Northern Greece ( Greek : Βόρεια Ελλάδα , romanized : Voreia Ellada ) is used to refer to the northern parts of Greece , and can have various definitions.
187-527: The term "Northern Greece" is widely used to refer mainly to the two northern regions of Macedonia and (Western) Thrace ; thus the Thessaloniki -based Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace was known as "Ministry for Northern Greece" (Υπουργείο Βορείου Ελλάδος), and previously as the Governorate-General of Northern Greece (Γενική Διοίκηση Βορείου Ελλάδος), until 1988. The term Lower Greece
374-413: A constitution prioritizing the separation of powers, the country's political structure includes a parliament , a ceremonial president , a functional prime minister and a hierarchy of courts. Albania is a developing country with an upper-middle income economy driven by the service sector, with manufacturing and tourism also playing significant roles. After the dissolution of its communist system
561-726: A high speed railway . The Thessaloniki Suburban Railway links the regional capital with Florina , in Western Macedonia, and Larissa , in Thessaly . Thessaloniki Airport is the third-busiest in the country, and the Athens–Thessaloniki air route was the EU's tenth busiest in 2016. Macedonia's three other airports are Kavala Airport , Kozani Airport , and Kastoria Airport ; the two busiest airports, Thessaloniki and Kavala, are operated by Fraport . The Port of Thessaloniki
748-748: A humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), while higher elevations border a humid continental climate ( Dfa ). Thessaloniki has a cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) while downtown Thessaloniki and Neos Marmaras are the only areas of Macedonia with a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh ). The coldest winters are found in Florina , while the mildest are found in Neos Marmaras and Great Lavra , which fall in hardiness zone 10a. Since 1987 Macedonia has been divided into three regions ( Greek : περιφέρειες ). These are Western Macedonia , Central Macedonia , and Eastern Macedonia, which
935-531: A kingdom (later, region ) named after the ancient Macedonians , who were the descendants of a Bronze-Age Greek tribe . Their name, Μακεδόνες ( Makedónes ), is cognate to the Ancient Greek adjective μᾰκεδνός ( makednós ), meaning 'tall, slim'. It is traditionally derived from the Indo-European root *meh₂ḱ- , meaning 'long' or 'slender'. Linguist Robert S. P. Beekes supports
1122-490: A Greek text written in the 4th century BC. The Bryges were also present in central Albania, while the south was inhabited by the Epirote Chaonians , whose capital was at Phoenice . Other colonies such as Apollonia and Epidamnos were established by Greek city-states on the coast by the 7th century BC. The Illyrian Taulanti were a powerful Illyrian tribe that were among the earliest recorded tribes in
1309-743: A branch of the Macedonians invaded Southern Greece towards the end of the second millennium B.C. Upon reaching the Peloponnese the invaders were renamed Dorians , triggering the accounts of the Dorian invasion. For centuries the Macedonian tribes were organised in independent kingdoms, in what is now Central Macedonia, and their role in internal Hellenic politics was minimal, even before the rise of Athens. The Macedonians claimed to be Dorian Greeks (Argive Greeks) and there were many Ionians in
1496-575: A centralised authority over most of the non-conquered territories, becoming the Lord of Albania . The Ottoman Empire's expansion ground to a halt during the time that Skanderbeg's forces resisted, and he has been credited with being one of the main reasons for the delay of Ottoman expansion into Western Europe , giving the Italian principalities more time to better prepare for the Ottoman arrival . However,
1683-631: A centre of Ottoman administration in the Balkans. While most of Macedonia was ruled by the Ottomans, in Mount Athos the monastic community continued to exist in a state of autonomy. The remainder of the Chalkidiki peninsula also enjoyed an autonomous status: the "Koinon of Mademochoria" was governed by a locally appointed council due to privileges obtained on account of its wealth, coming from
1870-439: A decrease of 26.5%. Greece exited its recession, which began in 2009, in 2016 but data from that year onward is not available for the whole of Macedonia; Central Macedonia grew by 0.57% in real terms that year to €23.85 billion ($ 26.94 billion), while Western Macedonia contracted by 10.6% to €3.85 billion ($ 4.35 billion). Almost half of the economy, 49%, is centred in the Thessaloniki regional unit , which remained in
2057-462: A high priority on the diversification of the economy through Soviet-style industrialization, comprehensive infrastructure development such as the introduction of a transformative railway system , expansion of education and healthcare services, elimination of adult illiteracy, and targeted advancements in areas such as women's rights. Albania's diplomatic history under Hoxha was characterized by notable conflicts. Initially aligned with Yugoslavia as
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#17327660950722244-521: A language spoken originally on the shores of the Black Sea in northeastern Anatolia and the Caucasus , as well as a dialect indigenous to Greek Macedonia and other parts of Northern Greece known as Sarakatsánika ( Greek : Σαρακατσάνικα ); spoken by the traditionally transhumant Greek subgroup of Sarakatsani . Macedonia is also home to an array of non-Greek languages. Slavic languages are
2431-681: A less developed region of the Union for its 2014–2020 funding cycle, and so the region has in recent years benefited from a number of megaprojects co-financed by the Greek government and the EU. These included the A2 motorway (Egnatia Odos) freeway (€5.93 billion) and the Thessaloniki Metro (€1.85 billion) while the railway network has also been partly electrified, allowing Thessaloniki to be linked with Athens in 3.5 hours through
2618-836: A meeting of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in January 2007, declaring that "I myself am a Macedonian, and another two and a half million Greeks are Macedonians". In the early-to-mid 20th century Greece was invaded by Bulgaria three times with the aim of capturing portions Macedonia; during the Second Balkan War , during the First World War , and during the Second World War . Additionally, Nazi Germany had promised Thessaloniki to Yugoslavia as
2805-430: A military invasion of Albania, resulting to the exile of Zog and the creation of an Italian protectorate . As World War II progressed, Italy aimed to expand its territorial dominion in the Balkans, including territorial claims on regions of Greece ( Chameria ), Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo. These ambitions laid the foundation of Greater Albania , which aimed to unite all areas with Albanian-majority populations into
2992-490: A recession in 2015, declining by 0.4%. The recession had an impact on the per capita income of the region, especially when compared with the European Union average. Western Macedonia, the region with the highest per capita income, saw it drop from 83% the EU average in 2008 to 59% in 2016. The per capita income of Macedonia in 2015 was €12,900 in nominal and €15,900 in purchasing power terms. The Macedonian economy
3179-723: A reward for joining the Axis powers . The perceived existence of a foreign danger had a particularly strong effect on the emergence of a distinct regional identity in Macedonia. The representation of the Macedonian Struggle in Penelope Delta 's popular 1937 teen novel Secrets of the Swamp solidified the image of the chauvinist clash between Greeks and Bulgarians in Macedonia in the minds of many Greeks. Bulgaria
3366-464: A satellite state, the relationship deteriorated as Yugoslavia aimed to incorporate Albania within its territory. Subsequently, Albania established relations with the Soviet Union and engaged trade agreements with other Eastern European countries, but experienced disagreements over Soviet policies, leading to strained ties with Moscow and diplomatic separation in 1961. Simultaneously, tensions with
3553-402: A secular way of life, and embrace socialist ideology. After four decades of communism paired with the revolutions of 1989 , Albania witnessed a notable rise in political activism, particularly among students, which led to a transformation in the prevailing order. After the first multi-party elections of 1991 , the communist party maintained a stronghold in the parliament until its defeat in
3740-491: A single country. In 1943, as Italy's control declined, Nazi Germany assumed control of Albania, subjecting Albanians to forced labor, economic exploitation and repression under German rule . The tide shifted in 1944 when Albanian partisan forces, under the leadership of Enver Hoxha and other communist leaders, successfully liberated Albania from German occupation. The establishment of the People's Republic of Albania under
3927-399: A total population of 3,590,187 inhabitants. Macedonia (Greece) This is an accepted version of this page Macedonia ( / ˌ m æ s ɪ ˈ d oʊ n i ə / MASS -ih- DOH -nee-ə ; Greek : Μακεδονία , romanized : Makedonía , pronounced [maceðoˈni.a] ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece , in
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#17327660950724114-431: A vision to institute a Western-style constitutional government, abolish feudalism, counter Italian influence, and enhance critical sectors, including infrastructure, education and healthcare. He faced resistance from former allies, who had assisted in the removal of Zog from power, and struggled to secure foreign aid to implement his agenda. Noli's decision to establish diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union, an adversary of
4301-426: A wave of evacuations of foreign nationals and refugees. The crisis led both Aleksandër Meksi and Sali Berisha to resign from office in the wake of the general election. In April 1997, Operation Alba , a U.N. peacekeeping force led by Italy, entered Albania with two goals: to assist with the evacuation of expatriates and secure the ground for international organizations. The main international organization involved
