Macedonie

Macedonie is a geographic and historic region in the southern Balkans. The core area today lies largely within the Republic of North Macedonia and parts of northern Greece, with historical references also extending into Bulgaria and Albania. The region is best known as the homeland of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, the kingdom of Philip II and Alexander the Great, which later became part of the Roman and Byzantine empires.

In the 20th century, the area was divided among several states during the Balkan Wars and the dissolution of empires. The central part later formed the Socialist Republic of Macedonia within Yugoslavia. After Yugoslavia broke apart, the Republic of Macedonia declared independence in 1991. A long-running naming dispute with Greece was resolved by the 2018 Prespa Agreement, leading to the country adopting the official name North Macedonia in 2019. North Macedonia joined NATO in 2020 and remains a candidate country for the European Union, with accession negotiations ongoing.

Geographically, the region is characterized by mountains and lakes. It is largely landlocked, with significant features including the Shar Planina and Korab mountain ranges and Lake Ohrid, a transboundary lake shared with Albania. The population is ethnically diverse, with a majority of ethnic Macedonians and a substantial Albanian minority, among others. The official language is Macedonian; Albanian and other minority languages are recognized in various contexts. The economy combines services, industry, and agriculture, and the currency is the denar (MKD).

Name usage varies by country: in Greece the historical term Macedonia refers to a different administrative region, while in North Macedonia it denotes national identity linked to the state. The term macedonie may appear in various languages and contexts, including culinary uses such as diced fruit or vegetables in some traditions.