Macedonia (region) facts for kids

Location of the region of Macedonia.

Macedonia is a special region in southeastern Europe, located in the Balkans. Long ago, it was a powerful Greek kingdom. Its most famous leader was Alexander the Great, who built a huge empire.

Today, the area known as Macedonia is split among three different countries. These are Greece, which has a region called Macedonia (or Greek Macedonia); the country of North Macedonia (also known as Vardar Macedonia); and Bulgaria, which includes a part called Pirin Macedonia (Blagoevgrad province).

Why the Name Macedonia is Disputed

Greece and North Macedonia had a long disagreement about the name Macedonia. This started when North Macedonia became an independent country. For a while, North Macedonia had to use a temporary name to be recognized by the United Nations.

The two countries worked together to find a new name that both could agree on. Bulgaria was not directly part of this name dispute. However, Bulgaria has some different ideas about the history and language of North Macedonia. Even though Bulgaria was the first country to recognize North Macedonia by its name, it does not fully support the idea of a separate Macedonian ethnic group or language, claiming they are Bulgarian.

Countries in the Region

Macedonia in Greece

Macedonia (in Greek: Μακεδονία - Makedonia) is a historical and geographic area in northern Greece. It is the second largest region in Greece by population. People often call it Northern Greece, along with another region called Thrace.

This part of Macedonia is located between the Pindus Mountains and the Nestos River. It shares borders with Epirus and Thessaly to the west. To the northwest, it borders Albania. North of it is the country of North Macedonia, and to the northeast is Bulgaria. To the east, it borders Thrace. Its southern coasts are on the Aegean Sea.

The Country of North Macedonia

The Republic of North Macedonia (in Macedonian: Република Северна Македонија - Republika severna Makedonija) is an independent country. It is located on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe.

This country shares its northern border with Serbia. To the west, it borders Albania. Greece is to its south, and Bulgaria is to its east. The money used in North Macedonia is called the Denar of North Macedonia (MKD).

Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria

Blagoevgrad Province (in Bulgarian: област Благоевград, oblast Blagoevgrad) is also known as Pirin Macedonia (in Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония, Pirinska Makedoniya). It is a province in southwestern Bulgaria.

To its north and east, it borders four other Bulgarian provinces. To the south, it borders Greece. To the west, it shares a border with the country of North Macedonia.

Images for kids

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  The kingdom of Macedon with its provinces

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  Borders of Macedonia, based on the Roman province, according to different authors (1843–1927)

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  Distribution of ethnic groups in Macedonia in 1892 (Deutsche Rundschau für Geographie und Statistik – German Review for Geography and Statistics)

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  Distribution of ethnic groups in the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor in 1910 (Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, New York)

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  Distribution of ethnic groups in the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor in 1918 (National Geographic)

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  Saint Gregory Palamas Cathedral in Thessaloniki

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  Monasteries of the Mount Athos in Macedonia (Greece)

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  Expansion of Macedon into a kingdom

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  Early Roman Macedonia (illustrated here encompassing Paeonia & south Illyria) and environs, from Droysens Historical Atlas, 1886

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  The late Roman Diocese of Macedonia, including the provinces of Macedonia Prima, Macedonia Secunda or Salutaris (periodically abolished), Thessalia, Epirus vetus, Epirus nova, Achaea, and Crete.

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  Contemporary Ottoman map or the Salonica Vilayet

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  Map of Part of Macedonia (Carte d'une partie de la Macedoine) by Piere Lapie (1826).

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  Evolution of the territory of Greece. The 'Macedonia' shown is the Greek province.

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  Map of the region contested by Serbia and Bulgaria and subject to the arbitration of the Russian Tsar

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  Ethnic composition of the Balkans according to Atlas Général Vidal-Lablanche, Paris 1890–1894. Henry Robert Wilkinson stated that this ethnic map, as most ethnic maps of that time, contained a pro-Bulgarian ethnographic view of Macedonia.

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  Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and the Second Balkan War (1912–1913)

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  Macedonia's division in 1913

See also

In Spanish: Macedonia (región) para niños