Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of (2002) | Finland (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | 123 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aracinovo, Bac, Belcista, Berovo, Bistrica, Bitola, Blatec, Bogdanci, Bogomila, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica, Cair (Skopje), Capari, Caska, Cegrane, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa, Cesinovo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Delcevo, Delogozdi, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dobrusevo, Dolna Banjica, Dolneni, Dorce Petrov (Skopje), Drugovo, Dzepciste, Gazi Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden, Izvor, Jegunovce, Kamenjane, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda (Skopje), Klecevce, Kocani, Konce, Kondovo, Konopiste, Kosel, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kuklis, Kukurecani, Kumanovo, Labunista, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Lukovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovi Anovi, Meseista, Miravci, Mogila, Murtino, Negotino, Negotino-Polosko, Novaci, Novo Selo, Oblesevo, Ohrid, Orasac, Orizari, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Podares, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Rostusa, Samokov, Saraj, Sipkovica, Sopiste, Sopotnica, Srbinovo, Star Dojran, Staravina, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Topolcani, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Velesta, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vitoliste, Vranestica, Vrapciste, Vratnica, Vrutok, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zeleno, Zitose, Zletovo, Zrnovci
note: the seven municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses collectively constitute "greater Skopje" |
6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 239,638; female 221,446)
15-64 years: 67.2% (male 694,368; female 686,450) 65 years and over: 10.4% (male 94,214; female 118,684) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 449,548/female 433,253)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,768,996/female 1,727,143) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 344,798/female 514,722) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, millet, cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus, vegetables; beef, pork, poultry, mutton | barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish |
Airports | 17 (2001) | 148 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2002) |
total: 76
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 15 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2002) |
total: 72
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 68 (2007) |
Area | total: 25,333 sq km
land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km |
total: 338,145 sq km
land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Vermont | slightly smaller than Montana |
Background | International recognition of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (F.Y.R.O.M.) independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 was delayed by Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols. Greece finally lifted its trade blockade in 1995, and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, despite continued disagreement over F.Y.R.O.M.'s use of "Macedonia." F.Y.R.O.M.'s large Albanian minority, an ethnic Albanian armed insurgency in F.Y.R.O.M. in 2001, and the status of neighboring Kosovo continue to be sources of ethnic tension. | Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999. |
Birth rate | 13.35 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 10.42 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $850 million
expenditures: $950 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
revenues: $124.2 billion
expenditures: $114 billion (2007 est.) |
Capital | Skopje | name: Helsinki
geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall | cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 1,250 km |
Constitution | adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991
note: the Macedonian Parliament approved November 2001 a series of new constitutional amendments, strengthening minority rights |
1 March 2000 |
Country name | conventional long form: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
conventional short form: none local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija abbreviation: F.Y.R.O.M. |
conventional long form: Republic of Finland
conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland |
Currency | Macedonian denar (MKD) | - |
Death rate | 7.74 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.93 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (2001 est.) | $271.2 billion (30 June 2007) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Laurence Edward BUTLER
embassy: bul. Ilinden bb, 1000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] (02) 116-180 FAX: [389] (02) 117-103 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Marilyn WARE
embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250 FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Nikola DIMITROV
chancery: Suite 302, 1101 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3063 FAX: [1] (202) 337-3093 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU
chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
Disputes - international | dispute with Greece over country's name persists; 2001 FYROM-Yugoslavia boundary delimitation agreement, which adjusts former republic boundaries, was signed and ratified and awaits demarcation; ethnic Albanians in Kosovo dispute legitimacy of the agreement, which cedes small tracts of Kosovo lands to FYROM | various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $850.5 million (2005) |
Economic aid - recipient | $150 million (2001 est.) | - |
Economy - overview | At independence in November 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 center and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on Yugoslavia, one of its largest markets, 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 4.6% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth recovered moderately in 2002 but unemployment at one-third of the workforce remained a critical problem. | Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. High unemployment remains a persistent problem. In 2007 Russia announced plans to impose high tariffs on raw timber exported to Finland. The Finnish pulp and paper industry will be threatened if these duties are put into place in 2008 and 2009, and the matter is now being handled by the European Union. |
Electricity - consumption | 5.992 billion kWh (1999) | 81.11 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 30 million kWh (1999) | 933 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 75 million kWh (1999) | 17.92 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 6.395 billion kWh (1999) | 67.09 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 82%
hydro: 18% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,753 m |
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m |
Environment - current issues | air pollution from metallurgical plants | air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Macedonian 66.6%, Albanian 22.7%, Turkish 4%, Roma 2.2%, Serb 2.1%, other 2.4% (1994) | Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.7%, Russian 0.4%, Estonian 0.2%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.2%, Sami 0.1% |
Exchange rates | Macedonian denars per US dollar - 64.757 (January 2001), 65.904 (2000), 56.902 (1999), 54.462 (1998), 50.004 (1997) | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Boris TRAJKOVSKI (since 15 December 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 1 November 2002) 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, PDP, and DPA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004); prime minister elected by the Assembly; election last held NA October 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: Boris TRAJKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Boris TRAJKOVSKI 52.4%, Tito PETKOVSKI 46.2%; Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected prime minister by Parliament with 72% of the vote |
chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected 17 April 2007 election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN relected prime minister; election results 121-71 note: government coalition - Kesk, SDP, and SFP |
Exports | $1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) | 118,300 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | food, beverages, tobacco; miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel | machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999) |
Exports - partners | Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) 23.1%, Germany 20.6%, Greece 8.8%, Italy 8.6%, US 7.7% (2001) | Germany 11.3%, Sweden 10.5%, Russia 10.1%, UK 6.5%, US 6.5%, Netherlands 5.1% (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field | white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $10 billion (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 11%
