Key Facts About North Macedonia

Key Facts About North Macedonia

• Location: North Macedonia is a landlocked country situated in the south-central Balkans in Southeast Europe.
• Capital:  Skopje is its capital city.
• Boundaries: It is bordered by Kosovo and Serbia in the north, Bulgaria in the east, Greece in the south, and Albania in the west.
• Name Dispute: The country changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia after signing the Prespa Agreement with Greece in June 2018.
  • The name change removed Greece’s veto and allowed the country to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and pursue accession to the European Union (EU).
• Climate: It has a moderate continental climate influenced by both Mediterranean and continental climatic zones.
• Relief: North Macedonia is a predominantly mountainous country with rugged terrain, ancient metamorphic rocks, younger sedimentary deposits in the central region, and broad fertile valleys suitable for agriculture.
• Major Rivers: The Vardar River is the largest river and drains most of the country’s territory.
• Drainage: About 90% of the country’s area drains into the Aegean Sea through the Vardar River and its tributaries.
  • While the remaining areas drain towards the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea basins.
• Highest Peak: Mount Korab, located on the Albanian border, is the country’s highest peak .
• Major Lakes: The major lakes are Ohrid, Prespa, and Dojran.
  • Ohrid and Prespa are tectonic lakes, while these lakes are shared with neighbouring countries.
• Flora: It is covered with deciduous forests, coniferous forests, Pindus Mountains mixed forests, Balkan mixed forests, Rhodopes mixed forests, and Aegean sclerophyllous and mixed forests.
• Fauna: The major fauna includes wild pigs, wolves, bears, lynx, grasshoppers, and small lizards.