Where is North Macedonia located?

North Macedonia is a landlocked country in the south-central Balkans. It is bordered by Kosovo and Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west. Skopje is the capital of North Macedonia. The country is positioned at a crucial intersection of communication routes, particularly the north-south route from the Danube River to the Aegean, formed by the Morava and Vardar river valleys, and the ancient east-west trade routes linking the Black Sea and Istanbul with the Adriatic Sea.

What is the capital city of North Macedonia?

The capital of North Macedonia is Skopje . Situated on the banks of the Vardar River, Skopje has a rich history, starting as an Illyrian tribal center and later becoming the capital of Dardania under Roman Emperor Diocletian in the 4th century. The city faced destruction in 518 due to an earthquake but grew in the 9th and 10th centuries. Throughout its history, Skopje has been captured by the Serbs, Ottomans, and Germans and was incorporated into Serbia in 1913 and then Yugoslavia in 1918. In 1991, it became the capital of the newly independent Republic of Macedonia, which changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia in 2019.

What languages are spoken in North Macedonia?

In North Macedonia, the official languages are Macedonian and Albanian . Macedonian is a South Slavic language closely related to Bulgarian and is spoken by over 1.3 million people within the Republic of North Macedonia. It is also spoken in areas including Greek Macedonia, Bulgaria, Australia, and Albania. Other languages spoken in North Macedonia by smaller groups include Turkish, Roma, Serbian, Bosniak, and Vlach (Aromani). The Turkish language presence is a remnant of the Ottoman Empire's 500-year rule.

What are some important historical events in North Macedonia's past?

North Macedonia's history is marked by its location as a crossroads between Europe and Asia. Key events include:

Which countries border North Macedonia?

North Macedonia is a landlocked country in the south-central Balkans. It shares borders with Kosovo and Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west. The country's geographical importance comes from its location at a junction of communication routes. After the Balkan Wars in 1913, the region of Macedonia was divided among Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Following World War I, the Serbian segment became part of Yugoslavia. In 1991, the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence.

What are some key cultural traditions or festivals in North Macedonia?

North Macedonia has invested great effort in supporting its language and culture through education, theatre, arts, and mass communication. The traditional cuisine has Balkan, Mediterranean, and Turkish influences, seen in dishes like kebapcinja and burek. Annual festivals include the Skopje Jazz Festival, the Balkan Festival of Folk Songs and Dances in Ohrid, the Ohrid Summer Festival, and the pre-Lenten Carnival in Strumica. An international poetry festival is held annually in Struga. North Macedonia observes holidays tied to its history, such as Independence Day on September 8. Folk music and dance remain popular, alongside rock and pop.

North Macedonia

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Political map of North Macedonia showing its national borders with neighboring countries-Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. Major cities such as Skopje, Bitola, Ohrid, Tetovo, and Kumanovo are marked, along with rivers and a portion of Lake Ohrid on the western border. An inset map in the lower right corner shows North Macedonia's location within Europe.

Map of southeastern Europe highlighting North Macedonia and its capital, Skopje, with surrounding countries labeled, including Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro, as well as nearby seas such as the Adriatic, Ionian, and Aegean Seas.

Map of North Macedonia highlighting its physical features, including major mountain ranges such as the Sar, Korab, Osogovske, and Baba mountains, national parks like Mavrovo, Galicica, and Pelister, and significant peaks including Mount Korab and Mount Titov. The map also shows major rivers, lakes such as Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa, and Lake Dojran, and borders with neighboring countries Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece.

At a Glance

North Macedonia summary

North Macedonia

country, Europe

Also known as: Macedonia, Makedonija, Republic of North Macedonia, Republika Makedonija, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(Show More)

Written by

Loring Danforth

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 9, 2026 •History

News •

North Macedonia leader snaps over Bulgaria's demands • Nov. 3, 2026, 7:26 AM ET (Euronews)

North Macedonia, landlocked country of the south-central Balkans. It is bordered to the north by Kosovo and Serbia, to the east by Bulgaria, to the south by Greece, and to the west by Albania. The capital is Skopje.

The Republic of North Macedonia is located in the northern part of the area traditionally known as Macedonia, a geographical region bounded to the south by the Aegean Sea and the Aliákmon River; to the west by Lakes Prespa and Ohrid, the watershed west of the Crni Drim River, and the Šar Mountains; and to the north by the mountains of the Skopska Crna Gora and the watershed between the Morava and Vardar river basins. The Pirin Mountains mark its eastern edge. The Republic of North Macedonia occupies about two-fifths of the entire geographical region of Macedonia. The rest of the region belongs to Greece and Bulgaria. Most people with a Macedonian identity also refer to the region that constitutes North Macedonia as Vardar Macedonia, the Greek part of Macedonia as Aegean Macedonia, and the Bulgarian part of Macedonia as Pirin Macedonia. In this article, unless otherwise indicated, the name Macedonia refers to the present-day state of the Republic of North Macedonia when discussing geography and history since 1913 and to the larger region as described above when used in earlier historical contexts.