4488-531: A widespread campaign targeting religious clergy of various faiths, resulting in public persecution and executions, particularly targeting Muslims, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox adherents. In 1946, religious estates underwent nationalization, coinciding with the closure or transformation of religious institutions into various other purposes. This culminated in 1976, when Albania became the world's first constitutionally atheist state. Under this regime, citizens were forced to renounce their religious beliefs, adopt
4675-636: A work by Michael Attaliates , who referred to the Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople . At this point the Albanians were fully Christianised. After the dissolution of Arbanon, Charles of Anjou concluded an agreement with the Albanian rulers, promising to protect them and their ancient liberties. In 1272, he established the Kingdom of Albania and conquered regions back from
4862-556: Is Greece's second-largest in domestic freight and fourth-largest in international freight by tonnage, while Kavala is Macedonia's other major port. Macedonia, being a border region of an EU member state, benefits from EU programs promoting cross-border economic collaboration both between members of the Union ( Bulgaria ), as well as the Republic of North Macedonia , an EU candidate country, and Albania . The EU invested €210 million ($ 237.24 million) in these three programmes for
5049-581: Is Macedonia's most popular beach destination, combining 550 kilometres (340 mi) of sandy beaches with dense forests. There were 116 Blue Flag beaches in Macedonia in 2018, 85 of which were in Chalkidiki. Additionally, the region was home to three Blue Flag marinas and one sustainable boating tourism operator. Kavala is an important economic centre of Northern Greece, a center of commerce, tourism, fishing and oil-related activities. Pieria combines extensive plains, high mountains and sandy beaches and
5236-735: Is a country in Southeast Europe . It is located in the Balkans , on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea , and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south. With an area of 28,748 km (11,100 sq mi), it has a varied range of climatic, geological, hydrological and morphological conditions. Albania's landscapes range from rugged snow-capped mountains in
5423-462: Is a self-governing part of Greece, and the powers of the state are exercised through a governor appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . The European Union takes this special status into consideration, particularly on matters of taxation exemption and rights of installation. Macedonia borders the sovereign states of Albania to the north-west, North Macedonia to the north, and Bulgaria to
5610-582: Is also a hub for urban tourism and gastronomy . Macedonia is also home to various lake and wetland tourist destinations. The main religion in the Greek region of Macedonia is Christianity, with majority of population belonging to the Eastern Orthodox Church . In early centuries of Christianity, the see of Thessaloniki became the metropolitan diocese of the ancient Roman province of Macedonia . The archbishop of Thessaloniki also became
5797-584: Is also the name for the region in Megleno-Romanian . Macedonia lies at the crossroads of human development between the Aegean and the Balkans. The earliest signs of human habitation date back to the palaeolithic period, notably with the Petralona cave in which was found the oldest yet known European humanoid, Archanthropus europaeus petraloniensis . The Ouranopithecus macedoniensis is perhaps
Northern Greece - Misplaced Pages Continue
5984-461: Is another UNESCO World Heritage Site . These are important poles for cultural tourism . Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments , including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , as well as several Roman , Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures. Apart from being the cultural centre of Macedonia, Thessaloniki
6171-408: Is around 29.% of the total land area, equivalent to 788,900 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 788,800 hectares (ha) in 1990. Of the naturally regenerating forest 11% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 0% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 97% of the forest area
6358-860: Is characterized by variety, since Western and Eastern Macedonia is mountainous with the exception of some fertile valleys, while the Thessaloniki-Giannitsa plain, the largest in Greece, is located in Central Macedonia . Mount Olympus , the highest mountain in Greece, is located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, between the regional units of Pieria and Larissa, about 80 km (50 mi) southwest from Thessaloniki. Some other mountain ranges are Vermio Mountains , Pierian Mountains , Voras Mountains . The islands of Macedonia are Thasos , opposite
6545-432: Is estimated to have further decreased to 2,382,857. In the 2011 Greek census the capital city, Thessaloniki , had an urban population of 824,676, up from 794,330 in 2001, while its metropolitan population increased to over a million. 281,458 people in Macedonia (or 12% of the population) were born in a foreign country, compared to 11.89% for the whole of Greece. 51.32% of the population was female, and 48.68% male. Like
6732-479: Is home to Greece's richest farmland, and the region accounts for 9,859 square kilometres (3,807 sq mi) of the country's agricultural area (30% of total). Macedonia's agricultural production has historically been dominated by tobacco, with the cash crop being grown in large quantities due to its value. Central and Western Macedonia still produce 41% of Greece's total tobacco, but it only represents 1.4% of these regions' agricultural production value. Nowadays
6919-829: Is home to extensive mountain ranges, including the Albanian Alps in the north, the Korab Mountains in the east, the Pindus Mountains in the southeast, the Ceraunian Mountains in the southwest, and the Skanderbeg Mountains in the center. In the northwest is the Lake of Shkodër , Southern Europe's largest lake. Toward the southeast emerges the Lake of Ohrid , one of the world's oldest continuously existing lakes. Farther south,
7106-590: Is not an elected position, and is instead appointed at the pleasure of the Prime Minister of Greece . The current Deputy Minister in the Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is Stavros Kalafatis [ el ] of New Democracy . The various regions of Greece are also constituencies to the Hellenic Parliament , and Macedonia is represented through its 66 members of parliament. Thessaloniki
7293-521: Is part of the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace . These three regions are subdivided into 14 regional units ( περιφερειακές ενότητες ) which are in turn further divided into municipalities ( δήμοι – roughly equivalent to British shires or American Townships). They are overseen by the Ministry for the Interior , while the Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace is responsible for
7480-425: Is primarily service-based , with services contributing €16.46 billion (60.4%) of the region's gross value added in 2015. The industrial and agricultural sectors contributed €9.06 billion (33.3%) and €1.72 billion (6.3%) respectively. The regional labour force was similarly mostly employed in services (60.4%), with industry and agriculture making up 25.6% and 14.0% of the labour force. Macedonia
7667-402: Is split into two constituencies, Thessaloniki A and Thessaloniki B , while Grevena is the smallest constituency with only 1 seat. Thessaloniki A is the second-largest constituency in Greece with 16 MPs. Macedonia is bordered by the neighbouring Greek regions of Thessaly to the south, Thrace (part of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace ) to the east, and Epirus to the west. It also includes
Northern Greece - Misplaced Pages Continue
7854-583: Is the most popular tourist destination in Greece that is not an island, and its fourth overall, outperforming all other regions of the Greek mainland with 9.7 million overnight stays in 2017. There were a further 2.1 million stays in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and 294 thousand in Western Macedonia . Macedonia is a diverse region which allows it to cater to a variety of different types of tourism. The Chalkidiki peninsula
8041-458: Is the music of the geographic region of Macedonia in Greece , which is a part of the music of whole region of Macedonia . Notable element of the local folk music is the use of trumpets and koudounia (called chálkina in the local dialect). In 2011 the permanent population of the region stood at 2,406,393 residents, a decrease from 2,422,533 in 2001. As of 2017, the population of Macedonia
8228-424: Is the second-largest city and a major economic, industrial, cultural, commercial and political centre of Greece. Central Macedonia is Greece's fourth-most-popular tourist region and the most popular destination that is not an island. It is home to four UNESCO World Heritage sites , including Aigai (modern day Vergina , about 12 km (7 mi) from Veria ), one of the ancient Macedonian capital cities, where
8415-619: Is today considered a Greek hero along with the unnamed Macedonians that fought with him. The fall and massacre of Naoussa marked the end of the Greek Revolution in Macedonia, and the region remained in the Ottoman Empire. In the early 20th century the region was already a national cause, contested among the states of Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. After the Macedonian Struggle and the Balkan Wars (in 1912 and 1913),
8602-738: Is unknown). Many Aromanian villages can be found along the slopes of the Vermion Mountains and Mount Olympus . Smaller numbers can be found in the Prespes region and near the Gramos mountains. Megleno-Romanians can be found in the Moglena region of Macedonia. The Megleno-Romanian language is traditionally spoken in the 11 Megleno-Romanian villages spread across Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia , including Archangelos , Notia , Lagkadia , and Skra . They are generally adherents to
8789-437: The 2013 and 2017 parliamentary elections . As prime minister , he implemented numerous reforms focused on modernizing the economy , as well as democratizing state institutions, including the judiciary and law enforcement . Unemployment has steadily declined, with Albania achieving the 4th-lowest unemployment rate in the Balkans. Rama has also placed gender equality at the center of his agenda; since 2017 almost 50% of
