
Macedonia (officially the Republic of Macedonia), is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe. A landlocked country, the Republic of Macedonia is bordered by Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. The country's capital is Skopje, with 506,926 inhabitants. It has more than 50 lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 m.
In antiquity, most of the territory that is now the Republic of Macedonia was included in the kingdom of Paeonia, which was populated by the Paeonians, a people of Thracian origins. In 1944 the Anti-Fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) proclaimed the People's Republic of Macedonia as part of the People's Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The new republic became one of the six republics of the Yugoslav federation. Following the federation's renaming as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963, the People's Republic of Macedonia was likewise renamed, becoming the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. The state dropped the "Socialist" from its name in 1991 when it peacefully seceded from Yugoslavia.
Macedonia is a landlocked country that is geographically clearly defined by a central valley formed by the Vardar river and framed along its borders by mountain ranges. The terrain is mostly rugged, located between the Šar Mountains and Osogovo, which frame the valley of the Vardar river. Three large lakes — Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Dojran Lake — lie on the southern borders, bisected by the frontiers with Albania and Greece. Ohrid is considered to be one of the oldest lakes and biotopes in the world.
Macedonia also has scenic mountains. They belong to two different mountain ranges: the first is the Šar Mountains that continues to the West Vardar/Pelagonia group of mountains. The second range is the Osogovo–Belasica mountain chain, also known as the Rhodope range.
Mavrovo National ParkThe Mavrovo National Park covers an area of 73,088 hectares and is the largest of the three national parks in Macedonia. The Mavrovo National Park abounds in flora with over 1,000 plant species. The fauna in the Mavrovo National Park is rather diverse. It consists of 140 bird species. The most famous man-made lake in Macedonia is definitely Lake Mavrovo. This 10km-long and 3km-wide lake covers an area of 13.7 sq km and is 48m deep. The beautiful landscape in this area will enchant those who enjoy walking, cycling, and hiking in the summer months, while for those who like skiing Mavrovo is the most famous winter resort. The Mavrovo Ski Centre has three chair lifts and 11 ski lifts. The length of the chair lifts is 4,800m with a capacity of 1,900 persons per hour. With these lifts, skiing is possible from 1,255m to 1,860m above sea level.
Pelister National parkPelister National Park is filled with exquisite flora and fauna. The beauty of the landscape is enhanced by the diversified wildlife: bears, roe deer, wolves, chamois, deer, wild boars, rabbits, several species of eagles, partridges, redbilled jackdaws, and the endemic Macedonian Pelagonia trout.
Pelister is the oldest and second largest national park in Republic of Macedonia after Mavrovo. It is one of the leading tourist areas in the country, since it is a well-known ski resort, along with Ohrid, Prespa, Dojran, Popova Shapka, and Krushevo.
Galičica National parkGaličica mountain is situated across the border between the Republic of Macedonia and Albania. There is a National park on the Macedonian side of the mountain, situated between the two biggest lakes in the republic: Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. It stretches on an area of 227 square kilometres (88 mi²).
The floral life in the National Park Galičica represents over 1000 species, of which large number of relicts and endems have the final frontier of its range exactly on the mountain Galičica.
Beautiful views across the lakes and neighbouring mountains can be seen from the Galičica peaks. The highest one is peak Magaro (2254 m).
Ohrid Vacation, Travel, TourismOhrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year, and is referred to as the Macedonian Jerusalem. The city is rich in picturesque houses and monuments, and tourism is predominant. It is located southwest of Skopje, west of Resen and Bitola, and east of Elbasan and Tirana in Albania.
A town of vast history and heritage, it was made a UNESCO heritage site in 1980. Ohrid is without a doubt the jewel in Macedonia's crown. Nestled between high mountains up to 2.800m and Lake Ohrid, it is not only a place of historic magnificence but also of outstanding natural beauty.
Prespa regionPrespa is a region in Republic of Macedonia. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen with 9,000 inhabitants.
The two Prespa Lakes – Golema (Great) and Mala (Small) are the only ones on the Balkan Peninsula to have islands. The five- Golum Grad, Mala Grad, Pirg, Agios Achillaeos and Vidrinec- are located in the three countries that share the lakes today, Macedonia, Albania and Greece. With its irregular coastline, plethora of bays, extraordinary cleanliness of water, pristine nature, and setting between three national parks, Prespa is truly a place one must visit.
DojranDojran is a city located on the western shore of Dojran Lake in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Dojran is made up of two fisherman's towns; Nov (New) Dojran (settled from the end of World War I to World War II) and Star (Old) Dojran, which contains both old ruins and recent construction, especially hotels, resorts and restaurants. Dojran is located 170 km from Skopje, 59 km from Strumica and some 30km from Gevgelija. The nearest airports are Thessaloniki International Airport and Skopje Airport.