Republic of Macedonia

CIA World Factbook 1993

Macedonia, Republic of

Macedonia, Header

Macedonia has proclaimed independent statehood but has not been formally recognized as a state by the United States.

Macedonia Geography

Location:
Southern Europe, between Serbia and Montenegro and Greece
Map references:
Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Total area:
25,333 km2
Land area:
24,856 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Vermont
Land boundaries:
748 km;
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
International disputes:
Greece claims republic's name implies territorial claims against Aegean Macedonia
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
Natural resources:
chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulphur, timber
Land use:
Environment:
Macedonia suffers from high seismic hazard; air pollution from metallurgical plants
Note:
landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea

Macedonia People

Population:
2,193,951 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.91% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
15.91 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.79 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
29.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate:
2 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Ethnic divisions:
Macedonian 67%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 4%, Serb 2%, other 6%
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 59%, Muslim 26%, Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other 10%
Languages:
Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%
Literacy:
89.1% (male 94.2%, female 83.8%) age 10 and over can read and write (1992 est.)
Labor force:
507,324; agriculture 8%, manufacturing and mining 40% (1990)
Organized labor:
NA

Macedonia Government

Names:
Digraph:
MK
Type:
emerging democracy
Capital:
Skopje
Administrative divisions:
34 districts (opcine, singular - opcina) Berovo, Bitola, Brod, Debar, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Gevgelija, Gostivar, Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kocani, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krusevo, Kumanovo, 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
Independence:
20 November 1991 from Yugoslavia
Constitution:
adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
National holiday:
NA
Executive branch:
presidency, Council of Ministers, prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court, Judicial Court of the Republic
Leaders:
Member of:
EBRD, ICAO, IMF, UN, UNCTAD, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
none; US does not recognize Macedonia
US diplomatic representation:
none; US does not recognize Macedonia
Flag:
16-point gold sun (Vergino, Sun) centered on a red field
Political parties and leaders:
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Communists:
NA
Other political or pressure groups:
Movement for All Macedonian Action (MAAK), IMRU-Democratic Party, League for Democracy, Albanian Democratic Union-Liberal Party

Macedonia Economy

Overview:
Macedonia, although the poorest among the six republics of a dissolved Yugoslav federation, can meet basic food and energy needs through its own agricultural and coal resources. It will, however, move down toward a bare subsistence level of life unless economic ties are reforged or enlarged with its neighbors Serbia and Montenegro, Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. The economy depends on outside sources for all of its oil and gas and its modern machinery and parts. Continued political turmoil, both internally and in the region as a whole, prevents any swift readjustments of trade patterns and economic programs. Inflation in early 1992 was out of control, the result of fracturing trade links, the decline in economic activity, and general uncertainties about the future status of the country; prices rose 38% in March 1992 alone. In August 1992, Greece, angry at the use of "Macedonia" as the republic's name, imposed a partial blockade for several months. This blockade, combined with the effects of the UN sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro, cost the economy approximately $1 billion in 1992 according to official figures. Macedonia's geographical isolation, technological backwardness, and potential political instability place it far down the list of countries of interest to Western investors. Resolution of the dispute with Greece and an internal commitment to economic reform would help to encourage foreign investment over the long run. In the immediate future, the worst scenario for the economy would be the spread of fighting across its borders.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $7.1 billion (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-18% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
$3,110 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
114.9% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
20% (1991 est.)
Exports:
$578 million (1990)
Imports:
$1,112 million (1990)
External debt:
$845.8 million
Industrial production:
growth rate -18% (1991 est.)
Electricity:
1,600,000 kw capacity; 6,300 million kWh produced, 2,900 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
low levels of technology predominate, such as, oil refining by distillation only; produces basic fuels; mining and manufacturing processes result in the extraction and production of coal as well as metallic chromium, lead, zinc, and ferronickel; light industry produces basic textiles, wood products, and tobacco
Agriculture:
provides 12% of Macedonia's GDP and meets the basic need for food; principal crops are rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, and millet; also grown are cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus fruit, and vegetables; Macedonia is one of the seven legal cultivators of the opium poppy for the world pharmaceutical industry, including some exports to the US; agricultural production is highly labor intensive
Illicit drugs:
NA
Economic aid:
$10 million from the US for humanitarian and technical assistance; EC promised a 100 ECU million economic aid package
Currency:
denar (plural - denars); 1 denar (NA) = 100 NA
Exchange rates:
denar (NA) per US$1 - 240 (January 1991)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

Macedonia Communications

Railroads:
NA
Highways:
10,591 km total (1991); 5,091 km paved, 1,404 km gravel, 4,096 km earth
Inland waterways:
NA km
Pipelines:
none
Ports:
none - landlocked
Airports:
Telecommunications:
125,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 2 FM, 5 (2 relays) TV; 370,000 radios, 325,000 TV; satellite communications ground stations - none

Macedonia Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 597,024; fit for military service 484,701; reach military age (19) annually 18,979 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
7 billion denars, NA% of GNP (1993 est.); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
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