angered by perceived political and economic
inequities, launched an insurgency in 2001 that eventually won the
support of the majority of Macedonia's Albanian population and led
to the internationally-brokered Framework Agreement, which ended the
fighting by establishing a set of new laws enhancing the rights of
minorities. Fully implementating the Framework Agreement and
stimulating economic growth and development continue to be
challenges for Macedonia, although progress has been made on both
fronts over the past several years.

Geography
Macedonia

Location:

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

Geographic coordinates:

41 50 N, 22 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 25,333 sq km
land: 24,856 sq km
water: 477 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Vermont

Land boundaries:

total: 766 km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km,
Kosovo 159 km, Serbia 62 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

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

Terrain:

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

Elevation extremes:

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

Natural resources:

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

Land use:

arable land: 22.01%
permanent crops: 1.79%
other: 76.2% (2005)

Irrigated land:

550 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

6.4 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.27
per capita: 1,118 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

high seismic risks

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

Geography - note:

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

People
Macedonia

Population:

2,0