Skopje, North Macedonia

According to abbreviationfinder, Skopje is the largest city in the Republic of Macedonia and the nation’s capital. It is an important political, economic, cultural and academic center that is characterized by being the most populated area in the country.

History

This city was founded in the 3rd century BC by the Dardanians and re-founded years later by ancient Romanians. In ancient times, Skopje was named Scupi and it was the capital of the kingdom of Dardania. At the end of the Middle Ages it was conquered first by the Serbs in 1282 and later by the Turks in 1392, becoming an important city of the Ottoman Empire. It was transferred to Serbia after the Balkan Wars between 1912 – 1913 and became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1929 it was renamed Yugoslavia. After the World War II, the city experienced tremendous growth

In 1963 a large part of the city, including several old mosques, was destroyed by an earthquake. The Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia became an independent state in 1991.

Geography

Skopje, is located to the north of the Macedonian territory, on the upper part of the Vardar river which crosses the city. This metropolis is located at an altitude of 240 m above sea level and has an area of 1,854 km². There, as in other Macedonian regions, the climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters.

Population

The city has a population of 668,518 residents according to the 2006 census, which represents a quarter of the country’s population. See population of Macedonia.

Administrative division

Skopje is made up of 10 municipalities, it is part of the Skopje region (Скопски регион).

Municipalities of Skopje.

Economic development

In Skopje, several industries operate such as: metallurgical, textile, chemical, food and wood. It is also a commercial center where products such as tobacco, cotton and cereals grown in the region where the city is located are traded.

Industrial development has been accompanied by strong internal and external development of commerce and banking, as well as cultural and sports activities.

Education

The city has a university created in 1949

Culture and tourism

As attractions capable of seducing tourists, the city preserves several temples of different creeds, a Stone Bridge, a site dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, an ancient fortress, an imposing work known as the Millennium Cross and some museums (among The one of Contemporary Art stands out), in addition to organizing numerous festivals (such as the Children’s Folklore “Oro Bez Granici”, the Cinema, Jazz and Summer festivals, to name just a few) that attract through art.

Transportation

There is a solid infrastructure at the transport level consisting of an airport and public train, taxi and bus services.

Famous people of the city

• Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910 – 1997), whose real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, religious and Catholic missionary. Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and beatified in 2003.

Republic of Macedonia

Demography

The average number of children per woman is only 1.57. The “Decade for Roma Inclusion” is an initiative to improve the socio-economic conditions and social inclusion of Roma minorities in the nine participating countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro. All of these countries have a significant minority of Roma, who are generally socially and economically disadvantaged. The initiative was launched in 2005 and represents a multinational effort that should last until 2015.

Idiom

The mother tongue of 1.4 million people in the state is Macedonian, a South Slavic language. Albanian is spoken by approximately 500,000 people and Turkish by 80,000. Currently, the Macedonian government is voting on whether Albanian should become the second official language in the Republic of Macedonia.