countries/MK

North Macedonia

sovereignFIPS: MK|Edition: 2015|162 fields

COMMUNICATIONS(8 fields)

Broadcast media

public TV broadcaster operates 3 national channels and a satellite network; 5 privately owned TV channels broadcast nationally using terrestrial transmitters and about 15 broadcast on national level via satellite; roughly 75 local commercial TV stations; large number of cable operators offering domestic and international programming; public radio broadcaster operates over multiple stations; 3 privately owned radio stations broadcast nationally; about 70 local commercial radio stations (2012)

Internet country code

.mk

Internet users

1.1 million | 51.1% (2009) | country comparison to the world: 121

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 68, shortwave 0 (2009)

Telephone system

general assessment: competition from the mobile-cellular segment of the telecommunications market has led to a drop in fixed-line telephone subscriptions | domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership about 130 per 100 persons | international: country code - 389 (2012)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 390,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 2.3 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 110 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147

Television broadcast stations

76 (2009)

ECONOMY(41 fields)

Agriculture - products

grapes, tobacco, vegetables, fruits; milk, eggs

Budget

revenues: $2.89 billion | expenditures: $3.328 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Central bank discount rate

3.25% (31 December 2014) | 3.25% (31 December 2013) | note: series discontinued in January 2010; the discount rate has been replaced by a referent rate for calculating the penalty rate | country comparison to the world: 104

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.2% (31 December 2014 est.) | 5.4% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Current account balance

-$151 million (2014 est.) | -$194.1 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 100

Debt - external

$7.241 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $7.194 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 114

Distribution of family income - Gini index

43.6 (2013) | 39.2 (2011) | country comparison to the world: 65

Economy - overview

Since its independence in 1991, Macedonia has made progress in liberalizing its economy and improving its business environment, but has lagged the Balkan region in attracting foreign investment. Corruption and weak rule of law remain significant problems. Some businesses complain of opaque regulations and unequal enforcement of the law. Unemployment has remained consistently high at more than 30% since 2008, but may be overstated based on the existence of an extensive gray market, estimated to be between 20% and 45% of GDP, which is not captured by official statistics. Macedonia’s economy is closely linked to Europe as a customer for exports and source of investment, and has suffered as a result of prolonged weakness in the euro zone. Macedonia maintained macroeconomic stability through the global financial crisis by conducting prudent monetary policy, which keeps the domestic currency pegged against the euro, and by limiting fiscal deficits. The government has been loosening fiscal policy, however, and the budget deficit was 4.2% of GDP in both 2013 and 2014. Public debt at the end of 2014 was 45.8%, which although low by regional comparison, is significant for a small economy.

Exchange rates

Macedonian denars (MKD) per US dollar - | 50.56 (2014 est.) | 44.63 (2013 est.) | 47.89 (2012 est.) | 44.23 (2011 est.) | 46.49 (2010 est.)

Exports

$4.934 billion (2014 est.) | $4.267 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Exports - commodities

foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco; textiles, miscellaneous manufactures, iron, steel; automotive parts

Exports - partners

Germany 41.4%, Bulgaria 6.6%, Italy 6.1%, Serbia 5.2%, Kosovo 4.7%, Greece 4.6% (2014 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$11.34 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$27.62 billion (2014 est.) | $26.62 billion (2013 est.) | $25.93 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars; Macedonia has a large informal sector that may not be reflected in these data | country comparison to the world: 130

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 69.8% | government consumption: 16.8% | investment in fixed capital: 29% | investment in inventories: 1.6% | exports of goods and services: 47.9% | imports of goods and services: -65.1% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 8.8% | industry: 21.3% | services: 69.9% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$13,300 (2014 est.) | $12,900 (2013 est.) | $12,500 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 112

GDP - real growth rate

3.8% (2014 est.) | 2.7% (2013 est.) | -0.5% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Gross national saving

29.2% of GDP (2014 est.) | 26.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | 26% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 63

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.2% | highest 10%: 34.5% (2009 est.)

Imports

$7.277 billion (2014 est.) | $6.6 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 122

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products

Imports - partners

UK 12.3%, Germany 11.1%, Greece 9.2%, Serbia 8.2%, Italy 6.2%, China 5.9%, Bulgaria 5.3%, Turkey 5.1% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

4.8% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Industries

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.1% (2014 est.) | 2.8% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 26

Labor force

961,400 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 18.3% | industry: 29.1% | services: 52.6% (2014 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$2.084 billion (31 December 2014) | $2.302 billion (31 December 2013) | $2.423 billion (31 December 2012) | country comparison to the world: 99

Population below poverty line

30.4% (2011 est.)

