Portal:North Macedonia/Intro
 |
 |
Macedonia (Macedonian: Македонија), officially Republic of Macedonia (Република Македонија), is an independent country on the Balkan peninsula in the heart of southeastern Europe. The country borders Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Serbia and Kosovo to the north. In 2005, the Republic of Macedonia received official candidate status for the European Union. The capital is Skopje with more than 500,000 inhabitants. It also has a number of other significant cities, notably Bitola, Prilep, Tetovo, Gostivar, Kumanovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, and Strumica. The Republic of Macedonia is often called a land of lakes and mountains. There are more than 50 natural and artificial lakes and sixteen mountain ranges higher than 2,000 m (6,562 ft) above sea level.