8976-519: The Albani . This connection gains further support from the work of the Ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy during the 2nd century AD, where he included the settlement of Albanopolis situated to the northeast of Durrës . The presence of a medieval settlement named Albanon or Arbanon hints at the possibility of historical continuity. The precise relationship among these historical references and
9163-570: The Albanian Alps and the Korab , Skanderbeg , Pindus and Ceraunian Mountains , to fertile lowland plains extending from the Adriatic and Ionian seacoasts. Tirana is the capital and largest city in the country, followed by Durrës , Vlorë , and Shkodër . In ancient times, the Illyrians inhabited northern and central regions of Albania, whilst Epirotes inhabited the south. Several important ancient Greek colonies were also established on
9350-743: The Aurignacian culture . The Neolithic era in Albania began around 7000 BC and is evidenced in finds which indicate domestication of sheep and goats and small-scale agriculture. A part of the Neolithic population may have been the same as the Mesolithic population of the southern Balkans like in the Konispol cave where the Mesolithic stratum co-exists with Pre-Pottery Neolithic finds. Cardium pottery culture appears in coastal Albania and across
9537-548: The Battle of Maritsa (1371), Byzantine rule was reestablished in eastern regions, including Serres . During the 1380s, the region was gradually conquered by the advancing Ottomans , with Serres holding out until 1383, and Thessaloniki until 1387. After a brief Byzantine interval in 1403–1430 (during the last seven years of which the city was handed over to the Venetians), Thessaloniki and its immediate surrounding area returned to
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#17327660950729724-653: The Battle of Novšiće , the league was forced to retreat from their contested regions. The league was later defeated by the Ottoman army sent by the sultan. Albania declared independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912, accompanied by the establishment of the Senate and Government by the Assembly of Vlorë on 4 December 1912. Its sovereignty was recognized by the Conference of London . On 29 July 1913,
9911-612: The Battle of Pydna (22 June 168 BC), in which the Roman general Aemilius Paulus defeated King Perseus of Macedon , ending the reign of the Antigonid dynasty over Macedonia. For a brief period a Macedonian republic called the "Koinon of the Macedonians" was established. It was divided into four administrative districts by the Romans in the hope that this would make revolts more difficult, but this manoeuvre failed. Then in 148 BC, Macedonia
10098-694: The Congress of Durrës sought Paris Peace Conference protection but was denied, further complicating Albania's position on the international stage. Territorial tensions escalated as Yugoslavia, particularly Serbia, sought control of northern Albania, while Greece aimed dominance in southern Albania. The situation deteriorated in 1919 when the Serbs launched attacks on Albanian inhabitants, among others in Gusinje and Plav , resulting in massacres and large-scale displacement . Meanwhile, Italian influence continued to expand during this time, driven by economic interests and political ambitions. Fan Noli , renowned for his idealism , became prime minister in 1924, with
10285-518: The Despotate of Epirus , all of which helped promote a distinct Greek Macedonian identity. In the contemporary period this is reinforced by Greek Macedonia's proximity to other states in the southern Balkans, the continuing existence of ethnic and religious minorities in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace not found in southern Greece, and the fact that migrants and refugees from elsewhere in the Balkans, southern Russia, and Georgia (including Pontic Greeks and Caucasus Greeks from northeastern Anatolia and
10472-477: The Despotate of Epirus . The kingdom claimed all of central Albania territory from Dyrrhachium along the Adriatic Sea coast down to Butrint . A catholic political structure was a basis for the papal plans of spreading Catholicism in the Balkan Peninsula. This plan found also the support of Helen of Anjou , a cousin of Charles of Anjou. Around 30 Catholic churches and monasteries were built during her rule mainly in northern Albania. Internal power struggles within
10659-417: The Eastern Macedonia and Thrace division after 2010. The region is further divided between the third-level administrative divisions of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace , and the Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia . It also includes the autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos , which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (through
10846-430: The First Balkan War , and expanded its share in the Second Balkan War against Bulgaria. The boundaries of Greek Macedonia were finalised in the Treaty of Bucharest . In World War I , Macedonia became a battlefield. The Greek Prime Minister, Eleftherios Venizelos , favoured entering the war on the side of the Entente , while the Germanophile King Constantine I favoured neutrality. Invited by Venizelos, in autumn 1915,
11033-421: The Greek Communist Party and forced to flee to the Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Macedonia and other countries in Eastern and Central Europe. Some also immigrated to Canada, Australia, and the United States. Current Greek law still forbids the reentry and restitution of property by Macedonians that are not "Greek by origin." Macedonia is the largest and second-most-populous Greek region . The landscape
11220-485: The Greek War of Independence . The revolt spread from Central to Western Macedonia . In the autumn of 1821, Nikolaos Kasomoulis was sent to southern Greece as the "representative of South-East Macedonia", and met Demetrius Ypsilantis. At the beginning of 1822, Anastasios Karatasos and Angelis Gatsos arranged a meeting with other armatoloi and decided that the insurrection should be based on three towns: Naoussa, Kastania , and Siatista . In 1854 Theodoros Ziakas ,
11407-432: The Korab Mountains are recognised as the coldest areas in the country. Throughout the year, the average monthly temperatures fluctuate, ranging from −1 °C (30 °F ) during the winter months to 21.8 °C (71.2 °F) in the summer months. Notably, the highest recorded temperature of 43.9 °C (111.0 °F) was observed in Kuçovë on 18 July 1973, while the lowest temperature of −29 °C (−20 °F)
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#173276609507211594-409: The Köppen classification , Albania encompasses five primary climatic types, spanning from Mediterranean and subtropical in the western half to oceanic , continental and subarctic in the eastern half of the country. The coastal regions along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas in Albania are acknowledged as the warmest areas, while the northern and eastern regions encompassing the Albanian Alps and
11781-399: The Macedonia naming dispute in the aftermath of the break-up of Yugoslavia , in which Greece objected to its northern neighbour calling itself the " Republic of Macedonia ". This objection is the direct result of this regional identity, and a matter of heritage for northern Greeks. A characteristic expression of this self-identification was manifested by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis at
11968-423: The Macedonians to resist both Ottoman and Bulgarian forces, by sending military officers who formed bands made up of Macedonians and other Greek volunteers, something that resulted in the Macedonian Struggle from 1904 to 1908, which ended with the Young Turk Revolution . The Macedonians fought alongside the regular Greek army during the struggle for Macedonia. There are monuments in Macedonia commemorating
12155-411: The Makedonomachoi , the local Macedonian and other Greek fighters, who took part in the wars and died to liberate Macedonia from the Ottoman rule, officially memorialized as heroes. Greece gained the southern parts of the region (with Thessaloniki ), which corresponded to that of ancient Macedonia attributed as part of Greek history and had a strong Greek presence, from the Ottoman Empire after
12342-413: The Nuremberg Laws , which saw some 43,000–49,000 of Thessaloniki's 56,000 Jews exterminated in the Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps . In its own zone of annexation, Bulgaria actively persecuted the local Greek population with the help of Bulgarian collaborationists. Further demographic change happened in the aftermath of the Greek Civil War , when many Slavs of Macedonia who fought on
12529-445: The Peloponnesian War , Macedonia became the theatre of many military actions by the Peloponnesian League and the Athenians, and saw incursions of Thracians and Illyrians, as attested by Thucydides. Many Macedonian cities were allied to the Spartans (both the Spartans and the Macedonians were Dorian, while the Athenians were Ionian), but Athens maintained the colony of Amphipolis under her control for many years. The kingdom of Macedon ,
12716-501: The Sanjak of Prizren as representatives of the central authorities and no delegates from Vilayet of Scutari . Signed by only 47 Muslim deputies, the league issued the Kararname that contained a proclamation that the people from northern Albania, Epirus and Bosnia and Herzegovina are willing to defend the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire by all possible means against the troops of Bulgaria , Serbia and Montenegro . Ottomans authorities cancelled their assistance when
12903-428: The Treaty of London delineated the borders of the country and its neighbors, leaving many Albanians outside Albania, predominantly partitioned between Montenegro , Serbia , and Greece . Headquartered in Vlorë, the International Commission of Control was established on 15 October 1913 to take care of the administration of Albania until its own political institutions were in order. The International Gendarmerie
13090-402: The United Kingdom and Austro-Hungarian Empire consequently blocked the arrangement and caused the Treaty of Berlin . From this point, Albanians started to organise themselves with the goal to protect and unite the Albanian-populated lands into a unitary nation, leading to the formation of the League of Prizren . The league had initially the assistance of the Ottoman authorities whose position
