The Republic of North Macedonia is a landlocked and mostly mountainous country in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered to the north by Kosovo and Serbia, to the east by Bulgaria, to the south by Greece, and to the west by Albania. Geographically, the country is defined by a central valley formed by the Vardar River and rimmed along its borders by mountain ranges. The Republic's territory is mostly rugged, located between Shara and Osogovo mountains, which frame the valley of the Vardar River.
The Republic of North Macedonia has scenic rocky mountains and green, rolling hills covered with conifer forests and lined with countless freshwater streams and rivers.
The territory of the Republic of North Macedonia covers a total area of 25,713 sq. km, of which 25,236 sq. km are land, while 477 sq. km are water surface.
Cities
The capital of the Republic of North Macedonia is Skopje. Other major cities include: Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Shtip, Kochani, Gostivar, Kavadarci and Strumica.
Population
Total population of the Republic of North Macedonia reaches 2,100,025 inhabitants (2016 July estimate). The majority of the republic’s inhabitants are Macedonians (63% of the population) most of which are Eastern Orthodox Christians. Albanians constitute the largest ethnic minority and follow the Islamic religion. They form the majority of the population in the northwestern region. Other ethnic minorities that populate North Macedonia include: Turks, Vlachs (Aromani), Roma (Gypsies), Serbs and Bosniaks. Consequently, North Macedonia forms a complex border zone between the major cultural traditions of Europe and Asia.
Climate
North Macedonia has a transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. The summers are hot and dry and the winters are moderately cold. Average annual precipitation varies from 1,700 mm in the western mountainous area to 500 mm in the eastern area.
Temperature: Average 11.5°C (22.2°C during summer, 0.3°C during winter).
Language
The Macedonian language is the official language throughout the Republic of North Macedonia and in the international relations of the Republic of North Macedonia. It is written using its Cyrillic alphabet.
Various languages are spoken by the different ethnic minorities in the Republic of North Macedonia such as: Albanian, Turkish, Romani, Serbian, Bosnian and Aromanian. In some municipalities some minority languages are co-official, along with Macedonian.
Official Currency
The Macedonian Denar- MKD
Political System
After the state referendum in 1991, Republic of North Macedonia established a sovereign state based on parliamentary democracy. The executive authority rests with the Government, headed by a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the cabinet ministers are elected by the National Assembly. Ministers are elected by a majority vote of deputies in the National Assembly.
The National Assembly (the Parliament) of North Macedonia, the legislative body of the country, consists of 120-140 representatives who are elected every four years. The President represents the Republic of North Macedonia both at home and abroad. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of North Macedonia and a President of the Security Council.
The President is elected every five years and he or she can be elected twice at most.