Useful information on Macedonia, including the territorial, climatic and population characteristics, with reference to the main economic sources.
Geography
Located in the Balkan peninsula, the Republic of Macedonia has a mainly mountainous territory, with reliefs extended towards north-east and south-west, which delimit the basins of the Aegean Sea and the Danube.
With its 2754 meters of altitude, the Korab is the highest mountain, descending from the hills, proceeding from west to east, there is the valley of the river Vardar, the largest in the country in length, connected to the Morava valley.
The country's hydrographic system also includes smaller rivers and lakes.
About a third of the state's territory is covered with beech, oak and pine forests.
Climate
The climate is continental, partly mitigated by Mediterranean influences.
In the high areas, summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and characterized by frequent and abundant snowfalls.
In the valleys the seasons are milder.
Population
As for the population, it is made up of two thirds of Macedonians, a quarter of Albanians and the remainder of Turks, Serbs and Romanians.
Religion
The predominant religion is the Orthodox one, followed by the Sunni Muslim one.
Tongue
The official language is Macedonian, a particular version of the Slavic written in Cyrillic characters.
Recommended readings- Skopje (Macedonia): what to see in the capital
- Ohrid (Macedonia): what to see
- Macedonia: useful information
Economy
As for the economy of Macedonia, which has in any case always been underdeveloped, it entered into crisis after the division of the territories belonging to the former Yugoslavia.
Despite this, the nation is self-sufficient from a food standpoint.
Mainly cereals, vegetables, potatoes, sugar beet, fruit and tobacco are grown.
The main breeding is the sheep one.
The major mineral resource is lignite.
The major industries are those of the metallurgical, mechanical and chemical sector.
The tobacco, textile, paper, cement and sugar sectors also emerge.
