North Macedonia

In brief

North Macedonia is a country in Southeast Europe. Its capital is Skopje. With 1.8 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 149th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 25,713 km². Landlocked, it shares land borders with Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia.

GDP per capita stands at $10,490 (2025), 82nd in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 76.6 years (2024). 63% of the population lives in cities.

History of North Macedonia

A region contested by empires, from ancient Macedon to Byzantium and medieval Bulgaria and Serbia, the territory was Ottoman from the late 14th century until 1912. Divided after the Balkan Wars, it became one of the republics of Yugoslavia in 1945. Independent since the referendum of 8 September 1991, the country long disputed its name with Greece; the Prespa Agreement (2018) made it “North Macedonia” in 2019. It joined NATO in 2020.

Geography of North Macedonia

A mountainous, landlocked country, North Macedonia is crossed by the Vardar valley. It shares with Albania Lake Ohrid, one of the oldest lakes in Europe, and Lake Prespa. Mount Korab (2,764 m) is its highest point.

Map of North Macedonia

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Flag of North Macedonia

The flag of North Macedonia is red and yellow. Its official proportions are 1:2 (height to width).

• Red68%
• Yellow32%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

A yellow sun with eight rays on red, adopted in 1995. It replaced a first flag bearing the Vergina Sun, an ancient symbol claimed by Greece. The national anthem speaks of “the new sun of liberty”.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “North Macedonia” and “Flag of North Macedonia”.

See also: flags with a sun.

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Fact file

Economy and society