2009 (next to be held in March 2014);
• prime minister elected by the Assembly following legislative elections

election results:

Gjorge IVANOV elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Gjorge IVANOV 63.14%, Ljubomir FRCKOSKI 36.86%

• Supreme Court;
• Constitutional Court;
• Republican Judicial Council

note: the Assembly appoints the judges

• Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV];
• Democratic League of Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC];
• Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh/DPA [Menduh THACI];
• Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC];
• Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI];
• Democratic Renewal of Macedonia [Liljana POPOVSKA];
• Democratic Union of Albanians or BDSh [Bardyl MAHMUTI];
• Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV];
• Democratic Union for Integration or BDI/DUI [Ali AHMETI];
• For a Better Macedonia coalition [Nikola GRUEVSKI] (includes VMRO-DPMNE, SP, Democratic Union, Democratic Renewal of Macedonia, Democratic Party of Turks, Democratic Party of Serbs, SR, and smaller parties);
• Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI];
• League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC];
• Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Jovan MANSIEVSKI];
• Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV];
• National Alternative [Harun ALIU];
• National Democratic Union or BDK [Hysni SHAQIR];
• New Democracy of DR/ND [Imer SELMANI];
• New Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI];
• Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Sefedin HARUNI];
• Party for European Future or PEI [Fijat CANOSKI];
• Party of Free Democrats or PSD [Ljubco JORDANOVSKI];
• Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Zoran ZAEV];
• Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV-ZINGO];
• Sun-Coalition for Europe [Radmila SKERINSKA] (includes
  • SDSM,
  • NSDP,
  • LDP,
  • Liberal Party and smaller parties)
  ;
• Union of Romas or SR [Shaban SALIU];
• United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA]

• Federation of Free Trade Unions [Svetlana PETROVIC];
• Federation of Trade Unions [Vanco MURATOVSKI];
• Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture [Dojcin CVETANOSKI];
• World Macedonian Congress [Todor PETROV]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Zoran JOLEVSKI

chancery:

2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 667-0501

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-2131

consulate(s) general:

Southfield (Michigan)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Philip T. REEKER

embassy:

Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje

mailing address:

American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch)

telephone:

[389] 2 311-6180

FAX:

[389] 2 311-7103

agriculture:

19.6%

industry:

30.4%

services:

50% (September 2007)

lowest 10%:

2.4%

highest 10%:

29.6% (2003)

general assessment:

competition from the mobile-cellular segment of the telecommunications market has led to a drop in fixed-line telephone subscriptions

domestic:

combined fixed line and mobile telephone subscribership approaching 150 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 389 (2008)

total:

699 km

country comparison to the world: 105

standard gauge:

699 km 1.435-m gauge (223 km electrified) (2008)

males age 16-49:

532,856

females age 16-49:

513,684 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

444,247

females age 16-49:

427,556 (2009 est.)

male:

14,596

female:

13,881 (2009 est.)

• Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008;
• Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

• major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish;
• minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe;
• although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement