Background: International recognition of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its trade blockade in 1995 and the two countries agreed to normalize relations despite continued disagreement over FYROM's use of 'Macedonia.' FYROM's large Albanian minority and the de facto independence of neighboring Kosovo continue to be sources of ethnic tension.

Geographic coordinates: 41 50 N 22 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 25,333 km²
Land: 24,856 km²
Water: 477 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Vermont

Land boundaries
Total: 748 km
Border countries: (4) Albania 151 km; , Bulgaria 148 km; , Greece 228 km; , Yugoslavia 221 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: warm dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

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

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
Extremes highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,753 m

Natural resources: chromium lead zinc manganese tungsten nickel low-grade iron ore asbestos sulfur timber arable land

Land use
Arable land: 24%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 25%
Forests and woodland: 39%
Other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 830 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: high seismic risks

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

Population: 2,046,209 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.43% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Macedonian
Adjective: Macedonian

Ethnic groups: Macedonian 66.6% Albanian 22.7% Turkish 4% Roma 2.2% Serb 2.1% other 2.4% (1994)

Languages: Macedonian 70% Albanian 21% Turkish 3% Serbo-Croatian 3% other 3%

Religions: Macedonian Orthodox 67% Muslim 30% other 3%

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.92% (male 243,715; female 225,349)
15-64 years: 66.94% (male 688,484; female 681,225)
65 years and over: 10.14% (male 92,043; female 115,393) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 13.5 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 7.7 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.54 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.08 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.95 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.02 years
Male: 71.79 years
Female: 76.43 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

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

Capital: Skopje

Administrative divisions
Note: the seven municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute 'greater Skopje'

Independence: 17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday: Uprising Day 2 August (1903)

Constitution
Note: Democratic Party for Albanians (DPA), which is now a member party of the government, is calling for a rewrite of the constitution to declare ethnic Albanians a constituent national group and allow for greater regional autonomy

Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Boris TRAJKOVSKI (since 15 December 1999)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ljubco GEORGIEVSKI (since 30 November 1998)
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, LDP, and DPA
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); prime minister elected by parliament; election last held NA November 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: Boris TRAJKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Boris TRAJKOVSKI 52.4%, Tito PETKOVSKI 46.2%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 18 October and 1 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VMRO-DPMNE 43, SDSM 27, PDP 14, DA 13, DPA 11, VMRO-VMRO 6, LDP 4, SP 1, Roma Party 1

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Judicial Court of the Republic; judges for both courts are elected by the Judicial Council

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil TUPURKOVSKI president]; Democratic Party for Albanians or DPA [Arben XHAFERI president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Ljubcho GEORGIEVSKI president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Reform Option or VMRO-VMRO [Boris STOJMANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto GUSTERVO]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Imeri IMERI president]; Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI president]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV president]; Union of Romanies of Macedonia or SRM [leader NA]

International organization participation: ACCT (associate) BIS CCC CE CEI EAPC EBRD ECE FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat (nonsignatory user) Interpol IOC IOM (observer) ISO ITU OPCW OSCE PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ljubica Z. ACEVSKA
In the us chancery: 3,050 K Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 337 3,063
In the us fax: [1] (202) 337-3,093
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. EINIK
From the us embassy: Bul. Ilinden bb, 91,000 Skopje
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-7,120 (pouch)
From the us telephone: [389] (91) 116-180
From the us fax: [389] (91) 117-103

Flag description: a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field

Economy overview: At independence in November 1991 Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the center and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure UN sanctions on its largest market Yugoslavia and a Greek economic embargo hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP has subsequently increased each year rising by 5% in 2000. Successful privatization in 2000 boosted the country's reserves to over $700 million. Also the leadership demonstrated a continuing commitment to economic reform free trade and regional integration. Inflation jumped to 11% in 2000 largely due to higher oil prices.

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 12%
Industry: 25%
Services: 63% (2000)

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

Industries: coal metallic chromium lead zinc ferronickel textiles wood products tobacco

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2000)

Labor force: 1 million (1999 est.)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 32% (2000)

Population below poverty line: 25% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $1.06 billion
Expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $107 million (1996 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 11% (2000 est.)

Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: food beverages tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures iron and steel
Partners: Germany 22% Yugoslavia 22% US 12% Greece 7% Italy 6% (2000)

Imports: $2 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals fuels; food products
Partners: Germany 13% Ukraine 13% Russia 10% Yugoslavia 8% Greece 8% (2000)

Debt external: $1.4 billion (2000)

Exchange rates: Macedonian denars per US dollar - 64.757 (January 2001) 65.904 (2000) 56.902 (1999) 54.462 (1998) 50.004 (1997) 39.981 (1996)

Electricity
Production: 6.395 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 82.25%
Production by source hydro: 17.75%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 5.992 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 30 million kWh (1999)
Imports: 75 million kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 408,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 12,362 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: NA

Internet
Country code: .mk
Service providers isps: 6 (2000)
Users: 30,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $76.3 million (FY00/01)
Percent of gdp: 2.17% (FY00/01)

Airports: 16 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 6
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: 10 km

Railways
Total: 699 km
Standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified)
Note: a 56-km extension of the Kumanovo-Beljakovci line to the Bulgarian border at Gyveshevo is under construction (2001)

Waterways
Note: lake transport only, on the Greek and Albanian borders

Disputes international: dispute with Greece over its name; February 2001 agreement with Yugoslavia settled alignment of boundary stipulating implementation within two years