{"id":8713,"date":"2020-12-10T16:17:59","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T05:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/?p=8713"},"modified":"2022-05-14T20:03:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-14T10:03:48","slug":"facts-about-north-macedonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Facts About North Macedonia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are many people who don&#8217;t even know if North Macedonia is a country or just a name for a salad. So the first fascinating fact for them might be that North Macedonia is a sovereign country, in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, and it used to be one of the constituent republics that made up Yugoslavia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a landlocked country bordered by Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bulgaria. If you plan on visiting Macedonia, check out our article on the top <a href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/things-to-do-in-north-macedonia\/\" title=\"Top 10 Things to Do in Macedonia\">things to do in Macedonia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-662f5e110eb8f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-662f5e110eb8f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#Top_Facts_About_Macedonia\" title=\"Top Facts About Macedonia\">Top Facts About Macedonia<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#1_The_Only_Yugoslav_Republic_That_Separated_Peacefully\" title=\"1. The Only Yugoslav Republic That Separated Peacefully\">1. The Only Yugoslav Republic That Separated Peacefully<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#2_World_Famous_Personalities_Were_Born_in_North_Macedonia\" title=\"2. World Famous Personalities Were Born in North Macedonia\">2. World Famous Personalities Were Born in North Macedonia<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#3_The_Old_and_Mystical_Ohrid_Lake\" title=\"3. The Old and Mystical Ohrid Lake\">3. The Old and Mystical Ohrid Lake<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#4_The_Temples_of_Ohrid\" title=\"4. The Temples of Ohrid\">4. The Temples of Ohrid<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#5_It_Is_High\" title=\"5. It Is High\">5. It Is High<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#6_One_of_the_Oldest_Observatories_in_the_World\" title=\"6. One of the Oldest Observatories in the World\">6. One of the Oldest Observatories in the World<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#7_The_Colorful_Mosque\" title=\"7. The Colorful Mosque&nbsp;\">7. The Colorful Mosque&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#8_The_Pagan_Carnival_of_Vevcani\" title=\"8. The Pagan Carnival of Vevcani\">8. The Pagan Carnival of Vevcani<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#9_Ohrid_Summer_Festival\" title=\"9. Ohrid Summer Festival\">9. Ohrid Summer Festival<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#10_The_Brutalist_Architecture_of_Skopje\" title=\"10. The Brutalist Architecture of Skopje\">10. The Brutalist Architecture of Skopje<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/facts-about-north-macedonia\/#11_Name_Change\" title=\"11. Name Change\">11. Name Change<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Top_Facts_About_Macedonia\"><\/span>Top Facts About Macedonia<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_The_Only_Yugoslav_Republic_That_Separated_Peacefully\"><\/span>1. The Only Yugoslav Republic That Separated Peacefully<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Regarding Yugoslavia, the first interesting fact about North Macedonia would be that it was the only republic that left Yugoslavia peacefully in the midst of the Yugoslav wars which ended with 140,000 casualties, and with the country\u2019s breakup and formation of successor independent countries.<br><br>The separation from Yugoslavia meant not only independence for North Macedonia, but also a transition from a nearly 60-year-long socialist regime to capitalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_World_Famous_Personalities_Were_Born_in_North_Macedonia\"><\/span>2. World Famous Personalities Were Born in North Macedonia<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another interesting fact is that on the territory of North Macedonia was born one of the greatest conquerors of the world, Alexander the Great, who wanted to reach and conquer all the land there is, as far as the end of the world [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/ancient-history\/alexander-the-great\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>].<br><br>He ruled during the 3rd century B.C. and his empire extended through Greece, Persia, Egypt, and India.<br><br>Another world-famous person who was born in North Macedonia is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She was born in 1910 in Skopje, now the capital of North Macedonia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_The_Old_and_Mystical_Ohrid_Lake\"><\/span>3. The Old and Mystical Ohrid Lake<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Unbelievable Lake OHRID! (North) Macedonia&#039;s PARADISE! The BEST of the BALKANS!\" width=\"1320\" height=\"743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vzCj5Oh9TRY?start=3&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There is the Ohrid Lake which is one of the oldest lakes in the world and one of the deepest in Europe. It is estimated that it was formed around four million years ago, while its maximum depth is 940ft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also over 200 endemic species of fauna and flora living in the lake, therefore, it was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. And not only the lake but also the city of Ohrid are counted as both cultural and natural inclusions, one of only 28 sites around the world that are marked as both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_The_Temples_of_Ohrid\"><\/span>4. The Temples of Ohrid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The city of Ohrid used to have 365 churches &#8211; one for each day of the year. Many of those churches served as literary schools. Through the years many of them were ruined, and some transformed into mosques during the Ottoman Empire.