Macedonia is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991. It became a member of the United Nations in 1993. Macedonia is a member of the Council of Europe. Since December 2005 it has also been a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership. The country has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants. It constitutes approximately the northwestern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia, which also comprises the neighbouring parts of northern Greece and a smaller portion in southwestern Bulgaria.
Macedonia has around fifty ponds and three natural lakes, Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa and Lake Dojran. Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa, the city of Ohrid and the Galičica National Park belong to the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Macedonia has a transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. The summers are hot and dry, and the winters are moderately cold. The mountainous climate is present in the mountainous regions of the country, and it is characterised by long and snowy winters and short and cold summers.
Tourism in Macedonia is a large factor of the nation’s economy. Macedonia’s large abundance of natural and cultural attractions make it suitable for tourism. In 2012, Macedonia received 663,633 tourist arrivals. Macedonia experiences a constant increase of visitors. Macedonia has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry, and music. It has many ancient, protected religious sites. Poetry, cinema, and music festivals are held annually. Macedonian music styles developed under the strong influence of Byzantine church music. Macedonia has a significant number of preserved Byzantine fresco paintings, mainly from the period between the 11th and 16th centuries. There are several thousands square metres of fresco painting preserved, the major part of which is in very good condition and represent masterworks of the Macedonian School of ecclesiastical painting.
Macedonian cuisine is a representative of that of the Balkans—reflecting Mediterranean (Greek) and Middle Eastern (Turkish) influences, and to a lesser extent Italian, German and Eastern European (especially Hungarian) ones. The relatively warm climate in Macedonia provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Thus, Macedonian cuisine is particularly diverse. Famous for its rich Šopska salad, an appetiser and side dish which accompanies almost every meal, Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of its dairy products, wines, and local alcoholic beverages, such as rakija. Tavče Gravče and mastika are considered the national dish and drink of Macedonia, respectively.
