A small landlocked country
Find your way around. Northern Macedonia is part of the Balkan Peninsula, a vast region in southeastern Europe that stretches from Slovenia to Moldova and from Romania to Greece. The country covers an area of 25,713 square kilometers, which is slightly smaller than neighboring Albania and Brittany. It has about 1.8 million inhabitants, which represents a density of 80 inhabitants/km2. It is the 13th smallest country in Europe, both in area and population. It is rather oval in shape and stretches about 210 km from east to west and 160 km from north to south.
Borders. It is one of the fifteen countries in Europe without access to the sea. But in the south, the city of Gevgelija is only 62 km as the crow flies from the Gulf of Thessaloniki and the Aegean Sea. Northern Macedonia shares 766 km of land borders with five countries: 248 km with Greece to the south, 159 km with Kosovo to the northwest, 151 km with Albania to the west, 148 km with Bulgaria to the east, and 62 km with Serbia to the north.
Main cities. The capital, Skopje, is located in the north, near Kosovo and Serbia, at an altitude of 240 meters. It gathers approximately 30% of the population of the country with an agglomeration of 526 000 inhabitants in 2021. The second largest agglomeration is Bitola, in the southwest, with about 100,000 inhabitants. Next in line are Kumanovo (95,000 inhabitants) in the north, Prilep (75,000 inhabitants) in the center and Tetovo (62,000 inhabitants) in the northwest.
Mountains everywhere
We are here in the 9th most mountainous country in Europe with an average altitude of 741 m. This is a little less than Kosovo (800 m) and a little more than Albania (708 m). The mountains here cover two thirds of the territory and form a natural border on all sides of the country.
Main massifs. In the east, the highest point of the country is also that of Albania. It is the Golem Korab / Maja e Korabit, at 2 764 m altitude, in the small Korab massif. This one is part of the great chain of the Dinaric Alps that runs along the Adriatic Sea from Trieste to Albania. But the two big massifs are the Šar Mountains, in the northwest, and the Osogovo, in the northeast. The Šar/Malet e Sharrit mountains mark the border with Kosovo and have as their highest point Mount Tito, at 2,748 m. They are home to the country's main ski resort: Popova Sapka, near Tetovo, with slopes reaching 2,525 m. The Osogovo is shared with Bulgaria and has for summit Mount Ruen, 2 251 m. It is part of the Rhodope chain that extends to Greece.
Secondary massifs. The forty or so "small" massifs of North Macedonia are sometimes very high. Thus the third summit of the country is Mount Baba, at 2 601 m altitude, in the Pelister massif, near Bitola. It adjoins the Voras/Nidže Mountains (2,521 m), on the border with Greece, and Mount Galičica (2,288), partly in Albania. Finally, we should mention the Jakupica massif (2,540 m), which stands more in the center of the country.
One river and three lakes
Water plays an important role: the Vardar valley is the main economic axis and the Ohrid lake is the tourist jewel.
Vardar Valley. The main agricultural and wine-growing plain of the country is formed by the mythical river Axios, son of the Greek gods Ocean and Tethys according to the ancient Peonian people. Locally called the Vardar, it rises in the Šar Mountains and stretches for 388 km (76 km in Greece) to end its course in the Axios delta, near Thessaloniki. It passes near Tetovo, crosses Skopje, then Veles, the beautiful gorges of Demir Kapija and Gevgelija, before reaching Greece. The Vardar basin drains the waters of 80% of the territory. All the important rivers of the country flow into it, such as the Bregalnica (211 km), which comes from the northeast, and the Crna Reka (207 km) coming from the southwest. The Vardar also strongly influences the climate with very high temperatures along the river in summer and a formidable strong and cold wind that passes through Greece in winter. Finally, it is the Vardar plain that the large European highway E-75 crosses the country.
Canyon of Matka. The river Treska (132 km long) is a tributary... of the Vardar. But the surprise is its artificial lake, in Matka, near Skopje. This one is surrounded by high cliffs on 10 km length which make the site magnificent. It is a high place of tourism in the country.
Lakes of Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran. These natural lakes are the largest in North Macedonia, all three shared with neighboring countries. In the southwest, Lake Ohrid (358 km2) is located on the border with Albania. It is entirely listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, as is the city of Ohrid, which was an important focus for the evangelization of the Slavs. Counting among the oldest lakes in the world, it is the second basin of the country after the Vardar: it drains about forty rivers and gives birth to the Black Drin. The latter forms the Drin River in Albania and flows into the Adriatic. Just south of Lake Ohrid, beyond Mount Galičica, are the two Prespa lakes, at 853 m above sea level: the large Lake Prespa (259 km2), between Northern Macedonia, Albania and Greece, and the small Lake Prespa (46 km2), mainly in Greece. Finally, in the southeast, Lake Dojran/Doirani (43 km2) is shared with Greece.
