Macedonia

Macedonia forms part of the continent of Europe, where it has a landlocked position and is bordered by Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo and Serbia. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Europe is the second smallest continent in the world, it has 51 countries, with some countries belonging to both Europe and Asia, spans a total area of 10,180,000 km2 and forms 6.8% of the world's landmass. Macedonia is a landlocked country that encompasses a total area of approximately 25,713 km2. It is one of the smaller countries located on mainland Europe.

The following guideline provides details on the approximate border lengths of Macedonia:
Albania 181 km, Bulgaria 162 km, Greece 234 km, Kosovo 160 km, Serbia 101 km.

Macedonia experiences dry, warm climatic conditions in the summer and cold, snowy conditions in winter. The geography of Macedonia comprises of mountainous regions, valleys, basins, lakes and rivers. The major lakes of Macedonia are Lake Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran. The largest and longest river of Macedonia is called the Vardar River. The lowest point of Macedonia is the Vardar River at 50m, and the highest point of elevation is Golem Korab at 2,764m.

The official language of Macedonia is Macedonian, although approximately one-quarter of the population speak Albanian as a primary language. A small percentage of the population speak other languages as a primary form of communication, such languages include Turkish, Romani and Serbian.

The main religion of Macedonia is Macedonian Orthodox at approximately 64% of the population. Around 33% are Muslim. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be defined as materials and substances that occur naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. An individual country's natural resources can depend on many factors including the climate, geography and location. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, are rich with natural resources, where as others have practically none. Food, construction and transport are three primary examples of uses of natural resources. The following information provides examples of these uses: fish occurs naturally in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can be caught for food consumption. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests for construction purposes, i.e. to build homes and furniture. Crude oils can be refined into different kinds of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. The natural resources found in Macedonia include low-grade iron ore, copper, zinc, lead, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, silver, gold, asbestos, gypsum, timber, and arable land suitable for growing crops.

Every country has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, symbols, emblems, mottos, songs, anthems and colors are used by countries across the world to represent national pride and identity. These national symbols are formed through the unique history of a nation and are symbolic of both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can include a mixture of things that are symbolic to a country such as animals, birds, flowers, trees, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. Here are some important facts on the symbols, songs and colors of Macedonia: