Some Facts About Macedonia
Macedonia - Certain
Regard,
by Ronald Holloway
 The
Republic of Macedonia is situated in the southern part of
the Balkan Peninsula and covers an area of 25,713 square kilometers.
According to the 1991 population census, the total figure
for the registered total and estimated population in the Republic
of Macedonia was 2,033,964.
More than half of the Republic's inhabitants (58.1%) live
in urban areas, most of them in the capital, Skopje (450,000),
followed by Bitola (98,000).
On 8th of September 1991, the majority of the population
in Republic of Macedonia, taking part in a referendum (95%
of those voting) opted for a sovereign and independent Macedonia.
On 17th of September 1991, the Assembly of the Republic of
Macedonia adopted a Declaration on the Acceptance of the Referendum
Results.
On 17th of November 1991, the Assembly adopted the New Constitution
of the Republic of Macedonia as an independent and sovereign
state. The Constitutions guarantees the rule of law, a democratic
political system and individual rights.
On 8th of April 1993, the Republic of Macedonia was unanimously
and with acclamation admitted to membership of the United
Nation Organization as its 181st member.
Almost half of the population is over 30 years of age (958,974).
There are 165,716 inhabitants of Macedonia, over 65 years
of age (8,1% of the population).
  
Macedonia has 34 mountain peaks exceeding 2000 meters. The
highest is that of Mount Golem Korab, which is 2,753 meters
above sea level. Mount Titov Vrv at the Shara Mountain is
2,748 meters high, while the peak of Turchin in the same range,
reaches 2,702 meters.
The Republic of Macedonia has 53 natural or artificial lakes.The
largest is the lake of Ohrid, which, lying at an altitude
of 693 meters, occupies an area of 349 square km., 118.9 of
which belong to Albania. Lake Ohrid has a maximum depth of
286 metres. Lake Prespa covers 274 square km. (49.9 of which
belong to Albania and 47.8 to Greece) and is 54 meters deep.
Macedonia has four national parks (Galichica, Mavrovo, Pelister
and Jasen) comprising a total are about 110,000 hectares.
The town and lake of Ohrid have been placed under the protection
of UNESCO as an outstanding environment.
About 700,000 tourists spend more than 2,5 million nights
annually, visiting the Macedonian lakes, mountains, spas and
other tourist resorts.
Hotel and catering facilities offer more than 80,000 beds,
while the campsites can receive over 20,000 guests.
  
International air traffic in the Republic of Macedonia operates
through the two international airports of Skopje and Ohrid.
The average daily number of departure and arrival flights
is - 23.
The railway network of Macedonia comprises 922 km. of tracks,
of which 231 km. are electrified.
There are some 10.000 km. of roads, 4,876 km. of which are
asphalt; 944 km. are main roads. A modern motorway, 176 km.
in length, extends from Macedonia's northern to its southern
border.
The road system carries over 35,000,000 passengers in about
7,000,000 tones of goods.
There are over 50 radio and TV stations operating in Macedonia.
Radio programs are broadcasted via 120 transmitters with total
power of 1,743 kW. TV programs are broadcasted via 10 main
transmitter centers.
In addition to Macedonian, radio and TV stations in Macedonia
broadcast special programs in Albanian, Turkish, Greek, Bulgarian,
Romany and Vlach. Skopje television was the first in the world
to broadcast programs in Albanian. The radio and TV programs
broadcast in Romany-language in the Republic of Macedonia
are the only broadcast in this language in the world.
Numerous enterprises are involved in the production of films.
Films are shown in 51 cinemas in a total of 20,000 seats.
There are more than 20,000 projections with over 3,000,000
viewers (average per year).
In 1905, the Brothers Janaki and Milton Manaki shot the
first film footage in the Balkans. Thus laid the foundations
of the seventh art in this region. One of them, Milton Manaki
- living and cinematographing in the town of Bitola and its
surroundings for almost whole of his life, put on deposit
all his film and photo materials to the Macedonian State Archive.
Later, these materials were put under the custody of the Cinematheque
of Macedonia.
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