Historical and geographical Macedonia
In the course of history, the name of "Macedonia" was given to geographical zones with moving contours.
Ancient Macedonia. The first Macedonia is that of the dynasty of Argéades, from the VIIIth century BC. Directed by an elite hellenized, the kingdom of Macedonia extends initially in the northern part of current Greece, close to the mount Olympe, with Aigai like capital (today Vergina, 70 km in the west of Thessalonica), then Pella (87 km in the north-west of Thessalonica). In the 4th century BC, Philip II of Macedonia subdued the tribes of present-day North Macedonia and most of the Greek cities. In the following generation, Alexander the Great built the immense and ephemeral Macedonian Empire which extends from Albania to the banks of the Ganges while passing by Egypt.
Roman and Byzantine Macedonia. The first Roman province of Macedonia is founded in 146 BC with Thessalonica as metropolis. It includes Greek Macedonia, all the current North Macedonia, a great part of Albania as well as the west of Bulgaria and the south of Serbia. During the Byzantine period, the limits of the province fluctuate according to the invasions to be finally refocused on old Greek Macedonia and to include Thrace, in the east, from the IXth century. The capital becomes then Andrinople, the current Edirne, in Turkish Thrace. But Thessalonica remains the second city of the Byzantine Empire, after Constantinople.
Ottoman Macedonia. The name of "Macedonia" is not officially used any more by the Ottomans. In 1365, those found the pashalik of Roumelie, immense administrative entity which includes Greek Macedonia, current Northern Macedonia, Albania, the areas of Thrace and Epirus, Montenegro as well as a great part of Bulgaria and Serbia. Second city of the Ottoman Empire, still behind Constantinople, Thessaloniki is the economic lung of Rumelia. But it is dethroned as administrative capital first by Sofia (Bulgaria) in 1530, then by Monastir, the current Bitola, in 1836. Rumelia was finally split into several vilayets in the 1870s. The vilayet of Thessaloniki integrates Greek Macedonia and the greater part of present-day North Macedonia. That of Monastir occupies an area going from the north of Greece to Kosovo while passing by Ohird. That of Kosovo recovers the territories of the north of North Macedonia and a large part of Serbia.
The current "Macedonians". Since the withdrawal of the Ottomans in 1912 and the changes of borders in the twentieth century, geographical and historical Macedonia is divided among six countries. Northern Macedonia occupies the central part. But the largest area is part of Greece with the regions of Central Macedonia (Thessaloniki), Western Macedonia (Kozani) and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Komotini) which total 42,419 km2 and 2.7 million inhabitants. In Bulgaria, Pirin Macedonia covers 6,798 km2 with about 300,000 inhabitants around the city of Blagoevgrad. In Albania, the Korça region represents 3,711 km2 and 200,000 inhabitants. In Serbia, the southern district of Pčinja shows 3,520 km2 and 200,000 inhabitants as well. Finally, a "Macedonian" fringe occupies the southeast of Kosovo with 2,444 km2 and 360,000 inhabitants.
Earthquakes
Located at the meeting of the Eurasian and African plates, Northern Macedonia is one of the most seismically active areas in Europe.
The risks. On July 26, 1963, an earthquake almost completely destroyed Skopje: an earthquake of 6.9 on the Richter scale that killed 1,070 people and injured over 3,000. The Balkans are thus frequently affected by earthquakes, as recently in Albania in 2019 (51 deaths) or in Croatia in 2020 (7 deaths). Since 1963, the vast majority of infrastructure in North Macedonia has been built to earthquake-resistant standards. However, this did not prevent an earthquake from killing 12 people in Skopje in 1983. There are more than a thousand earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 1 in North Macedonia and the surrounding areas every year. An earthquake, even a minor one, can cause significant damage.
The advice. Here are the main advices given by the embassies. Before leaving, prepare and keep at hand an "emergency kit": flashlight, batteries, first aid kit, bottles of water, energy bars, disinfectant tablets for water, means of payment, metal whistle, etc. During the earthquake, if you are in a building: stay inside, take shelter under a heavy piece of furniture (table, desk, bed) or, if not, move away from doors and windows, and crouch down along a wall. If you are in an elevator: press the buttons on each floor and get out as soon as you can. If you are on the street: stay outside, take shelter in an open area, away from buildings and crowds. If you are in a car: stop away from buildings and bridges without blocking the road, stay inside the vehicle, listen to the radio for instructions from the authorities, do not get out of your vehicle and wait for help if electrical wires have fallen on your car. If you are on a bus: remain seated until the bus stops, then move to a protected area or remain seated, lean forward and protect your head.