13277-468: The centre-right New Democracy party, while Karypidis is an independent . Elections take place in a two-round system , where the two candidates with the most votes face each other in a second round if no one has managed to get a majority of more than 50% of the votes in the first round. Regional councils, mayors, and other officials are also elected in this way. The next local elections will take place in 2019. The Deputy Minister for Macedonia and Thrace
13464-472: The civil administrator of Mount Athos ) in its political aspect, and of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in its religious aspect. The region remains an important economic centre for Greece. Macedonia accounts for the majority of Greece's agricultural production and is also a major contributor to the country's industrial and tourism sectors. The metropolis of the region, Thessaloniki
13651-667: The parliamentary elections of 1992 directed by the Democratic Party . Considerable economic and financial resources were devoted to pyramid schemes that were widely supported by the government. The schemes swept up somewhere between one sixth and one third of the population of the country. Despite the International Monetary Fund 's warnings, Sali Berisha defended the schemes as large investment firms, leading more people to redirect their remittances and sell their homes and cattle for cash to deposit in
13838-560: The south Caucasus ) have usually gravitated to Greek Macedonia rather than southern Greece. Greek is the majority language throughout Greece today, with an estimated 5% of the population speaking a language other than Greek, and is the only language of administration and education in the region. Greek is spoken universally in Greek Macedonia, even in the border regions where there is a strong presence of languages other than Greek. The Greek government exhibits some tolerance toward
14025-478: The tomb of Philip II of Macedon is located. Pella (about 1 km (0.62 mi) from modern town of Pella and about 7 km (4.3 mi) from Giannitsa ), which replaced Aigai as the capital of Macedon in the fourth century BC and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great, is also located in the Greek region of Macedonia. The name Macedonia derives from the Greek : Μακεδονία ( Makedonía ),
14212-433: The vilayet of Selânik ( Thessaloniki ), 261,283 Greeks in the vilayet of Monastir ( Bitola ) and 13,452 Greeks in the villayet of Kosovo . Of those 648,962 Greeks by church, 307,000 identified as Greek speakers, while about 250,000 as Slavic speakers and 99,000 as "Vlach" (Aromanian or Megleno-Romanian). However, these figures extend to territories both inside and outside of Greek Macedonia. Hugh Poulton, in his Who Are
14399-479: The 13th and 15th centuries in different parts of the country, alongside other Albanian principalities and political entities. In the late 15th century, Albania became part of the Ottoman Empire . In 1912, the modern Albanian state declared independence . In 1939, Italy invaded the Kingdom of Albania , which became Greater Albania , and then a protectorate of Nazi Germany during World War II . After
14586-519: The 17th century, while Orthodox Albanians followed suit mainly in the following century. Since the Albanians were seen as strategically important, they made up a significant proportion of the Ottoman military and bureaucracy. Many Muslim Albanians attained important political and military positions and culturally contributed to the broader Muslim world . Enjoying this privileged position, they held various high administrative positions with over two dozen Albanian Grand Viziers . Others included members of
14773-603: The 2014–2020 funding cycle. A€10 billion ($ 11.3 billion) Egnatia Railway crossing Macedonia and linking Alexandroupoli in Western Thrace with Igoumenitsa in Epirus was proposed to the European Commission in 2017 but remains in planning with a projected start date in 2019. If completed, the 565 km (351 mi) railway line will be Europe's largest rail megaproject . Central Macedonia
14960-590: The 7th century. In the 11th century, the Great Schism formalised the break of communion between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic Church that is reflected in Albania through the emergence of a Catholic north and Orthodox south. The Albanian people inhabited the west of Lake Ochrida and the upper valley of River Shkumbin and established the Principality of Arbanon in 1190 under
15147-630: The Adriatic after 6500 BC, while the settlements of the interior took part in the processes which formed the Starčevo culture . The Albanian bitumen mines of Selenicë provide early evidence of bitumen exploitation in Europe, dating to Late Neolithic Albania (from 5000 BC), when local communities used it as pigment for ceramic decoration, waterproofing , and adhesive for reparing broken vessels. The bitumen of Selenicë circulated towards eastern Albania from
15334-451: The Albanians became primarily widespread from the 17th century and continued into the 18th century. Islam offered them equal opportunities and advancement within the Ottoman Empire. However, motives for conversion were, according to some scholars, diverse depending on the context though the lack of source material does not help when investigating such issues. Because of increasing suppression of Catholicism, most Catholic Albanians converted in
15521-663: The Allies landed forces in Thessaloniki to aid Serbia in its war against Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, but their intervention came too late to prevent the Serbian collapse. The Macedonian front was established, with Thessaloniki at its heart, while in summer 1916 the Bulgarians took over Greek eastern Macedonia without opposition. This provoked a military uprising among pro-Venizelist officers in Thessaloniki, resulting in
15708-565: The Byzantine Empire in the 14th century enabled Serbs' most powerful medieval ruler, Stefan Dusan , to establish a short-lived empire that included all of Albania except Durrës. In 1367, various Albanian rulers established the Despotate of Arta . During that time, several Albanian principalities were created, notably the Principality of Albania , Principality of Kastrioti , Lordship of Berat and Principality of Dukagjini . In
15895-460: The Eagles" and "Land of the Eagles". Mesolithic habitation in Albania has been evidenced in several open air sites which during that period were close to the Adriatic coastline and in cave sites. Mesolithic objects found in a cave near Xarrë include flint and jasper objects along with fossilised animal bones, while those discoveries at Mount Dajt comprise bone and stone tools similar to those of
16082-517: The Great and his father Philip II . Before the expansion of Macedonia under Philip in the 4th century BC, the kingdom of the Macedonians covered an area corresponding roughly to the administrative regions of Western and Central Macedonia in modern Greece. The name Macedonia was later applied to a number of widely-differing administrative areas in the Roman and Byzantine empires. With
16269-553: The Great 's father. His discoveries were drawn upon as evidence of ethnic and cultural links between the ancient Macedonians and southern Greek city-states by Greeks in Macedonia. The distinct regional identity of Greek Macedonians is also the product of the fact that it was closer to the centres of power in both the Byzantine and Ottoman period, was considered culturally, politically, and strategically more important than other parts of Greece during these two periods, and also
16456-555: The Greek Despotate of Epirus , Theodore Komnenos Doukas in 1224, when Greek Macedonia and the city of Thessaloniki were at the heart of the short-lived Empire of Thessalonica . Returning to the restored Byzantine Empire shortly thereafter, Greek Macedonia remained in Byzantine hands until the 1340s, when all of Macedonia (except Thessaloniki, and possibly Veria ) was conquered by the Serbian ruler Stefan Dušan . After
16643-680: The Greek NUTS regions were redefined, with Voreia Ellada now encompassing Epirus instead of Thessaly. This NUTS division is not used by Greece for any administrative purposes. In linguistics , Northern Greece refers to the areas where the Northern Greek dialect is traditionally spoken, encompassing in addition to the previous regions Central Greece except for Attica , and the North Aegean , except Chios . According to 2011 Eurostat data, Voreia Ellada, as defined until 2014, had
16830-575: The Greek colony of Epidamnos . The Illyrian Ardiaei tribe, centred in Montenegro, ruled over most of the territory of northern Albania. Their Ardiaean Kingdom reached its greatest extent under King Agron , the son of Pleuratus II . Agron extended his rule over other neighbouring tribes as well. Following Agron's death in 230 BC, his wife, Teuta , inherited the Ardiaean kingdom. Teuta's forces extended their operations further southwards to the Ionian Sea. In 229 BC, Rome declared war on
17017-592: The Greek-dominated community of Orthodox Christians. The Slavs of Macedonia generally referred to themselves and were known as "Bulgarians". By the middle of the 19th century, peasant communities of Macedonia experienced the formation of deep divisions with rise of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire . From then, the Slavic speaking communities of northern Greece split into two hostile and opposed groups with two different national identities – Greek and Bulgarian. By
17204-902: The IE-ization of Albania involves a man with predominantly Yamnaya ancestry buried in a tumulus of northeastern Albania which dates to 2663–2472 calBC. During the Middle Bronze Age, Cetina culture sites and finds appear in Albania. Cetina culture moved southwards across the Adriatic from the Cetina valley of Dalmatia . In Albania, Cetina finds are concentrated around southern Lake Shkodër and appear typically in tumulus cemeteries like in Shkrel and Shtoj and hillforts like Gajtan (Shkodër) as well as cave sites like Blaz, Nezir and Keputa (central Albania) and lake basin sites like Sovjan (southeastern Albania). The incorporated territory of Albania
17391-578: The Macedonians , notes that "assessing population figures is problematic" for the territory of Greek Macedonia before its incorporation into the Greek state in 1913. The area's remaining population was principally composed of Ottoman Turks (including non-Turkish Muslims of mainly Bulgarian and Greek Macedonian convert origin) and also a sizeable community of mainly Sephardic Jews (centred in Thessaloniki), and smaller numbers of Romani , Albanians , Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians . When Macedonia
