What is the capital of North Macedonia?

The capital of North Macedonia is Skopje.

What is the population of North Macedonia?

North Macedonia has a population of about 1.82 million, the #152 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.

How big is North Macedonia?

North Macedonia covers 25,713 km², ranking #151 by area, with about 71 people per square kilometre.

Which countries border North Macedonia?

North Macedonia shares a land or maritime border with Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia.

What is the largest city in North Macedonia?

Skopje is the largest city in North Macedonia, with a metropolitan population of about 494,087.

What is the highest mountain in North Macedonia?

The highest summit recorded for North Macedonia in YearMaps is Korab at 2,764 m (9,068 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

North Macedonia Map — Cities, Rivers & History

Interactive Map of North Macedonia

6.2

Centred on Skopje at 42.0000° N, 21.4335° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About North Macedonia

North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Europe. It shares borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's population of over 1.83 million. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities.

In classical antiquity most of present-day North Macedonia corresponded to the ancient regions of Paeonia and Pelagonia. In the late-6th century BC, most of the area was subjugated by the Persian Empire and then incorporated into the kingdom of Macedonia by the mid-4th century BC. Rome conquered the region by the mid-2nd century BC and made it part of its larger province of Macedonia. The area remained part of the Byzantine Empire but was often raided and settled by Slavic tribes beginning in the 6th century CE. Following centuries of contention between the Byzantine and Bulgarian empires, it became part of the Serbian Empire in the mid-14th century, and then it was part of the Ottoman Empire from the late-14th century until the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), when it came under Serbian rule.

During the First World War, the territory was ruled by Bulgaria. After the end of the war, it returned to Serbian rule as part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. During the Second World War, it was again ruled by Bulgaria; and in 1945 it was established as a constituent state of communist Yugoslavia, which it remained until its peaceful secession in 1991. The country became a member of the United Nations (UN) in 1993.

North Macedonia is a member of NATO, the Council of Europe, the World Bank, OSCE, CEFTA, BSEC and the WTO. Since 2005, it has been a candidate for joining the European Union. It is an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank's definitions and has undergone considerable economic reform since its independence in developing an open economy. It is a developing country, ranking 68th on the Human Development Index, with low income inequality. The country provides social security, a universal health care system as well as free primary and secondary education to its citizens.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: North Macedonia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Geography and Climate of North Macedonia

North Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991 under the name of "Macedonia." Greece objected to the new country’s name, insisting it implied territorial pretensions to the northern Greek province of Macedonia, and democratic backsliding for several years stalled North Macedonia's movement toward Euro-Atlantic integration. Immediately after Macedonia declared independence, Greece sought to block its efforts to gain UN membership if the name "Macedonia" was used. The country was eventually admitted to the UN in 1993 as "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," and at the same time it agreed to UN-sponsored negotiations on the name dispute. In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations, but the issue of the name remained unresolved amid ongoing negotiations. As an interim measure, the US and over 130 other nations recognized Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia. Ethnic Albanian grievances over perceived political and economic inequities escalated into an armed conflict in 2001 that eventually led to the internationally brokered Ohrid Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting and established guidelines for constitutional amendments and new laws that enhanced the rights of minorities. In 2018, the government adopted a new law on languages, which elevated the Albanian language to an official language at the national level and kept the Macedonian language as the sole official language in international relations, but ties between ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians remain complicated. In 2018, Macedonia and Greece signed the Prespa Agreement whereby Macedonia agreed to change its name to North Macedonia, and the agreement went in to force on 12 February 2019. North Macedonia joined NATO in 2020 after amending its constitution as agreed and opened EU accession talks in 2022 after a two-year veto by Bulgaria over identity, language, and historical disputes. The 2014 legislative and presidential election triggered a political crisis that lasted almost three years and escalated in 2015 when the opposition party began releasing wiretapped material revealing alleged widespread government corruption and abuse. The country still faces challenges, including fully implementing reforms to overcome years of democratic backsliding, stimulating economic growth and development, and fighting organized crime and corruption.

Location: Southeastern Europe, north of Greece.
Climate: Warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall.
Terrain: Mountainous with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River.
Highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m.
Lowest point: Vardar River 50 m.
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Land borders: Total: 838 km; border countries: Albania 181 km; Bulgaria 162 km; Greece 234 km; Kosovo 160 km; Serbia 101 km.
Natural resources: Low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land.
Land use: Agricultural land: 49.6% (2023 est.); arable land: 16.5% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 1.6% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 31.5% (2023 est.); forest: 40.9% (2023 est.); other: 9.5% (2023 est.)
Natural hazards: High seismic risks.
Geographic note: Landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe.
Languages: Macedonian (official) 61.4%, Albanian (official) 24.3%, Turkish 3.4%, Romani 1.7%, other (includes Aromanian (Vlach) and Bosnian) 2%, unspecified 7.2% (2021 est.)
Religions: Orthodox 46.1%, Islam 32.2%, Christian 13.2%, Other 7.2%; less than 1%: atheist, Catholic, other religions, not specified, Protestant (2021 est.)
Ethnic groups: Macedonian 58.4%, Albanian 24.3%, Turkish 3.9%, Romani 2.5%, Serb 1.3%, other 2.3%, no ethnic affiliation data available 7.2% (2021 est.)
Economy: Upper-middle-income European economy; GDP growth driven by private consumption, public infrastructure investments, and wage growth; stalled progress on EU accession; public debt rising due to high pensions, wages, and interest payments; structural challenges of emigration, low productivity growth, and governance.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

