Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic League of the
Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or
PDSh/DPA [Arben XHAFERI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan
STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic
Renewal of Macedonia [Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Union of Vlachs
for Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV]; Democratic Union for Integration or
BDI/DUI [Ali AHMETI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or
VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna [Vesna JANEVSKA]; League
for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP
[Risto PENOV]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Alternative
[Harun ALIU]; National Democratic Party-New Democratic Forces or
PDK-FRO [Hysni SHAQIR]; New Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito
PETKOVSKI]; Party for Democratic Future [Alajdin DEMIRI]; Party for
Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Party for
European Future or PEI [Fijat CANOSKI]; Social Democratic Alliance
of Macedonia or SDSM [Radmila SEKERINSKA]; Socialist Party of
Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV-ZINGO]; Union of Romas or SR [Saliu
SHABAN]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Federation of Free Trade Unions [Svetlana PETROVIC]; Federation of
Trade Unions [Vanco MURATOVSKI]; World Macedonian Congress [Todor
PETROV]
International organization participation:
BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,
ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131 consulate(s) general: Southfield (Michigan)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] 2 311-6180 FAX: [389] 2 311-7103
Flag description:
a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of
the red field
Economy Macedonia
Economy - overview:
At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least
developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the
total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of
Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and
eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area.
An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized
Yugoslavia, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the
country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth
until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. However,
the leadership's commitment to economic reform, free trade, and
regional integration was undermined by the ethnic Albanian
insurgency of 2001. The economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased
trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on
security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in
2002 to 0.9%, then averaged 4% per year during 2003-06. Macedonia
has maintained macroeconomic stability with low inflation, but it
has lagged the region in attracting foreign investment and job
growth has been anemic. Macedonia has an extensive grey market,
estimated to be more than 20 percent of GDP, that falls outside
official statistics.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.91 billion note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$5.649 billion (2006 est.)