Public debt

45.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | 40.5% of GDP (2013 est.) | note: official data from Ministry of Finance; data cover central government debt; this data excludes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; includes treasury debt held by foreign entitites; excludes debt issued by sub-national entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; there are no debt instruments sold for social funds | country comparison to the world: 116

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.958 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $2.747 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 112

Stock of broad money

$6.129 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $6.282 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$758 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $744 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 81

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$5.063 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $4.714 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32

Stock of domestic credit

$5.055 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $5.208 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Stock of narrow money

$1.692 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $1.569 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Taxes and other revenues

26.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Unemployment rate

28.5% (2014 est.) | 29% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

ENERGY(23 fields)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

8.084 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 153

Crude oil - imports

146 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 164

Electricity - consumption

6.96 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 101

Electricity - exports

112.9 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Electricity - from fossil fuels

64.5% of total installed capacity (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 119

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

33% of total installed capacity (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 66

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Electricity - from other renewable sources

2.6% of total installed capacity (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 92

Electricity - imports

3.073 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Electricity - installed generating capacity

2.011 million kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Electricity - production

4.569 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 118

Natural gas - consumption

134.7 million cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 104

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 143

Natural gas - imports

134.7 million cu m (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 165

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Refined petroleum products - consumption

15,070 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 140

Refined petroleum products - exports

2,616 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 88

Refined petroleum products - imports

17,950 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 134

Refined petroleum products - production

1 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

GEOGRAPHY(20 fields)

Area

total: 25,713 sq km | land: 25,433 sq km | water: 280 sq km | country comparison to the world: 150

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Vermont

Climate

warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Vardar River 50 m | highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution from metallurgical plants

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.03 cu km/yr (21%/67%/12%) | per capita: 502 cu m/yr (2007)

Geographic coordinates

41 50 N, 22 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe

Irrigated land

1,278 sq km (2004)

Land boundaries

total: 838 km | border countries (5): Albania 181 km, Bulgaria 162 km, Greece 234 km, Kosovo 160 km, Serbia 101 km

Land use

agricultural land: 44.3% | arable land 16.4%; permanent crops 1.4%; permanent pasture 26.5% | forest: 39.8% | other: 15.9% (2011 est.)

Location

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

high seismic risks

Natural resources

low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land

Terrain

mountainous with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River

Total renewable water resources

6.4 cu km (2011)

GOVERNMENT(21 fields)

Administrative divisions

70 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina) and 1 city* (grad); Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Caska, Centar Zupa, Cesinovo-Oblesevo, Cucer Sandevo, Debar, Debarca, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Gevgelija, Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rostusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Skopje*, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vrapciste, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci

Capital

name: Skopje | geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 21 26 E | time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) | daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

several previous; latest adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended several times, last in 2011 (2011)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia | conventional short form: Macedonia | local long form: Republika Makedonija | local short form: Makedonija | note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) | former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Jess L. BAILY (since 12 February 2015) | embassy: Str. Samolilova, Nr. 21, 1000 Skopje | mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) | telephone: [389] (2) 310-2000 | FAX: [389] (2) 310-2499

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Vasko NAUMOVSKI (since 18 November 2014) | chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501 | FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131 | consulate(s) general: Chicago, Detroit, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Gjorge IVANOV (since 12 May 2009) | head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 26 August 2006) | cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Assembly by simple majority vote; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties VMRO-DPMNE, DUI, and several small parties | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 13 and 27 April 2014 (next to be held in 2019); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually elected prime minister by the Assembly | election results: Gjorge IVANOV reelected president in second round; percent of vote - Gjorge IVANOV (independent) 55.3%, Stevo PENDAROVSKI (SDSM) 41.1%

Flag description

a yellow sun (the Sun of Liberty) with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field; the red and yellow colors have long been associated with Macedonia

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed independence from Yugoslavia)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

BIS, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (candidate country), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consist of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges) | judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial Council, a 7-member body of legal professionals, and appointed by the Assembly; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the legislature for nonrenewable, 9-year terms | subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Basic Courts

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (123 seats; 120 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 3 directly elected in diaspora constituencies worldwide by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 27 April 2014 (next to be held on 24 April 2016); note - election has been moved up because of political unrest | election results: percent of vote by party - VMRO-DPMNE 43.0%, SDSM 25.3%, DUI 13.7%, DPA 5.9%, GROM 2.8%, NDR 1.6%, other 4.3%, invalid 3.4%; seats by party - VMRO-DPMNE 61, SDSM 34, DUI 19, DPA 7, GROM 1, NDR 1

National anthem

name: "Denes nad Makedonija" (Today Over Macedonia) | lyrics/music: Vlado MALESKI/Todor SKALOVSKI | note: adopted 1991; written in 1943, the song previously served as the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia while part of Yugoslavia

