Macedonia
By: Nicole G
Geography
Macedonia is a landlocked country. This country is mountainous with deep valleys. Macedonia has 3 natural lakes. They are Lake Ohrid, Dorian Lake, and Lake Prespa. This country is just a little bit bigger than the state of Vermont.
Culture
The official language of Macedonia is Macedonian. One of the larger ethnic groups are the Albanians. Their official religions is Macedonian Orthodox and Christianity. The next holiday in the calendar for the Macedonian Orthodox is Easter Sunday on May 1st. Macedonians love to dance to traditional music. They also love Mediterranean Cuisine.
Macedonian National Anthem (HD)
Government
Macedonia has a Republic government.The executive branch if made up if the Chief of State, the Head of Government, and Cabinet. The President has a 5 year term. Their legislative branch is made up of Assembly and the Sobranie. The Judicial Branch is made up of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Court of Appeal, and the Basic Court.
History
Ancient Macedonia was ruled by King Alexander The Great. He had one of the largest empires we have ever seen. The people of Macedonia were not considered greeks. The Greeks consider Macedonian names illegal.
Economics
Macedonia's economy has been liberalizing and improving its businesses. Some businesses have been complaining that the the law is unequal. Corruption still remains a problem. Some of the major industries in Macedonia are iron, steel, cement, energy, food processing, textiles, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and automotive parts. The industry production growth rate is 5%. The GDP per capita is $13,400. Only 28% of the population is unemployed. 30.4% of the population is in poverty.
Citizenship
In order to be considered a citizen of Macedonia at least one of your parents must be a citizen. You are not a citizen by birth. You must be over the age of 18. Dual citizenship is not recognized. Residency requirement for naturalization is 8 years.
Innovation
They invented their own 365 1/4 day calendar. But the Egyptians said no. They also invented a war strategy called phalanx. Phalanx is where soilder would hold a 18 foot long spear. This prevents enemies from behind to see what the soldiers were doing. They also came up with a way of making alliances by marriage.