rd resolving
their dispute over symbols and certain constitutional provisions;
Athens also lifted its economic embargo on the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia

Climate: hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters
with heavy snowfall

Terrain: mountainous territory covered with deep basins and
valleys; there are three large lakes, each divided by a frontier
line; country bisected by the Vardar River
lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
highest point: Korab 2,753 m

Natural resources: chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten,
nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber

Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 5%
meadows and pastures: 20%
forest and woodland: 30%
other: 40%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants
natural hazards: high seismic risks
international agreements: party to - Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection

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

People
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Population: 2,104,035 (July 1996 est.)
note: the Macedonian government census of July 1994 put the
population at 1.94 million, but ethnic allocations were likely
undercounted

Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 242,593; female 228,563)
15-64 years: 68% (male 728,969; female 703,665)
65 years and over: 10% (male 90,363; female 109,882) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.46% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 13.31 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 8.47 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.94 years
male: 69.86 years
female: 74.18 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Macedonian(s)
adjective: Macedonian

Ethnic divisions: Macedonian 65%, Albanian 22%, Turkish 4%, Serb
2%, Gypsies 3%, other 4%

Religions: Eastern Orthodox 67%, Muslim 30%, other 3%

Languages: Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%,
Serbo-