17578-654: The Middle Ages to the early 20th century, the ethnic composition of the region of Macedonia is characterised by uncertainty both about numbers and identification. The earliest estimation we have is from the Greek consulate of Thessaloniki in 1884, which according to it the nowadays Greek region of Macedonia had 1,073,000 Greeks (Grecophones, Slavophones, Albanophones), 565,000 Muslims , 215,000 Bulgarians and 16,000 Aromanians . The 1904 Ottoman census of Hilmi Pasha people were assigned to ethnicity according which church/language they belonged, it recorded 373,227 Greeks in
17765-507: The Middle Ages, Albania was denoted as Arbëri or Arbëni by its inhabitants, who identified themselves as Arbëreshë or Arbëneshë . Albanians employ the terms Shqipëri or Shqipëria for their nation, designations that trace their historical origins to the 14th century. But only in the late 17th and early 18th centuries did these terms gradually supersede Arbëria and Arbëreshë among Albanians. These two expressions are widely interpreted to symbolise "Children of
17952-717: The Orthodox Church while the former majority in Notia was Muslim. Arvanite communities exist in Serres regional unit , while many can also be found in Thessaloniki. There are three Arvanite villages in the Florina regional unit ( Drosopigi , Lechovo and Flampouro ) with others located in Kilkis and Thessaloniki regional units. Other minority groups include Armenians and Romani . Romani communities are concentrated mainly around
18139-575: The Ottomans were gaining a firm foothold in the region, Albanian towns were organised into four principal sanjaks . The government fostered trade by settling a sizeable Jewish colony of refugees fleeing persecution in Spain. The city of Vlorë saw passing through its ports imported merchandise from Europe such as velvets, cotton goods, mohairs, carpets, spices and leather from Bursa and Constantinople . Some citizens of Vlorë even had business associates throughout Europe. The phenomenon of Islamisation among
18326-428: The Ottomans. The capture of Thessaloniki in 1430 threw the Byzantine world into consternation, being regarded correctly as a prelude to the fall of Constantinople itself. The memory of the event has survived through folk traditions containing fact and myths. Apostolos Vacalopoulos records the following Turkish tradition connected with the capture of Thessaloniki: "While Murad was asleep in his palace at Yenitsa,
18513-595: The Second World War and following the defeat of Bulgaria, another further split between the Slavic groups occurred. Conservatives departed with the occupying Bulgarian Army to Bulgaria. Leftists who identified as Macedonians (Slavic), joined the communist-dominated rebel Democratic Army of Greece . At the conclusion of the Greek Civil War (1946–49), most Macedonians of Slavic background were evacuated by
18700-615: The Serbian elite, ignited allegations of bolshevism from Belgrade. This in turn led to increased pressure from Italy and culminated in Zog's restoration to authority. In 1928, Zog transitioned Albania from a republic to a monarchy that garnered backing from Fascist Italy , with Zog assuming the title of King Zog I. Key constitutional changes dissolved the Senate and established a unicameral National Assembly while preserving Zog's authoritative powers. In 1939, Italy under Benito Mussolini launched
18887-525: The Slavic element in the area led two brothers from Thessaloniki , Saints Cyril and Methodius , to be chosen to convert the Slavs to Christianity. Following the campaigns of Basil II , all of Macedonia returned to the Byzantine state. Following the Fourth Crusade 1203–1204, a short-lived Crusader realm, the Kingdom of Thessalonica , was established in the region. It was subdued by the co-founder of
19074-729: The West heightened due to Albania's refusal to hold free elections and allegations of Western support for anti-communist uprisings . Albania's enduring partnership was with China; it sided with Beijing during the Sino-Soviet conflict , resulting in severed ties with the Soviet Union and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact in response to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. But their relations stagnated in 1970, prompting both to reassess their commitment, and Albania actively reduced its dependence on China. Under Hoxha's regime, Albania underwent
19261-589: The area. They lived in an area that corresponds much of present-day Albania. Together with the Dardanian ruler Cleitus , Glaucias , the ruler of the Taulantian kingdom, fought against Alexander the Great at the Battle of Pelium in 335 BC. As the time passed, the ruler of Ancient Macedonia, Cassander of Macedon captured Apollonia and crossed the river Genusus ( Albanian : Shkumbin ) in 314 BC. A few years later Glaucias laid siege to Apollonia and captured
19448-635: The autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos , which has existed as a religious sanctuary since the Middle Ages . The community of the mount Athos is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is inaccessible to women, punishable by a penalty of incarceration of up to twelve months. This has been criticised by the European Parliament . The territory of Mount Athos
19635-563: The burial sites of several kings of Macedon were found, including the tomb of Philip II of Macedon . It is also the site of an extensive royal palace. The archaeological museum of Vergina was built to house all the artifacts found at the site and is one of the most important museums in Greece. Pella , which replaced Aigai as the capital of Macedon in the fourth century BC, is also located in Central Macedonia , as well as Dion in Pieria and Amphipolis . Philippi , located in eastern Macedonia ,
19822-402: The city of Thessaloniki. An uncertain number of them live in Macedonia from the total of about 200,000–300,000 that live scattered on all the regions of Greece . Albania Albania ( / æ l ˈ b eɪ n i ə , ɔː l -/ a(w)l- BAY -nee-ə ; Albanian : Shqipëri or Shqipëria ), officially the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë ),
20009-625: The coast. The Illyrian kingdom centered in what is now Albania was the dominant power before the Rise of Macedon . In the 2nd century BC, the Roman Republic annexed the region, and after the division of the Roman Empire it became part of Byzantium . The first known Albanian autonomous principality, Arbanon , was established in the 12th century. The Kingdom of Albania , Principality of Albania and Albania Veneta were formed between
20196-467: The coastal areas and nearer Thrace remaining in Byzantine hands, while most of the hinterland was disputed between the Byzantium and Bulgaria . The Macedonian regions under Byzantine control passed under the tourma of Macedonia to the province of Thrace . A new system of administration came into place in 789–802 AD, following the Byzantine empire 's recovery from these invasions. The new system
20383-474: The coastal regions. The rest of the region was inhabited by various Thracian and Illyrian tribes as well as mostly coastal colonies of other Greek states such as Amphipolis , Olynthos, Potidea, Stageira and many others, and to the north another tribe dwelt, called the Paeonians . During the late 6th and early 5th century BC, the region came under Persian rule until the destruction of Xerxes at Plataea . During
20570-434: The coasts of Eastern Macedonia and the port of Kavala , and Ammouliani , opposite the coasts of Central Macedonia, in Chalkidiki . Haliacmon , which flows through Kastoria , Grevena , Kozani , Imathia and Pieria regional units, is the longest river in Greece. Some other rivers are Axios ( Vardar ), Strymonas , Loudias . Macedonia for the most part enjoys a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ). Some parts have
20757-504: The coordination and application of the government's policies in all three Macedonian regions. Prior to 1987 Macedonia was a single administrative and geographical unit. The heads of the various administrative units are elected. The last Greek local elections were in 2014 , and saw Apostolos Tzitzikostas elected regional governor of Central Macedonia , Giorgos Pavlidis in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace , and Theodoros Karypidis in Western Macedonia. Tzitzikostas and Pavlidis are members of
20944-535: The country shifted from centralized planning to an open market economy . Albanian citizens have universal health care access and free primary and secondary education. The country is an official candidate for membership in the European Union. The historical origins of the term "Albania" can be traced back to medieval Latin , with its foundations believed to be associated with the Illyrian tribe of
21131-557: The early 5th millennium BC. First evidence of its overseas trade export comes from Neolithic and Bronze Age southern Italy . The high-quality bitumen of Selenicë has been exploited throughout all the historical ages since the Late Neolithic era until today. The Indo-Europeanization of Albania in the context of the IE-ization of the western Balkans began after 2800 BC. The presence of the Early Bronze Age tumuli in
21318-479: The east, Greece to the south, and the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is between latitudes 42° and 39° N and longitudes 21° and 19° E . Geographic coordinates include Vërmosh at 42° 35' 34" northern latitude as the northernmost point, Konispol at 39° 40' 0" northern latitude as the southernmost, Sazan at 19° 16' 50" eastern longitude as the westernmost, and Vërnik at 21° 1' 26" eastern longitude as
21505-607: The east, Macedonia ended according to Strabo at the river Strymon , although he mentions that other writers placed Macedonia's border with Thrace at the river Nestos , which is also the present geographical boundary between the two administrative districts of Greece . The Acts of the Apostles ( Acts 16:9–10 ) records a vision in which the apostle Paul is said to have seen a ' man of Macedonia ' pleading with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us". The passage reports that Paul and his companions responded immediately to