Quick Facts

See article: flag of North Macedonia

Audio File: national anthem of North Macedonia

Head Of Government:: Prime Minister: Hristijan Mickoski

Capital:: Skopje

Population:: (2026 est.) 1,815,000

Head Of State:: President: Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova

Form Of Government:: unitary multiparty republic with a unicameral legislature (Sobranie, or Assembly [120])

The region of Macedonia owes its importance neither to its size nor to its population but rather to its location at a major junction of communication routes—in particular, the great north-south route from the Danube River to the Aegean formed by the valleys of the Morava and Vardar rivers and the ancient east-west trade routes connecting the Black Sea and Istanbul with the Adriatic Sea. Although the majority of the republic’s inhabitants are of Slavic descent and heirs to the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity, 500 years of incorporation into the Ottoman Empire left substantial numbers of other ethnic groups, including Albanians, Turks, Vlachs (Aromani), and Roma (Gypsies). Consequently, Macedonia forms a complex border zone between the major cultural traditions of Europe and Asia.

Ottoman control was brought to an end by the Balkan Wars (1912–13), after which Macedonia was divided among Greece, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Following World War I, the Serbian segment was incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (renamed Yugoslavia in 1929). After World War II the Serbian part of Macedonia became a constituent republic within the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia (later Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). The collapse of Yugoslavia led the Republic of Macedonia to declare its independence on September 17, 1991.

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

The two major problems facing the newly independent Republic of Macedonia were ensuring for its large Albanian minority the rights of full citizenship and gaining international recognition under its constitutional name and membership in international organizations in the face of strong opposition from Greece, which claimed a monopoly on the use of the term Macedonia. (See Researcher’s Note: Macedonia: a contested name.) After years of largely fruitless UN-mediated negotiations regarding the name issue, in June 2018 Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that an agreement (thereafter known as the Prespa Agreement) had been reached under which the Macedonian republic would be known both domestically and internationally as the Republic of North Macedonia (Macedonian: Severna Makedonija). By January 2019 the Macedonian and Greek legislatures had both approved the measures necessary to pave the way for formal adoption of the new name, which came into effect on February 12, 2019.

Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)

Britannica Quiz

Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

Land

Relief

Geologically, North Macedonia consists mainly of heavily folded ancient metamorphic rocks, which in the west have been eroded to reveal older granites. In the central region are found sedimentary deposits of more recent age. Traversing the country from north to south is a series of active fault lines, along which earthquakes frequently occur. The most severe of these in recent history occurred at Debar in 1967. Skopje was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1963.

The mobility of Earth’s crust has also created two tectonic lakes, Prespa and Ohrid, in the southwest and has resulted in the formation of several mineral springs and hot springs.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

North Macedonia is largely mountainous, with many peaks rising above the tree line at 6,600 feet (2,000 metres) above sea level. The highest elevation is at Mount Korab (9,030 feet, or 2,752 metres) on the Albanian border. Near the Šar Mountains in the northwest, the country is covered with forest. Where this has been cleared (and often in the past overgrazed), the thin skeletal soils have been subjected to dramatic erosion and gullying. There are also several broad and fertile valleys that provide good potential for agriculture.

Drainage

The greater part of North Macedonia (about nine-tenths of its area) drains southeastward into the Aegean Sea via the Vardar River and its tributaries. Smaller parts of this basin drain into Lake Doiran (Macedonian: Dojran) and into the Aegean via the Strumica and Struma rivers. The remainder of North Macedonia drains northward via the Crni Drim River toward the Adriatic Sea.

The convoluted and fractured geology of the area imposes upon many of these rivers erratic courses that frequently drive through narrow and sometimes spectacular gorges. Such formations facilitate the damming of rivers for electric power generation.

Climate

North Macedonia stands at the junction of two main climatic zones, the Mediterranean and the continental. Periodically, air breaks through mountain barriers to the north and south, bringing dramatically contrasting weather patterns; one example is the cold northerly wind known as the vardarec. Overall, there is a moderate continental climate: temperatures average in the low 30s F (about 0 °C) in January and rise to the high 60s and 70s F (about 20–25 °C) in July. Annual precipitation is relatively light, between about 20 and 28 inches (about 500 and 700 mm). Rainfalls of less than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in the driest months (July–August) rise to nearly 4 inches (about 100 mm) in October–November. Because of differences in local aspect and relief, there may be considerable variation in the climate, the eastern areas tending to have milder winters and hotter, drier summers and the western (more mountainous) regions having more severe winters.

Plant and animal life

The mountainous northwestern parts of North Macedonia support large areas of forest vegetation. On the lower slopes this is principally deciduous woodland, but conifers grow at elevations as high as 6,600 feet (2,000 metres). Some areas of forest have been cleared to provide rough summer pasture. The forests support a variety of wildlife, including wild pigs, wolves, bears, and lynx. The dry and warm summers result in an abundance of insect life, with species of grasshoppers much in evidence, along with numerous small lizards.

North Macedonia

News •

Thank you for signing up!

Land

Relief

Drainage

Climate

Plant and animal life