Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations. The United States began referring to Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, in 2004 and negotiations continue between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the name issue. Some ethnic Albanians, 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. The undetermined status of neighboring Kosovo, implementation of the Framework Agreement, and a weak economy continue to be challenges for Macedonia.
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Location:
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Southeastern Europe, north of Greece
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Geographic coordinates:
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41 50 N, 22 00 E
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 25,333 sq km
land: 24,856 sq km
water: 477 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than Vermont
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Land boundaries:
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total: 766 km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia 221 km
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked)
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Climate:
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warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall
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Terrain:
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mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m
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Natural resources:
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low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 22.01%
permanent crops: 1.79%
other: 76.2% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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550 sq km (2003)
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Natural hazards:
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high seismic risks
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Environment - current issues:
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air pollution from metallurgical plants
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe
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Population:
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2,050,554 (July 2006 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 20.1% (male 213,486/female 199,127)
15-64 years: 68.9% (male 711,853/female 701,042)
65 years and over: 11% (male 98,618/female 126,428) (2006 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 34.1 years
male: 33.2 years
female: 35.1 years (2006 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.26% (2006 est.)
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Birth rate:
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12.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Death rate:
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8.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 73.97 years
male: 71.51 years
female: 76.62 years (2006 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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less than 200 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Macedonian(s)
adjective: Macedonian
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Ethnic groups:
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Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census)
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Religions:
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Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.37%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census)
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Languages:
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Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1%
male: 98.2%
female: 94.1% (2002 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia
conventional short form: Macedonia
local long form: Republika Makedonija
local short form: Makedonija
note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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name: Skopje
geographic coordinates: 41 59 N, 21 26 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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Administrative divisions:
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85 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom (Skopje), Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debartsa, Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rastusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj (Skopje), Skopje, Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci
note: the ten municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute the larger Skopje Municipality
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Independence:
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8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed independence from Yugoslavia)
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National holiday:
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Ilinden Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's Day
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Constitution:
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adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 26 August 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, NSDP, PDSh/DPA, and several small parties
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); two-round election last held 14 April and 28 April 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly following legislative elections
election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%, Sasko KEDEV 37.3%
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - members elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral districts; all serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 July 2006 (next to be held by July 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - VMRO-DPMNE 33%, SDSM 22%, BDI/DUI 12%, PDSh/DPA 7%, NSDP 6%, VMRO-Narodna 6%; seats by party - VMRO-DPMNE 45, SDSM 32, BDI/DUI 17, PDSh/DPA 11, NSDP 7, VMRO-Narodna 6, other 2
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - the Assembly appoints the judges
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic League of the Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh/DPA [Arben XHAFERI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic Renewal of Macedonia [Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV]; Democratic Union for Integration or BDI/DUI [Ali AHMETI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna [Vesna JANEVSKA]; League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto PENOV]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Alternative [Harun ALIU]; National Democratic Party-New Democratic Forces or PDK-FRO [Hysni SHAQIR]; New Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI]; Party for Democratic Future [Alajdin DEMIRI]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Party for European Future or PEI [Fijat CANOSKI]; Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Radmila SEKERINSKA]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV-ZINGO]; Union of Romas or SR [Saliu SHABAN]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Federation of Free Trade Unions [Svetlana PETROVIC]; Federation of Trade Unions [Vanco MURATOVSKI]; World Macedonian Congress [Todor PETROV]
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International organization participation:
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BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131
consulate(s) general: Southfield (Michigan)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC
embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje
mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch)
telephone: [389] 2 311-6180
FAX: [389] 2 311-7103
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Flag description:
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a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field
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Economy - overview:
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At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized Yugoslavia, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However, the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then averaged 4% per year during 2003-06. Macedonia has maintained macroeconomic stability with low inflation, but it has lagged the region in attracting foreign investment, and job growth has been anemic. Macedonia has an extensive gray market, estimated to be more than 20 percent of GDP, that falls outside official statistics.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$16.91 billion
note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2006 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$6.225 billion (2006 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.2% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$8,200 (2006 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 9%
industry: 29%
services: 62% (2006 est.)
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Labor force:
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899,000 (2006 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 32.6%
services: 45.7% (September 2006)
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Unemployment rate:
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36% (September 2006 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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30% (2005)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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28.2 (1998)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3% (2006 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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9.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.234 billion
expenditures: $2.284 billion; including capital expenditures of $24 million (2006 est.)
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Public debt:
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41.5% of GDP (2006 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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grapes, wine, tobacco, vegetables; milk, eggs
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Industries:
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food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.4% (2006 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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5.935 billion kWh (2006)
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Electricity - consumption:
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8.929 billion kWh (2006)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2006)
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Electricity - imports:
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2.994 billion kWh (2006)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - consumption:
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23,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2004 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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100 million cu m (2004 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2004 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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100 million cu m (2004 est.)
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Current account balance:
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$-167 million (2006 est.)
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Exports:
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$2.341 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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food, beverages, tobacco; textiles, miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel
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Exports - partners:
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Serbia and Montenegro 22.5%, Germany 17.8%, Greece 15.3%, Italy 8.3% (2005)
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Imports:
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$3.631 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products
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Imports - partners:
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Russia 13.2%, Germany 10.4%, Greece 9.2%, Serbia and Montenegro 8.2%, Bulgaria 7.3%, Italy 6% (2005)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$1.867 billion (November 2006)
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Debt - external:
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$2.285 billion (November 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
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Currency (code):
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Macedonian denar (MKD)
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Exchange rates:
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Macedonian denars per US dollar - 48.978 (2006), 48.92 (2005), 49.41 (2004), 54.322 (2003), 64.35 (2002)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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This page was last updated on 15 March, 2007
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