21692-512: The easternmost. Mount Korab , rising at 2,764 m (9,068.24 ft) above the Adriatic , is the highest point, while the Mediterranean Sea, at 0 m (0.00 ft), is the lowest. The country extends 148 km (92 mi) from east to west and around 340 km (211 mi) from north to south. Albania has a diverse and varied landscape with mountains and hills that traverse its territory in various directions. The country
21879-596: The ecclesiastical domain, where the dioceses of the "New Lands" de jure still adhere to the Patriarchate of Constantinople , but are de facto under the Church of Greece . Voreia Ellada is also one of the four Greek NUTS regions, created for statistical purposes by the European Union . Until 2014, it encompassed the four administrative regions Eastern Macedonia and Thrace , Central Macedonia , West Macedonia and Thessaly . Coming into effect in January 2015,
22066-544: The end of August 1914. Prince Wied's regime collapsed, and he left the country on 3 September 1914. The interwar period in Albania was marked by persistent economic and social difficulties, political instability and foreign interventions. After World War I , Albania lacked an established government and internationally recognized borders, rendering it vulnerable to neighboring entities such as Greece, Italy, and Yugoslavia, all of which sought to expand their influence. This led to political uncertainty, highlighted in 1918 when
22253-567: The establishment of a " Provisional Government of National Defence " in the city, headed by Venizelos, which entered the war alongside the Allies. After intense diplomatic negotiations and an armed confrontation in Athens between Entente and royalist forces the King abdicated, and his second son Alexander took his place. Venizelos returned to Athens in June 1917 and Greece, now unified, officially joined
22440-651: The expanse includes the Large and Small Lake of Prespa , some of the Balkans' highest lakes. Rivers rise mostly in the east and discharge into the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The country's longest river, measured from mouth to source, is the Drin , which starts at the confluence of its two headwaters, the Black and White Drin . Of particular concern is the Vjosë , one of Europe's last intact large river systems. In Albania forest cover
22627-411: The fact that the region had a far more ethnically and religiously diverse population in both the medieval and Ottoman periods. In the late Byzantine period Greek Macedonia had also been the centre of significant Byzantine successor states, such as the Kingdom of Thessalonica , the short-lived state established by the rival Byzantine emperor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas , and – in parts of western Macedonia –
22814-565: The failure of most European nations, with the exception of Naples, in giving him support, along with the failure of Pope Pius II's plans to organize a promised crusade against the Ottomans meant that none of Skanderbeg's victories permanently hindered the Ottomans from invading the Western Balkans. Despite his brilliance as a military leader, Skanderbeg's victories were only delaying the final conquests. The constant Ottoman invasions caused enormous destruction to Albania, greatly reducing
23001-476: The first Albanian cabinet. In November 1913, the Albanian pro-Ottoman forces had offered the throne of Albania to the Ottoman war minister of Albanian origin, Ahmed Izzet Pasha . The pro-Ottoman peasants believed that the new regime was a tool of the six Christian Great Powers and local landowners, who owned half of the arable land. In February 1914, the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
23188-821: The first half of the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire invaded most of Albania, and the League of Lezhë was held under Skanderbeg as a ruler, who became the national hero of the Albanian medieval history. With the fall of Constantinople , the Ottoman Empire continued an extended period of conquest and expansion with its borders going deep into Southeast Europe . They reached the Albanian Ionian Sea Coast in 1385 and erected their garrisons across Southern Albania in 1415 and then occupied most of Albania in 1431. Thousands of Albanians consequently fled to Western Europe, particularly to Calabria , Naples , Ragusa and Sicily , whereby others sought protection at
23375-493: The gold and silver mines in the area. There were several uprisings in Macedonia during Ottoman rule , including an uprising after the Battle of Lepanto that ended in massacres of the Greek population, the uprising in Naousa of the armatolos Zisis Karademos in 1705, a rebellion in the area of Grevena by a Klepht called Ziakas (1730–1810). The Greek Declaration of Independence in Macedonia by Emmanuel Pappas in 1821, during
23562-524: The gradual conquest of south-eastern Europe by the Ottomans in the late 14th century, the name of Macedonia disappeared as an administrative designation for several centuries and was rarely displayed on maps. With the rise of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire , the name Macedonia was revived in the nineteenth century as a geographical term, and for educated Greeks it corresponded to the ancient historical land. The economic ascent of Thessaloniki and of
23749-610: The history of Macedonia began with the Makednoi tribe, among the first to use the name, migrating to the region from Histiaeotis in the south. There they lived near Thracian tribes such as the Bryges who would later leave Macedonia for Asia Minor and become known as Phrygians . Macedonia was named after the Makednoi. Accounts of other toponyms such as Emathia are attested to have been in use before that. Herodotus claims that
23936-598: The idea that both terms are of Pre-Greek substrate origin and cannot be explained in terms of Indo-European morphology. However, Beekes' views are not mainstream and De Decker argues that his arguments are insufficient. The region has historically also been known as Македония (Makedonija) in Bulgarian and the local South Slavic dialects , Makedonya in Turkish , and Machedonia in Aromanian . Machedonia
24123-522: The intenser amount of precipitation, whilst the northeastern and southwestern highlands as well as the Western Lowlands the more limited amount. The Albanian Alps in the far north of the country are considered to be among the most humid regions of Europe, receiving at least 3,100 mm (122.0 in) of rain annually. Four glaciers within these mountains were discovered at a relatively low altitude of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), which
24310-443: The invitation. Subsequently the provinces of Epirus and Thessaly as well as other regions to the north were incorporated into a new Provincia Macedonia, but in 297 AD under a Diocletianic reform many of these regions were removed and two new provinces were created: Macedonia Prima and Macedonia Salutaris (from 479 to 482 AD Macedonia Secunda). Macedonia Prima coincided approximately with Strabo's definition of Macedonia and with
24497-536: The kingdom for extensively plundering Roman ships. The war ended in Illyrian defeat in 227 BC. Teuta was eventually succeeded by Gentius in 181 BC. Gentius clashed with the Romans in 168 BC, initiating the Third Illyrian War . The conflict resulted in Roman conquest of the region by 167 BC. The Romans split the region into three administrative divisions. The Roman Empire
24684-488: The leadership of Enver Hoxha was a significant epoch in modern Albanian history. Hoxha's regime embraced Marxist–Leninist ideologies and implemented authoritarian policies, including prohibition of religious practices, severe restrictions on travel, and abolition of private property rights. It was also defined by a persistent pattern of purges, extensive repression, instances of betrayal, and hostility to external influences. Any form of opposition or resistance to his rule
24871-549: The leadership of Progon of Kruja . The realm was succeeded by his sons Gjin and Dhimitri. Upon the death of Dhimiter, the territory came under the rule of the Albanian-Greek Gregory Kamonas and subsequently under the Golem of Kruja . In the 13th century, the principality was dissolved. Arbanon is considered to be the first sketch of an Albanian state, that retained a semi-autonomous status as
25058-473: The league, under Abdyl Frashëri , became focused on working towards Albanian autonomy and requested merging four vilayets , including Kosovo , Shkodër , Monastir and Ioannina , into a unified vilayet, the Albanian Vilayet . The league used military force to prevent the annexing areas of Plav and Gusinje assigned to Montenegro. After several successful battles with Montenegrin troops, such as
25245-467: The linguistic and ethnic minority groups in Macedonia is not known with any degree of scientific accuracy, as Greece has not conducted a census on the question of mother tongue since 1951. Aromanians form a minority population throughout much of Macedonia. They largely identify as Greeks and most belong to the Greek Orthodox Church, many refusing to be called a minority group. In the 1951 census they numbered 39,855 in all Greece (the number in Macedonia proper
25432-429: The ministers have been female, the largest number of women serving in the country's history. During the 2021 parliamentary elections , the ruling Socialist Party led by Rama secured its third consecutive victory, winning nearly half of votes and enough seats in parliament to govern alone. On 26 November 2019, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake ravaged Albania, with the epicenter about 16 km (10 mi) southwest of
25619-448: The modern Greek region of Macedonia became part of the modern Greek state in 1912–13, in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars and the Treaty of Bucharest (1913) . It continued as an administrative division of Greece until the reform of 1987, when it was split into the second-level administrative divisions of Western Macedonia and Central Macedonia ; while the eastern part, into the Drama-Kavala-Xanthi Super-prefecture until 2010, and part of
25806-447: The modern administrative district of Greece and had Thessaloniki as its capital, while Macedonia Salutaris had the Paeonian city of Stobi (near Gradsko ) as its capital. This subdivision is mentioned in Hierocles ' Synecdemon (527–528) and remained through the reign of emperor Justinian . The Slavic , Avar , Bulgarian and Magyar invasions in the 6–7th centuries devastated both provinces with only parts of Macedonia Prima in