National holiday

Independence Day, 8 September (1991); also known as National Day

National symbol(s)

eight-rayed sun; national colors: red, yellow

Political parties and leaders

Citizens Option for Macedonia or GROM [Stevco JAKIMOVSKI] | Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA [Menduh THACI] | Democratic Union for Integration or DUI [Ali AHMETI] | Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI] | National Democratic Revival or NDR [Vesel MEMEDI] | Social Democratic Union of Macedonia or SDSM [Zoran ZAEV] | note: during the 2014 parliamentary elections VMRO-DPMNE, SDSM, and GROM each led coalitions

Political pressure groups and leaders

Federation of Free Trade Unions [Mirjana ANDREVSKA] | Federation of Trade Unions [Zivko MITREVSKI] | Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture or SONK [Jakim NEDELKOV] | Student Plenum | Eco Guerilla [Arianit XHAFERI]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

INTRODUCTION(1 fields)

Background

Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, but the issue of the name remained unresolved and negotiations for a solution are ongoing. Since 2004, the US and over 130 other nations have recognized Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia. Ethnic Albanian grievances over perceived political and economic inequities escalated into an insurgency in 2001 that eventually led to the internationally brokered Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting and established guidelines for constitutional amendments and the creation of new laws that enhanced the rights of minorities. Although Macedonia became an EU candidate in 2005, the country still faces challenges, including fully implementing the Framework Agreement, resolving the outstanding name dispute with Greece, improving relations with Bulgaria, halting democratic backsliding, bolstering independence of the judiciary and media freedom, and stimulating economic growth and development. Macedonia's membership in NATO was blocked by Greece at the Alliance's Summit of Bucharest in 2008.

MILITARY(6 fields)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 532,196 | females age 16-49: 511,964 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 443,843 | females age 16-49: 426,251 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 16,144 | female: 14,920 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM; includes General Staff and subordinate Joint Operational Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Special Operations Regiment) (2012)

Military expenditures

1.08% of GDP (2015) | 1.17% of GDP (2014) | 1.14% of GDP (2013) | 1.2% of GDP (2012) | 1.3% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 92

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2008 (2013)

PEOPLE AND SOCIETY(33 fields)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.48% (male 189,719/female 176,751) | 15-24 years: 13.88% (male 150,048/female 140,834) | 25-54 years: 43.69% (male 464,811/female 450,914) | 55-64 years: 12.21% (male 125,327/female 130,617) | 65 years and over: 12.74% (male 114,357/female 152,637) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

11.55 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 16,782 | percentage: 6% (2005 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

1.3% (2011) | country comparison to the world: 128

Contraceptive prevalence rate

40.2% (2011)

Death rate

9.08 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 41.4% | youth dependency ratio: 24% | elderly dependency ratio: 17.4% | potential support ratio: 5.7% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 99.8% of population | rural: 98.9% of population | total: 99.4% of population | urban: 0.2% of population | rural: 1.1% of population | total: 0.6% of population (2015 est.)

Ethnic groups

Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.01% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

200 (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Health expenditures

6.4% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 79

Hospital bed density

4.5 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 7.96 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 7.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Languages

Macedonian (official) 66.5%, Albanian (official) 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.02 years | male: 73.44 years | female: 78.79 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 97.8% | male: 98.8% | female: 96.8% (2015 est.)

Major urban areas - population

SKOPJE (capital) 503,000 (2015)

Median age

total: 37.2 years | male: 36.1 years | female: 38.3 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

noun: Macedonian(s) | adjective: Macedonian

Net migration rate

-0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

20.8% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 92

Physicians density

2.62 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

2,096,015 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 147

Population growth rate

0.2% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 184

Religions

Macedonian Orthodox 64.8%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.4%, other and unspecified 1.5% (2002 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 97.2% of population | rural: 82.6% of population | total: 90.9% of population | urban: 2.8% of population | rural: 17.4% of population | total: 9.1% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years | male: 13 years | female: 14 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.07 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female | total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.6 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 53.9% | male: 55.2% | female: 51.7% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Urbanization

urban population: 57.1% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 0.11% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(3 fields)

Disputes - international

Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008; Greece continues to reject the use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

Illicit drugs

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement

Refugees and internally displaced persons

stateless persons: 741 (2014)

TRANSPORTATION(6 fields)

Airports

10 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 155

Airports - with paved runways

total: 8 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 | under 914 m: 6 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 | 1 (2013)

Pipelines

gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2013)

Railways

total: 699 km | standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (223 km electrified) (2014) | country comparison to the world: 101

Roadways

total: 14,182 km (includes 242 km of expressways) | paved: 9,633 km | unpaved: 4,549 km (2014) | country comparison to the world: 124