Independence Day in North Macedonia

People all across NORTH MACEDONIA are celebrating their country's Independence Day today. North Macedonia achieved independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Happy Independence Day!

Macedonia Exports

According to MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of MACEDONIA (F.Y.R.O.M.): apples, baked goods, beans, beauty products, beverages (especially beer and wine), buses, cabbage, capacitor, centrifuges, cereal grain, cheese, chocolate, circuit boards, clothing and textiles, copper, cucumbers, electric batteries, electric heaters, electrical control boards, equipment and machinery, flavored water, frozen fruit and vegetables, furniture, glazing putty, grapes, hydroelectricity to neighboring countries, hydrogen, industrial fatty acid/oil, insulated wire, iron alloys, iron stovetops, lead, leather footwear, locomotive parts, malt extract, mattresses, meat, melons, nuts, onions, paprika, peaches, pears, pharmaceuticals, plastic products, processed food, reaction and catalytic products, sausage, seats, seed oil, sugar, telephones, tobacco, tomatoes, and zinc.

According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include Germany (top importer), Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Spain, China, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, the United States, Albania, Slovenia, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Russia, Austria, France, Poland, and Montenegro.

Mavrovo National Park

Nestled in the northwestern corner of MACEDONIA (Republic) and bordering Albania and Kosovo, Mavrovo National Park (Националниот парк Маврово) was proclaimed as a natural preserve of its mountainous territory on Monday, April 18th, 1949. Being the Republic of Macedonia’s largest national park, Mavrovo features hilly and mountainous terrain and is a favorite place for hiking, mountain climbing, and exploring nature. While providing ample opportunities for isolated rest and relaxation, park visitors are surrounding by multiple villages and towns – especially in Mavrovo’s southwestern portion. Restaurants, markets, and/or lodging can be found in or near Adzhievci, Belichica, Boletin, Janche, Lazaropole, Leunovo, Mavrovi Anovi, Mavrovo, Rostusha, St. Jovan Bigorski, Skudrinje, Trebishte, Velebrdo, Vidushe, Zhirovnica, and other localities.



The park’s towering landmark is Golem Korab – the highest mountain in Albania and Macedonia. By the way, the exact height of this mountain is disputed by 10 meters. Online Macedonian info sources note that Korab’s height is 2754 meters (9035 feet), although the pointy peak is also said to be 2764 meters. Regardless, Korab is arguably one of the most awesome features of the republic and therefore a fitting centerpiece for Macedonia’s coat of arms! Other towering peaks along the Macedonia-Albania border include Krchin or Krčin (2343 m), Plocha (2233 m), and Velivar (2373 m). Krchin and Velivar are the tallest peaks on Deshat (Dešat) mountain, essentially guarding over yellow wildflowers in the photo below. Another spectacular sight to see is Mavrovo Lake, a 13.7-km² area destination for enjoying blissful views. In summary, a trip to Macedonia would not be complete without exploring Mavrovo National Park!

Macedonia Extinct and Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for MACEDONIA in Southeastern Europe lists two extinct species, 17 critically endangered species, and 30 endangered species. Previously residing in Dojran Lake on the Greece-Macedonia border, Graecoanatolica macedonica snails were declared extinct since 2000. Ohridohauffenia drimica snails were thought to be extinct since 1983 and once were endemic to Lake Ohrid and the Black Drim (Black Drin) river. Macedonia's critically endangered species include the European Eel, Macedonian Grayling butterfly, Slender-billed Curlew bird, and Zaumia kusceri snail. Zaumia kusceri snails live near the feeder springs of Lake Ohrid. Endangered species include the Big-bellied Glandular Bush Cricket, Egyptian Eagle, Pelasgus prespensis fish, Prespa Trout, and White-headed Duck.

Country Flags with Suns

Various countries have suns on their flags. They are ANTIGUA and BARBUDA, ARGENTINA, KAZAKHSTAN, KIRIBATI, KYRGYZSTAN, MALAWI, NAMIBIA, NEPAL, NORTH MACEDONIA (known as Macedonia or FYROM in 2015), The PHILIPPINES, RWANDA, and URUGUAY. Comprised of a main island and smaller islands, TAIWAN (Republic of China) is not exactly a country but it also has a sun on its flag. The sun on Taiwan's flag is featured in the top-left corner on top of a blue rectangle. The flags of BANGLADESH and JAPAN both feature a central red circle representing the sun. PALAU's yellow circle actually represents the moon!

Some Facts About Macedonia

MACEDONIA is a circular country in Eastern Europe that has a population of over 2 million. Known more formally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this country was part of Yugoslavia until it began to break up into multiple countries in 1991. There are five bordering countries: Albania (to the west), Bulgaria (east), Greece (south), Kosovo (north/northwest), and Serbia (north). Over two-thirds of the population, 67%, is Macedonian, followed by Albanians at 23%.  4% are Turkish, 2% are of the Roma ethnic group, and 2% are Serbs. Two-thirds of the population are adherents of Macedonian Orthodox, while 30% are Muslims. The capital is Skopje, which has around 450,000 inhabitants and is located near Kosovo in northern Macedonia. The three largest lakes are Lake Ohrid (partly in Albania as well), Lake Prespa (partly in Albania and Greece as well), and Lake Tikveš (an artificial lake completely within Macedonia). Macedonia maintains several national parks, including Mavrovo NP, Galičica NP, and Pelister NP.

>>> Visit my Macedonia post to learn more!

SE Europe Week — #3

Largest Lakes in Southeast Europe
Lacul Razim (Lake Razim), located in ROMANIA in the Danube Delta, is the largest lake in all of the countries that I've previously listed (the true definition of SE Europe varies from source to source and atlas to atlas); Lacul Sinoie, which is south of Lake Razim, also belongs on the list. Lake Scutari, also known as Lake Skadar, is located on the border with ALBANIA and MONTENEGRO. Lake Ohrid, in eastern ALBANIA and southwestern MACEDONIA, and Lake Prespa (also known as the Great Prespa), situated on top of the ALBANIA, GREECE, and MACEDONIA border, are close to each other (Lake Ohrid is northwest of Lake Prespa). Lastly, there are a few remarkable lakes in stretching across northern GREECE, like Límni Vólvi and Límni Kerkinitis. Now you know the largest lakes in Southeast Europe!

North Macedonia

Officially known as the Republic of North Macedonia, NORTH MACEDONIA is a landlocked, oval-shaped country located in Southeastern Europe. North Macedonia is surrounded by 5 countries: Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, Kosovo to the northwest, and Serbia to the north. The capital of North Macedonia is Skopje. For monetary transactions, North Macedonian people use the (North) Macedonian Denar as their currency. The Denar's ISO 4217 currency code is MKD.

● ● ● ● ●  Historic Renaming  ● ● ● ● ●  On Tuesday, June 12th, 2018, officials from Greece and the formerly named Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.) met near Lake Prespa to finalize the Prespa Agreement, which declared that the sovereign country of Macedonia would be renamed to North Macedonia to help resolve decades-long tensions between both countries. These tensions stem from the fact that Greece has a historic region and province named Macedonia, a larger entity existing hundreds of years before the modern state. Before this name change, an almost indisputably awkward name — Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), which is spelled Поранешна Југословенска Република Македонија in the Macedonian language — was officially used by the United Nations and other organizations. The name change to North Macedonia officially commenced in February 2019.