25993-410: The modern times. Contemporary Greek Macedonian cooking shares much with general Greek and wider Balkan and Mediterranean cuisine, including dishes from the Ottoman past. Specific influences include dishes of the Pontic , Aromanian , Armenian and Sephardi Jewish population. The mix of the different people inhabiting the region gave the name to the Macedonian salad . Music of Macedonia
26180-416: The most prevalent minority languages in the region, while Aromanian , Arvanitic , Megleno-Romanian , Turkish , and Romani are also spoken. Judaeo-Spanish , also known as Ladino , was historically the language of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, although the Holocaust nearly eradicated the city's previously-vibrant Jewish community of 70,000 to a mere 3,000 individuals today. The exact size of
26367-494: The north-east. The table below is a concise list of the various subdivisions of Macedonia: The Gross Domestic Product of Macedonia peaked at €41.99 billion ($ 47.44 billion) in nominal value and €46.87 billion ($ 52.95 billion) in purchasing power parity just before the Great Recession in 2008; it has since then contracted to its lowest point in 2015, during the Greek government-debt crisis , to €30.85 billion ($ 34.85 billion) and €38.17 billion ($ 43.12 billion);
26554-436: The often inaccessible Mountains of Albania . The Albanians, as Christians, were considered an inferior class of people, and as such they were subjected to heavy taxes among others by the Devshirme system that allowed the Sultan to collect a requisite percentage of Christian adolescents from their families to compose the Janissary . The Ottoman conquest was also accompanied with the gradual process of Islamisation and
26741-405: The oldest, dating to 9.6–8.7 million years ago. During the early Neolithic period, the settlement of Nea Nikomedeia was developed. In the Late Neolithic period ( c. 4500 – c. 3500 BC ), trade took place with quite distant regions, indicating rapid socio-economic changes. One of the most important innovations was the start of copper working. According to Herodotus ,
26928-403: The other urban centres of Macedonia coincided with the cultural and political renaissance of the Greeks . The leader and coordinator of the Greek Revolution in Macedonia was Emmanouel Pappas from Dovista (in Serres ), and the revolt spread from Central to Western Macedonia. Letters from the period show Pappas either being addressed or signing himself as "Leader and Defender of Macedonia" and
27115-468: The population and destroying flocks of livestock and crops. Besides surrender, there was no possible way Skanderbeg would be able to halt the Ottoman invasions despite his successes against them. His manpower and resources were insufficient, preventing him from expanding the war efforts and driving the Turks from the Albanian borders. Albania was therefore doomed to face an unending series of Ottoman attacks until it eventually fell years after his death. When
27302-564: The prominent Köprülü family , Zagan Pasha , Muhammad Ali of Egypt and Ali Pasha of Tepelena . Furthermore, two sultans, Bayezid II and Mehmed III , both had mothers of Albanian origin. The Albanian Renaissance was a period with its roots in the late 18th century and continuing into the 19th century, during which the Albanian people gathered spiritual and intellectual strength for an independent cultural and political life within an independent nation . Modern Albanian culture flourished too, especially Albanian literature and arts , and
27489-415: The question of whether Albanopolis was synonymous with Albanon remain subjects of scholarly debate. The Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates , in his 11th-century historical account, provides the earliest undisputed reference to the Albanians, when he mentions them having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople in 1079. He also identifies the Arbanitai as subjects of the Duke of Dyrrachium . In
27676-457: The rapid construction of mosques. A prosperous and longstanding revolution erupted after the formation of the League of Lezhë until the fall of Shkodër under the leadership of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg , who consistently defeated major Ottoman armies led by Sultans Murad II and Mehmed II . Skanderbeg managed to unite several of the Albanian principalities, amongst them the Arianitis , Dukagjinis , Zaharias and Thopias , and establish
27863-405: The region are known. Macedonians came to be of particular importance prior to the Balkan Wars , during the Macedonian Struggle , when they were a minority population inside the multiethnic Ottoman Macedonia . The Macedonians now have a strong regional identity, manifested both in Greece and by emigrant groups in the Greek diaspora . This sense of identity has been highlighted in the context of
28050-406: The region's beauty gives it a great potential for further tourist development. The island of Thasos , lying close to the coast of eastern Macedonia, is another tourist destination. Chalkidiki is home to Mount Athos , which is an important centre of religious tourism . The mountainous interior allows for hiking activities and adventure sports , while ski resorts like Vasilitsa also operate in
28237-413: The regional agricultural economy is centered around cereal, fruit, and industrial crops . Overall Central and Western Macedonia account for 25% of the value of Greek agricultural produce (including 41% of fruit and 43% cereal). A brand identity for products made in Macedonia, called "Macedonia the GReat", was launched in 2019 by the Greek government. The European Union considers most of Macedonia to be
28424-414: The rest of Greece Macedonia is faced with an aging population; the largest age group in the region is that of the over 70, at 15.59% of the population, while the 0–9 and 10–19 groups combined made up 20.25% of the population. The largest urban centres in Macedonia in 2011 were: The inhabitants of Greek Macedonia are nowadays overwhelmingly ethnic Greeks , and most are also Greek Orthodox Christians. From
28611-428: The savior of Albania and Islam. To gain the support of the Mirdita Catholic volunteers from northern Albania, Prince Wied appointed their leader, Prênk Bibë Doda , foreign minister of the Principality of Albania. In May and June 1914, the International Gendarmerie was joined by Isa Boletini and his men, mostly from Kosovo , and the rebels defeated northern Mirdita Catholics, capturing most of Central Albania by
28798-460: The schemes. The schemes began to collapse in late 1996, leading many of the investors to join initially peaceful protests against the government, requesting their money back. The protests turned violent in February 1997 as government forces responded by firing on the demonstrators. In March, the Police and Republican Guard deserted, leaving their armories open. These were promptly emptied by militias and criminal gangs. The resulting civil war caused
28985-403: The senior ecclesiastical primate of the entire Eastern Illyricum , and in 535 his jurisdiction was reduced to the administrative territory of the Diocese of Macedonia . In the 8th century, from Rome it came under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople , and remained the main ecclesiastical centre in the historical region of Macedonia throughout the Middle Ages, and up to
29172-420: The side of the Democratic Army of Greece and fought to separate Greek Macedonia from the rest of Greece under the auspices of Yugoslavia , left Greece. These expatriates were the primary source of ethnic Macedonian irredentism and the appropriation of ancient Macedonian heritage. Macedonians ( Greek : Μακεδόνες , Makedónes [makeˈðones] ) is the term by which ethnic Greeks originating from
29359-524: The son of the klepht Ziakas, together with Dimitrios Karatasos , who had been among the captains at the siege of Naousa in 1821, led another uprising in Western Macedonia that has been profusely commemorated in Greek folk song. To strengthen Greek efforts for Macedonia, the Hellenic Macedonian Committee was formed in 1903, under the leadership of Dimitrios Kalapothakis ; its members included Ion Dragoumis and Pavlos Melas . Its fighters were known as Makedonomachoi ("Macedonian fighters"). Greece helped
29546-433: The southern Balkans . Macedonia is the largest and second-most-populous geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, with major urban centres such as Thessaloniki and Kavala being concentrated on its southern coastline. Together with Thrace , along with Thessaly and Epirus occasionally, it is part of Northern Greece . Greek Macedonia encompasses entirely
29733-433: The southern part of the wider region of Macedonia , making up 51% of the total area of that region. Additionally, it widely constitutes Greece's borders with three countries: Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia to the north, and Bulgaria to the northeast. Greek Macedonia incorporates most of the territories of ancient Macedon , a Greek kingdom ruled by the Argeads , whose most celebrated members were Alexander
29920-466: The story has it that, God appeared to him in a dream and gave him a lovely rose to smell, full of perfume. The sultan was so amazed by its beauty that he begged God to give it to him. God replied, "This rose, Murad, is Thessalonica. Know that it is to you granted by heaven to enjoy it. Do not waste time; go and take it". Complying with this exhortation from God, Murad marched against Thessalonica and, as it has been written, captured it." Thessaloniki became
30107-432: The total population in 1920 to 12% in 1928, with the Great Greek Encyclopedia noting in 1934 that those minorities that remained "do not yet possess a Greek national consciousness ". The population of Macedonia was greatly affected by the Second World War , as it was militarily occupied by Nazi Germany while its ally, Bulgaria , annexed eastern Macedonia. Germany administered its occupation zone by implementation of
30294-408: The town of Mamurras . The tremor was felt in Tirana and in places as far away as Taranto , Italy, and Belgrade , Serbia, while the most affected areas were the coastal city of Durrës and the village of Kodër-Thumanë . Comprehensive response to the earthquake included substantial humanitarian aid from the Albanian diaspora and various countries around the world . On 9 March 2020, COVID-19
30481-422: The use of minority languages, though Greece is one of the countries which has not signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ; a number of court cases have been brought to the attention of the European Parliament regarding the suppression of minority linguistic rights. Apart from Standard Modern Greek, a number of other Greek dialects are spoken in Macedonia. This includes Pontic Greek ,