North Macedonia in Numbers

Population: 1.82 million
GDP: US$19.1 billion
GDP per person: US$10,490
Life expectancy: 76.6 years
Population growth: -0.19% a year
Population density: 72 per km²
Urban population: 62.9%
Surface area: 25,713 km²
Forest cover: 40.8%
Arable land: 16.2%
Access to electricity: 100.0%
Internet users: 93.1%

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

North Macedonia in Depth

History

North Macedonia geographically roughly corresponds to the ancient kingdom of Paeonia, which was located immediately north of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia. In early times, the chief town and seat of the Paeonian kings was Bylazora (in modern Sveti Nikole) on the Vardar; later, the seat of the kings was moved to Stobi (near modern Gradsko). Paeonia was inhabited by the Paeonians, whilst the northwest was inhabited by the Illyrian Dardani and the southwest by the Enchelae (also an Illyrian tribe), as well as Pelagones and Lyncestae of Upper Macedonia (generally regarded as Molossian tribes of the northwestern Greek group).

In the late 6th century BC, the Achaemenid Persians under Darius the Great conquered Paeonia, incorporating the area within their vast territories.

Geography

North Macedonia has a total area of 25,436 km2 (9,821 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 40° and 43° N, and mostly between longitudes 20° and 23° E (a small area lies east of 23°), with some 748 km (465 mi) of boundaries, shared with Serbia (62 km or 39 mi) to the north, Kosovo (159 km or 99 mi) to the northwest, Bulgaria (148 km or 92 mi) to the east, Greece (228 km or 142 mi) to the south, and Albania (151 km or 94 mi) to the west. It is a transit way for shipment of goods from Greece through the Balkans. It is part of the larger region of Macedonia, which also includes Greek Macedonia and the Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria.

Economy

Ranked as the fourth "best reformatory state" out of 178 countries ranked by the World Bank in 2009, North Macedonia has undergone considerable economic reform since independence. The country has developed an open economy with trade accounting for more than 90% of GDP in recent years. Since 1996, North Macedonia has witnessed steady, though slow, economic growth with GDP growing by 3.1% in 2005. This figure was projected to rise to an average of 5.2% in the 2006–2010 period. The government has proven successful in its efforts to combat inflation, with an inflation rate of only 3% in 2006 and 2% in 2007, and has implemented policies focused on attracting foreign investment and promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Demographics

The results from the last 2021 census show a population of 1,836,713. The population density is 72.2 persons per km2 and the average age is 40.1 years. 598,632 households were recorded with an average number of household members of 3.1. The gender balance is 50.4% female to 49.6% male.

Based on the 2021 census data, the largest ethnic group are the ethnic Macedonians. The second-largest group are the Albanians, who dominated much of the northwestern part of the country.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: North Macedonia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

North Macedonia: Key Facts

Key facts about North Macedonia
Currency	Macedonian denar
Official languages	Macedonian, Albanian
Head of state	Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
Head of government	Hristijan Mickoski
Form of government	parliamentary republic
Calling code	+389
Internet domain	.mk
Highest point	Korab
Lowest point	Vardar
Established	1991

Facts from Wikidata Q221 (CC0).

History of North Macedonia: Empires and States

The atlas records 23 polities whose mapped territory included part of North Macedonia, from The Macedonian Empire of Alexander in 500 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held North Macedonia, in chronological order
Polity	Period here	Extent
The Macedonian Empire of Alexander	500–292 BCE	Nearly all
Antigonid Dynasty	291–285 BCE	Nearly all
Ptolemaic Kingdom	281–31 BCE	Nearly all
Antigonid Macedonia	277–165 BCE	Nearly all
Illyrian Kingdom	256–226 BCE	A large part
Greek City-States	197–145 BCE	Nearly all
Roman Republic	144–32 BCE	Nearly all
The Roman Empire	30 BCE – 476 CE	Nearly all
Eastern Roman Empire	395–629 CE	Nearly all
The Byzantine Empire	395–1351 CE	Nearly all
First Bulgarian Empire	850–1017 CE	Nearly all
Second Bulgarian Empire	1206–1249 CE	Nearly all
Despotate of Epirus	1220–1235 CE	A large part
Kingdom of Serbia	1220–1351 CE	Most
Nicaean Empire	1250–1278 CE	Nearly all
Serbian Empire	1352–1374 CE	Nearly all
Albanian Principalities	1375–1394 CE	Most
Serbian Despots	1375–1394 CE	A large part
The Ottoman Empire	1395–1911 CE	Nearly all
Principality of Bulgaria	1916–1944 CE	Nearly all
Yugoslavia	1919–1945 CE	Nearly all
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia	1946–1991 CE	Nearly all
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	1992–2024 CE	Nearly all