industry: 31% services: 58% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 2.5%
industry: 31.7% services: 65.9% (2007 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2002 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.8% (2002 est.) | 3.9% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 41 50 N, 22 00 E | 64 00 N, 26 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe | long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain |
Highways | total: 8,684 km
paved: 5,540 km (including 133 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,144 km (1997) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 22.6% (2000) |
Illicit drugs | major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; while money laundering is a problem on a local level due to organized crime activities, the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center | - |
Imports | $1.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) | 333,400 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; food products | foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains |
Imports - partners | Germany 12.6%, Greece 10.9%, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) 9.3%, Russia 8.3%, Slovenia 7.0% (2000) | Germany 15.6%, Russia 14%, Sweden 13.7%, Netherlands 6.6%, China 5.4%, UK 4.7%, Denmark 4.5% (2006) |
Independence | 8 September 1991 referendum by registered voters endorsing independence (from Yugoslavia) | 6 December 1917 (from Russia) |
Industrial production growth rate | -5% (2002 est.) | 2.5% (2007 est.) |
Industries | coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel, textiles, wood products, tobacco, food processing, buses | metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing |
Infant mortality rate | 12.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (2002 est.) | 2.7% (2007 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) | ADB (nonregional members), AfDB, Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 6 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 550 sq km (1998 est.) | 640 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court - Parliament appoints the judges; Constitutional Court - Parliament appoints the judges; Republican Judicial Council - Parliament appoints the judges | Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 1.1 million (2000 est.) | 2.68 million (2007 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture and forestry 4.4%, industry 17.5%, construction 6%, commerce 22%, finance, insurance, and business services 12%, transport and communications 8%, public services 30.2% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 766 km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Serbia and Montenegro 221 km |
total: 2,681 km
border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km |
Land use | arable land: 23.59%
permanent crops: 1.85% other: 74.56% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 6.54%
permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005) |
Languages | Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3% | Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003) |
Legal system | based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts | civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly or Sobranje (120 seats - 85 members are elected by popular vote, 35 members come from lists of candidates submitted by parties based on the percentage that a party gains from the overall vote; all serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Together for Macedonia coalition 60, VMRO-DPMNE 33, Democratic Integrative Union 16, Democratic Party of Albanians 7, Party for Democratic Prosperity 2, National Democratic Party 1, Socialist Party of Macedonia 1 |
unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 March 2007 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%, SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%, other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR 15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.26 years
male: 72.01 years female: 76.68 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 78.66 years
male: 75.15 years female: 82.31 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Europe, north of Greece | Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia |
Map references | Europe | Europe |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm)
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Merchant marine | - | total: 92 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,362,014 GRT/1,002,280 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 26, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 23, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 5 (Germany 2, Norway 1, Sweden 2) registered in other countries: 43 (Bahamas 8, Germany 4, Gibraltar 3, Marshall Islands 2, Netherlands 14, Norway 1, Sweden 10, UK 1) (2007) |
Military branches | Army (ARM), Air and Air Defense Forces, Police Force | Finnish Defense Forces (FDF): Army, Navy (includes coastal defense forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $200 million (FY01/02 est.) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 6% (FY01/02 est.) | 2% (2005 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 551,523 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 444,575 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 19 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 17,905 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's Day and Ilinden | Independence Day, 6 December (1917) |
Nationality | noun: Macedonian(s)
adjective: Macedonian |
noun: Finn(s)
adjective: Finnish |
Natural hazards | high seismic risks | NA |
Natural resources | chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber, arable land | timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone |
Net migration rate | -1.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | 10 km | gas 694 km (2007) |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil TUPURKOVSKI, president]; Democratic Integrative Union [leader NA]; Democratic Party of Albanians or DPA [Arben XHAFERI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Ljubcho GEORGIEVSKI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Reform Option or VMRO-VMRO [Boris STOJMANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto GUSTERVO]; Liberal Party [leader NA]; National Democratic Party or MPDK [Kastriot HAXHISEXHA]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Imeri IMERI, president]; Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV, president]; Together for Macedonia coalition (including the Social Democrats) [leader NA]; Union of Romanies of Macedonia or SRM [leader NA] | Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green Party or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS [Martti KORHONEN] (composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative); National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]; True Finns [Timo SOINI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
Population | 2,054,800
note: a Framework Agreement ratified by Macedonia on 16 November 2001 calls for a new census in 2002 (July 2002 est.) |
5,238,460 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 24% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.41% (2002 est.) | 0.127% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 29, FM 20, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 410,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total: 699 km
standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (233 km electrified) note: a 56-km extension of the Kumanovo-Beljakovce line to the Bulgarian border at Gyueshevo is under construction (2001) |
total: 5,741 km
broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2006) |
Religions | Macedonian Orthodox 67%, Muslim 30%, other 3% | Lutheran Church of Finland 84.2%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.958 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: NA |
general assessment: modern system with excellent service
domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 408,000 (1997) | 1.92 million (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 12,362 (1997) | 5.67 million (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 31 (plus 166 repeaters) (1995) | 120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999) |
Terrain | mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River | mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills |
Total fertility rate | 1.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.73 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 35% (2002 est.) | 6.6% (2007 est.) |
Waterways | note: lake transport only, on the Greek and Albanian borders | 7,842 km
note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2006) |