30668-409: The vicinity of later Apollonia dates to 2679±174 calBC (2852-2505 calBC). These burial mounds belong to the southern expression of the Adriatic-Ljubljana culture (related to later Cetina culture ) which moved southwards along the Adriatic from the northern Balkans. The same community built similar mounds in Montenegro (Rakića Kuće) and northern Albania (Shtoj). The first archaeogenetic find related to
30855-403: The war on the side of the Allies. In World War II Macedonia was occupied by the Axis (1941–44), with Germany taking western and central Macedonia with Thessaloniki and Bulgaria occupying and annexing eastern Macedonia. At the beginning of the 19th century, Slavic peasants identified themselves based on belonging to their family, village, or local region, or as " Rum Millet ", i.e. members of
31042-457: The war, the People's Socialist Republic of Albania was formed, which lasted until the Revolutions of 1991 concluded with the fall of communism in Albania and eventually the establishment of the current Republic of Albania. Since its independence in 1912, Albania has undergone a diverse political evolution, transitioning from a monarchy to a communist regime before becoming a sovereign parliamentary constitutional republic . Governed by
31229-412: The western extremity of the Byzantine Empire , under the Byzantine Doukai of Epirus or Laskarids of Nicaea . Towards the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries, Serbs and Venetians started to take possession over the territory. The ethnogenesis of the Albanians is uncertain; however, the first undisputed mention of Albanians dates back in historical records from 1079 or 1080 in
31416-448: The winter months. Macedonia is home to four of Greece's 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites . Vergina is best known as the site of ancient Aigai (Αἰγαί, Aigaí , Latinized : Aegae ), the first capital of Macedon . Aigai has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status. In 336 BC Philip II was assassinated in Aigai's theatre and his son, Alexander the Great , was proclaimed king. The most important recent finds were made in 1977 when
31603-496: Was based on administrative divisions called Themata . The region of Macedonia Prima (the territory of modern Greek administrative district of Macedonia) was divided between the Thema of Thessaloniki and the Thema of Strymon , so that only the region of the area from Nestos eastwards continued to carry the name Macedonia, referred to as the Thema of Macedonia or the Thema of "Macedonia in Thrace". The Thema of Macedonia in Thrace had its capital in Adrianople . Familiarity with
31790-413: Was based on the religious solidarity of Muslim people and landlords connected with the Ottoman administration . They favoured and protected the Muslim solidarity and called for defence of Muslim lands simultaneously constituting the reason for titling the league Committee of the Real Muslims . Approximately 300 Muslims participated in the assembly composed by delegates from Bosnia, the administrator of
31977-400: Was confirmed to have spread to Albania. From March to June 2020, the government declared a state of emergency as a measure to limit the virus's spread. The country's COVID-19 vaccination campaign started on 11 January 2021, but as of 11 August 2021, the total number of vaccines administered in Albania was 1,280,239 doses. On 21 September 2024, it was reported that Prime Minister Rama
32164-403: Was established as the Principality of Albania 's first law enforcement agency. In November, the first gendarmerie members arrived in the country. Prince of Albania Wilhelm of Wied (Princ Vilhelm Vidi) was selected as the first prince of the principality. On 7 March, he arrived in the provisional capital of Durrës and began to organize his government, appointing Turhan Pasha Përmeti to form
32351-490: Was first incorporated in Greece in 1913, however, Greeks were a marginal plurality in the region. The treaties of Neuilly (1919) and Lausanne (1923) mandated a forceful exchange of populations with Bulgaria and Turkey respectively, and some 776,000 Greek refugees (mostly from Turkey) were resettled in Macedonia, displacing 300,000–400,000 non-Greeks who were forced to move as part of the population exchange. The population of ethnic minorities in Macedonia dropped from 48% of
32538-457: Was frequently linked to the influences of the Romanticism and Enlightenment principles. Prior to the rise of nationalism , Ottoman authorities suppressed any expression of national unity or conscience by the Albanian people. The victory of Russia over the Ottoman Empire following the Russian-Ottoman Wars resulted the execution of the Treaty of San Stefano which assigned Albanian-populated lands to their Slavic and Greek neighbours. However,
32725-400: Was fully annexed by the Romans. The northern boundary at that time ended at Lake Ohrid and Bylazora , a Paeonian city near the modern city of Veles . Strabo , writing in the first century AD places the border of Macedonia on that part at Lychnidos , Byzantine Achris and presently Ochrid . Therefore, ancient Macedonia did not significantly extend beyond its current borders (in Greece). To
32912-413: Was historically inhabited by Indo-European peoples , amongst them numerous Illyrian and Epirote tribes. There were also several Greek colonies . The territory referred to as Illyria corresponded roughly to the area east of the Adriatic Sea in the Mediterranean Sea extending in the south to the mouth of the Vjosë . The first account of the Illyrian groups comes from Periplus of the Euxine Sea ,
33099-498: Was mentioned in 16th century western correspondence when the region was under Ottoman rule, it included Northern Epirus and Western Macedonia . The term Northern Greece may also, according to context, incorporate the region Epirus . When Epirus is included, it is broadly coterminous with the "New Lands" (Νέες Χώρες), i.e. the territories added to the Kingdom of Greece after the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, as opposed to pre-1912 "Old Greece" (Παλαιά Ελλάδα). This distinction survives in
33286-419: Was met with expeditious and severe consequences, such as internal exile, extended imprisonment, and execution. The regime confronted a multitude of challenges, including widespread poverty, illiteracy, health crises and gender inequality. In response, Hoxha initiated a modernization initiative aimed at attaining economic and social liberation and transforming Albania into an industrial society. The regime placed
33473-419: Was planning to create the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order , a sovereign microstate for the Order within Tirana. Albania lies along the Mediterranean Sea on the Balkan Peninsula in South and Southeast Europe , and has an area of 28,748 km (11,100 sq mi). It is bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the west, Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to
33660-407: Was proclaimed in Gjirokastër by the local Greek population against incorporation to Albania. This initiative was short-lived, and in 1921 the southern provinces were incorporated into the Albanian Principality. Meanwhile, the revolt of Albanian peasants against the new regime erupted under the leadership of the group of Muslim clerics gathered around Essad Pasha Toptani , who proclaimed himself
33847-417: Was reached in 2009, when the country attained membership in NATO, marking a pioneering achievement among the nations of Southeast Europe . In adherence to its vision for further integration into the EU, it formally applied for membership on 28 April 2009. Another milestone was reached on 24 June 2014, when the country was granted official candidate status . Edi Rama of the Socialist Party won both
34034-401: Was recorded in Shtyllë, Librazhd on 9 January 2017. Albania receives most of the precipitation in winter months and less in summer months. The average precipitation is about 1,485 millimetres (58.5 inches). The mean annual precipitation ranges between 600 and 3,000 millimetres (24 and 118 inches) depending on geographical location. The northwestern and southeastern highlands receive
34221-485: Was reorganised by Philip II and achieved the union of Greek states by forming the League of Corinth . After his assassination, his son Alexander succeeded to the throne of Macedon and carrying the title of Hegemon of League of Corinth started his long campaign towards the east. After the death of Alexander the Great and the Wars of the Diadochi , Macedonia was a powerful state of Hellenistic Greece . Macedonia remained an important and powerful kingdom until
34408-403: Was reported to be under public ownership , 3% private ownership and 0% with ownership listed as other or unknown. The climate of Albania exhibits a distinguished level of variability and diversity due to the differences in latitude, longitude and altitude. Albania experiences a Mediterranean and Continental climate , characterised by the presence of four distinct seasons. According to
34595-413: Was specifically mentioned as the enemy in Greek Macedonia's unofficial anthem, Famous Macedonia , the reference only being replaced by vague 'Barbarians' with the normalization of Greco-Bulgarian relations in the 1970s. During the same period, Manolis Andronikos made major archaeological discoveries at Aigai , the first capital of ancient Macedonia , which included the tomb of Phillip II , Alexander
34782-424: Was split in 395 upon the death of Theodosius I into an Eastern and Western Roman Empire in part because of the increasing pressure from threats during the Barbarian Invasions . From the 6th century into the 7th century, the Slavs crossed the Danube and largely absorbed the indigenous Greeks, Illyrians and Thracians in the Balkans ; thus, the Illyrians were mentioned for the last time in historical records in
34969-434: Was the Western European Union 's multinational Albanian Police element, which worked with the government to restructure the judicial system and simultaneously the Albanian police. After its communist system disintegrated, Albania embarked on an active path toward Westernization with the ambition to obtain membership in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A notable milestone
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