Curriculum PowerPoint matches 5th and 6th-grade standards. First-person resources copyright of Global Ties Akron Know Your Community Know Your World know-your-world.org

1. Macedonia
KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY
KNOW YOUR WORLD
A PROGRAM OF GLOBAL
TIES AKRON

2. Macedonia is located in Southeastern Europe in a
region known as the Balkans. It has lots of
mountains and rivers. By plane, it would take 16
hours to get to Skopje, Macedonia from Akron, with

3. Country Quick Facts
• Full name: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)/ Republic of
Macedonia
• Population: about 2 million (July 2014)
• Capital: Skopje
• Largest city: Skopje
• Official language: Macedonian
• Major religion: Macedonian Orthodox Christian (60%)
• Life expectancy: Male: 73, Female: 79
• Monetary unit: Macedonian denar
• Main exports: food, beverages, tobacco, textiles, miscellaneous manufactures,
iron, steel, automotive parts
• GNI per capita: $11, 520

4. Macedonian History in Brief
● Was part of the Greek and later Roman Empires
● Part of the Byzantine Empire from the 5th-14th centuries
● Conquered by the Turks in 1389
● Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 19th century
● Fighting throughout the 19th century between the Greeks,
Bulgarians, and Serbians as to who Macedonia belonged
to
● Peacefully gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991

5. Language
• HELLO: zdravo/здраво
• GOODBYE: doviduvanie/Довидување
• YES: Da/да
• NO: Ne/не
• THANK YOU: Blagodaram/ благодарам
• YOU’RE WELCOME: molam/молам
• PLEASE: Ve molam/ве молам
• I LOVE YOU: Te sakam/те сакам
• HOW ARE YOU: Kako si?/Како си?

6. Government
● President: Gjorge Ivanov
● Prime minister: Nikola Gruevski
● Government structure: parliamentary democracy
● Voting age: 18 years old

7. Current Issues
● Problems with Greece over their official name, Greeks
claim Macedonia is a Greek term and shouldn’t be
used
● Poverty and poor infrastructure
● Ethnic clashes
● Protection of minorities
● Freedom of press and media
● Protection of cultural heritage and religion
● Corruption

8. Economy
● Became a candidate for the European Union in 2005
● Switched to a capitalist economy with its independence in 1991
● Trying to attract foreign investment to help grow their economy
● Major industries:
● Food processing
● Beverages
● Textiles/Clothing
● Chemicals
● Iron
● Steel
● Cement
● Energy
● Pharmaceuticals

9. Currency
● Macedonian denar
● 1 US dollar= 54. 89 Macedonian denar (June 2015)

10. Traditional Food
● Shopska salad- tomatoes, pepper,
cucumber, onion, and lots of feta
cheese
● Palacinki- like a crepe or flat
pancake with Nutella, jam, etc.
● Kebapi- grilled meat like sausage
served with flat bread and onions
● Burek- flaky pastry often filled with
meat, cheese, and spinach
● Sutlijach- rice putting, usually
topped with cinnamon
Kebapi

11. Traditional Dress and Dance
● There are many traditional
Macedonian folk dances
● Some traditional clothing
shown on the left
● Different dances from
different regions of the
country
● For example, "Mariovska
Tresenica" is a dance from
the Mariovo region in
southern Macedonia

12. Fun Facts
● The Cyrillic alphabet was
created by Macedonian
brother Sts. Cyril and
Methodius
● Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, is one of the
oldest and deepest lakes in
Europe and is estimated to be
4 million years old
● Mother Teresa of Calcutta
was born in Skopje,
Macedonia
● Skopje, the capital, is known
for its abundance of statues
throughout the city

13. Links
● http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/co
untrys/europe/mk.htm
● http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26759.h
tm
● http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-
17550407
● https://www.cia.gov/library/PUBLICATI
ONS/the-world-factbook/geos/mk.html
● http://macedonia.usembassy.gov/