Macedonia, officially the Republic of Macedonia, is a country in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. This landlocked country has borders with Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west.
The geography of the country characterised by rivers, valleys and mountains. Skopje is the capital and the largest city in Macedonia. It is also the home of a quarter of the nation's inhabitants. Most of the residents are ethnic Macedonians and South Slavic.
The country is a member of the Council of Europe and the United Nations. Despite being one of the poorest countries in Europe, Macedonia has made noteworthy progress in creating an open, market-based economy.
A central valley formed by the Vardar River is a distinct geographical feature in Macedonia. Three large lakes lie on the southern border. Ohrid is believed to be one of the oldest lakes and biotopes in the world. This area is seismically active, and several destructive earthquakes have taken place in the past.
The climate of Macedonia alternates between Mediterranean and Continental. The country experiences hot, dry summers and reasonably cold winters. In the mountainous regions, the winters are long and snowy while the summers are cold and short.
The main religion in Macedonia is Eastern Orthodox Christianity and this makes up 65% of the population. Muslims constitute 33.3% of the population. Macedonia has the fifth-highest population of Muslims in Europe. The official language of Macedonia is Macedonian.
