The most interesting facts about North Macedonia, from the “Balkan Elvis” to the birthplace of Mother Teresa.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of North Macedonia
Population: 2.1 million
Area: 25,713 sq km
Capital city: Skopje
Major languages: Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Romani
Major religions: Macedonian Orthodox, Muslim, Christian
Time zone: UTC+1 (Central European Time)
Interesting facts about North Macedonia
1. North Macedonia is a landlocked country in Southeastern Europe bordering Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo and Serbia.
2. North Macedonia has been inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests Neolithic civilizations existed there from as early as 7000 BC.
3. North Macedonia was part of the Ottoman Empire from the end of the 14th century until the late 17th century.
4. In 1913, after five centuries of Ottoman rule, Macedonia was partitioned between Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. What is now North Macedonia was incorporated into Serbia.
5. From 1945 to 1991, North Macedonia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It became a fully independent state on September 8th, 1991.
6. The North Macedonian flag is made up of a red background with a golden circle and golden rays extending to the edges. The starburst design has long been associated with Alexander the Great.
7. In 2019, after 30 years of disputing the name with Greece, the country officially changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia. The Greek province of Macedonia, bordering North Macedonia, had long been associated with Alexander the Great, and Greece had argued that North Macedonia’s insistence on being called Macedonia implied “territorial ambitions against the Greek region”.
8. The dispute stems from the Greek-born general Alexander the Great, who presided over a huge empire that included modern-day North Macedonia and across Greece and Persia to India and Egypt.
9. The country’s official name was the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or FYRM, as recognized by the United Nations.
10. North Macedonia is home to the self-proclaimed Republic of Vevčani. The micronation proclaimed itself an independent country in 1991 but it is not formally recognised by any country.
11. Nicknamed the “Macedonian Stonehenge”, the megalithic observatory of Kokino is nearly 3,800 years old. It is listed by NASA as the fourth oldest ancient observatory in the world after Abu Simbel in Egypt, Stonehenge in Britain and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
12. One of the most famous landmarks in Skopje is the “Warrior on a Horse” statue, believed to depict Alexander the Great. It is 22m (72ft) high, weighs 30,000kg, and cost an estimated €9.4 million (around $10 million).
13. The 1979 Nobel Prize for Peace winner Mother Teresa was born in modern-day North Macedonia in 1910, though she was Albanian by ethnicity at the time of her birth. Mother Teresa was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.
14. In 2018, a baby was born in Liverpool, UK, and he shared the same birthday as his North Macedonian father and grandfather. The chances of a baby sharing the same birth date as two preceding generations are one in 130,000.
15. North Macedonia is home to one of the world’s largest crosses. The 66m (217ft)-high Millennium Cross sits on top of Mt Vodno.
16. North Macedonia takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Macedon that existed from the 7th to 2nd century BC.
17. Skopje takes its name from the ancient title Scupi. It is the Latin designation for the Greco-Roman fortress town that was first established there.
18. North Macedonia is home to one of Europe’s deepest and oldest bodies of freshwater. The UNESCO-listed Lake Ohrid is 34 km long, 286 m deep, and three to five million years old.
19. North Macedonia has one other UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, which it shares with 17 other countries.
20. Toše Proeski, dubbed the “Balkan Elvis” was one of the country’s most successful pop stars. Proeski represented his country at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest. He died in 2007, at the age of 26, in a car crash.
21. The Kuklica Rock Formations in North Macedonia are said to depict a wedding party. Legend has it that the 30 million-year-old natural formations were formed when a man could not decide which of two women to marry, so he decided to marry both at different times on the same day. After arriving early, the second bride was so upset she turned the whole party to stone.
22. Unlike its neighboring countries, North Macedonia managed to remain peaceful during the break-up of Yugoslavia.
23. The North Macedonian town of Struga is home to the world’s oldest international poetry festival, the Struga Poetry Evenings (SPE). The SPE began in 1961 and has awarded its most prestigious award, the Golden Wreath, to some of the world’s most eminent poets.
24. Another well-known North Macedonian landmark is the Painted Mosque. First built in the 15th century under Ottoman rule, the mosque is known for its multicolored facade made up of a patchwork of rectangular panels.
25. North Macedonia has a high smoking rate, with nearly half of the adult population using tobacco. In 2019, smoking prevalence was 57.9% among men and 39% among women.
26. North Macedonia is the third-least developed country in Europe, after Ukraine and Moldova. Overall, it is the 83rd most developed country in the world.
Every effort has been made to verify these facts about North Macedonia using primary sources. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.