Historical Maps of North Macedonia

North Macedonia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting North Macedonia

The Republic of North Macedonia (Macedonian: Северна Македонија, Severna Makedonija), mostly still referred to as simply Macedonia by its residents, is a landlocked country in the heart of the Balkans. The country has an ethnically diverse population (a Macedonian Slav majority, with minority populations of Albanians, Turks, Romani, and others) sharing an often ruggedly beautiful landscape. Architecture from the bygone eras of the Ottoman Empire and socialist Yugoslavia remains and now contrasts with the modern structures of independent Macedonia. Relative to other European nations, Macedonia is off the beaten path, and tourist infrastructure is underdeveloped and occasionally challenging to navigate.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: North Macedonia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in North Macedonia

3 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in North Macedonia
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Skopje	494,087	Centar	National capital
2	Tetovo	119,132	Tetovo	Populated place
3	Bitola	86,528	Bitola	Populated place

Highest Mountains in North Macedonia

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in North Macedonia
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Korab	2,764 m	9,068 ft	Europe

Korab

Mountain · 2,764 m

Korab is a mountain rising to 2,764 metres (9,068 ft) in Albania and North Macedonia, in the Europe region. The summit stands on the border between them.

Korab (Albanian: Mali i Korabit, Macedonian: Кораб) is a mountain range in eastern Albania and western North Macedonia, running along the border between the two countries. It forms also the European Green Belt. In Albania, it is also called Vargu lindor (English: Eastern range), but this term encompasses mountains further north, such as the Koritnik and Gjallica. The highest peak is Mount Korab at 2,764 m (9,068 ft) above sea level. With a prominence of 2,169 m (7,116 ft), Korab is the 18th most prominent mountain peak in the European continent. The mountains are composed of sedimentary rock, including shale, sandstone, dolomite and limestone. The name means large boat in Macedonian.

Geographically, the Korab mountain range extends 40 km (25 mi) from the Dibër Valley in a north-south direction, between the river valleys of the Black Drin and its tributary the Radika. It is located near the tripoint of Albania, North Macedonia, and Kosovo, southwest of the Šar Mountains. The Drin Valley lies around 400 m (1,300 ft) to the west, the bed of the Radika at about 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Korab (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Elevation: 2,764 m (9,068 ft)
Global rank: #282 of 641 indexed
Region: Europe (#20)
Countries: Albania, North Macedonia
Coordinates: 41.7870°, 20.5410°

Of the 641 named summits indexed in YearMaps, Korab ranks #282 by elevation, below Pico Naiguatá (2,765 m) and above Mount Macdonald (2,760 m).

Ranges:: Pindus Mountains (Europe), Balkan Mountains (Europe)
Settlements below:: Tetovo (43 km), Skopje (78 km), Bitola (107 km)

View on the live map

More about Korab

Korab: Key Facts

Key facts about Korab
Topographic prominence	2,169 m

Facts from Wikidata Q211616 (CC0).

Rivers in North Macedonia

1 river recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.

Rivers in North Macedonia
Name	Type	Also Flows Through
Drin	River	Albania

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North Macedonia

2 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North Macedonia
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid region	1979	Mixed	(i) (iii) (iv) (vii) (ix)
2	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe	2007	Natural	(ix)

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of North Macedonia

1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of North Macedonia
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	Europe	11.24M km²	Continent	Europe

Countries Bordering North Macedonia

Land and maritime neighbours.

More Maps in Europe

North Macedonia: Quick Answers

What is the capital of North Macedonia?: The capital of North Macedonia is Skopje.
What is the population of North Macedonia?: North Macedonia has a population of about 1.82 million, the #152 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is North Macedonia?: North Macedonia covers 25,713 km², ranking #151 by area, with about 71 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is North Macedonia in?: North Macedonia is in Europe.
Which countries border North Macedonia?: North Macedonia shares a land or maritime border with Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia.
What is the largest city in North Macedonia?: Skopje is the largest city in North Macedonia, with a metropolitan population of about 494,087.
What is the highest mountain in North Macedonia?: The highest summit recorded for North Macedonia in YearMaps is Korab at 2,764 m (9,068 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.