<br><br>Today, there are far fewer Orthodox temples but they all have a lot of history and are built at beautiful sites, attracting thousands of tourists.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_It_Is_High\"><\/span>5. It Is High<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>North Macedonia has the fifth highest average elevation among the countries in Europe, just behind Andorra, Switzerland, Austria, and Turkey.<br><br>The country has more than 50 lakes and 34 mountains higher than 6561ft. And many of those are still undiscovered by people. Except by some enthusiastic hikers, mountaineers, and climbers.<br><br>High there in the wilderness, there are a lot of springs, waterfalls, caves, and underground lakes that are still being discovered by explorers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_One_of_the_Oldest_Observatories_in_the_World\"><\/span>6. One of the Oldest Observatories in the World<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kokino Observatory dates back to the 19th century BC and it is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the World along with Stonehenge in Great Britain, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and Newgrange in Ireland (and a few more).<br><br>Kokino contains a megalithic observatory and sacred site which was discovered in 2001. The site was mentioned in a NASA poster &#8220;Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum&#8221; in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_The_Colorful_Mosque\"><\/span>7. The Colorful Mosque&nbsp;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many mosques in North Macedonia, built during the 500-year-long ruling of the Ottoman Empire.<br><br>There is a particular one, the multi-colored Painted Mosque, which was built in 1495, and which stands as one of the most magnificent examples of the Islamic architecture in the world.<br><br>It is very unusual as it steps away from the ceramic tile decorations which are typical for the Ottoman architecture, and has bright floral paintings instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_The_Pagan_Carnival_of_Vevcani\"><\/span>8. The Pagan Carnival of Vevcani<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Vevcani | Village &amp; Municipality | Famous Carnival of Vevcani\" width=\"1320\" height=\"743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/92PlfaT92DA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The village of Vevcani pronounced itself as a separate Republic, and they have their own passports. It has nothing to do with politics or history, it is mostly a joke, for the people of the village to show off their love for the place.<br><br>The village is mostly famous for its annual carnival that begins on January 12, and lasts for two days. The carnival has existed for over 1400 years and it still resembles pagan rituals that call upon the Gods for a fertile land, good weather, enough water, and a lot of food throughout the year.<br><br>The carnival is a unique experience followed with a lot of music, dances, people, masks, and alcohol.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Ohrid_Summer_Festival\"><\/span>9. Ohrid Summer Festival<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It might seem like everything happens in Ohrid but it is not exactly like that. It is just that, Ohrid has it all in one place and has developed as a tourist center, so a lot of events take place there.<br><br>For example, each summer, since 1961, on the 12th of July, begins the Ohrid Summer Festival and lasts for 40 days. It is a festival for classical music, opera, ballet, theatre, and art. So, the beautiful ancient sites by the lake are filled with artists throughout most of the summer.<br><br>Some of the world&#8217;s most renowned such as Ennio Morricone, Zubin Mehta, Grigory Sokolov, Jessye Norman, and many others have performed there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_The_Brutalist_Architecture_of_Skopje\"><\/span>10. The Brutalist Architecture of Skopje<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Skopje has a few futuristic buildings that stand off among all socialist and modern ones. They were built along with many other buildings after the devastating earthquake that ruined the city in 1963.<br><br>All the city had to be rebuilt very fast because most of the people were living in tents and shelters after their homes disappeared.<br><br>The original plan for Skopje was made by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and was supposed to be the first experimental futuristic city. Unfortunately, his project was never finished, but few of his architectural visions were built and they are magnificent.<br><br>The main three are the buildings of the Post Office, the student dormitory \u201cGoce Delcev\u201d, and the Faculty of Philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11_Name_Change\"><\/span>11. Name Change<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The country has officially changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia in 2019 because of a historical and political dispute with Greece over the name. Changing the name was a condition for Greece to remove the veto it had on Macedonia\u2019s entrance into the European Union [<a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2019\/02\/13\/europe\/north-macedonia-name-change-intl\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All in all, Macedonia or North Macedonia is a very interesting and exciting place to discover. From an ancient observatory, through mountains, to a 40-day-long festival. Plus, not to mention the delicious cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related post<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/macedonian-food\/\" title=\"Macedonian Food: 20 Traditional Dishes Recommended by Locals\">Macedonian dishes<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many people who don&#8217;t even know if North Macedonia is a country or just a name for a salad. So the first fascinating fact for them might be that North Macedonia is a sovereign country, in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, and it used to be one of the constituent republics that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meettheslavs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}