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How many ethnic Macedonians are there in Bulgaria?
The official number of ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria is 1,654. Macedonian Bulgarians are ethnic Bulgarians who self-identify regionally as "Macedonians" (Bulgarian: Mакедонци, Makedontsi ). They represent the bulk of the population of Bulgarian Macedonia (also known as " Pirin Macedonia ").
What are the ethnicities of Macedonia?
They number approximately 2,500,000 and, today, they live almost entirely in Greek Macedonia. The Greek Macedonian population is mixed, with other indigenous groups and with a large influx of Greek refugees descending from Asia Minor, Pontic Greeks , and East Thracian Greeks in the early 20th century. This is due to the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, during which over 1.2 million Orthodox Christian refugees from Turkey were settled in Greece, 638,000 of whom were settled in the Greek province of Macedonia. Smaller Greek minorities exist in Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, although their numbers are difficult to ascertain. In official census results, only 86 persons declared themselves Greeks in Bulgarian Macedonia (Blagoevgrad Province) in 2011, out of a total of 1,379 in all Bulgaria; while only 442 persons described themselves as Greeks in the 2002 census in the Republic of North Macedonia.
What was the Byzantine Empire called?
Byzantine era. In the Byzantine Empire, a province under the name of Macedonia was carved out of the original Theme of Thrace, which was well east of the Struma River. This thema variously included parts of Thrace and gave its name to the Macedonian dynasty.
What is the Balkan Peninsula?
Macedonia ( / ˌmæsɪˈdoʊniə / ( listen)) is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time; however, it came to be defined as the modern geographical region by the mid 19th century. Today the region is considered to include parts of six Balkan countries: larger parts in Greece, North Macedonia , and Bulgaria, and smaller parts in Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo. It covers approximately 67,000 square kilometres (25,869 sq mi) and has a population of 4.76 million.
How many provinces were there in Macedonia?
Prior to its expansion under Alexander the Great, the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, to which the modern region owes its name, lay entirely within the central and western parts of the current Greek province of Macedonia and consisted of 17 provinces/districts or eparchies ( Ancient Greek: επαρχία). Expansion of Kingdom of Macedon:
When was Macedonia founded?
Its oldest known settlements date back approximately to 7,000 BC. From the middle of the 4th century BC, the Kingdom of Macedon became the dominant power on the Balkan Peninsula; since then Macedonia has had a diverse history.
What is the second largest ethnic group in the region?
They are the second largest ethnic group in the region. Being a South Slavic ethnic group they are also known as "Macedonian Slavs" and "Slav Macedonians" (Greek: Σλαβομακεδόνες, "Slavomakedones") in Greece, though this term can be viewed as derogatory by ethnic Macedonians, including those in Greek Macedonia.
What language did Macedonia speak?
That said, it is also true that the language of ancient Macedonia was Greek. The greatest Macedonian intellectual of all time was Αριστοτελεσ — Aristotle. Born in the village of Stegira, not far from the Aegean Sea. To read his texts in the original I spent about two years in college learning ancient Greek — not a slavic language. When he was the tutor for Alexander the Great, they undoubtedly spoke in Greek.
Which Ottoman ruler granted the right to establish an autonomous Bulgarian exarchate for the dioceses of?
Citation: “…the Ottoman government of the Sultan Abdülaziz granted the right to establish an autonomous Bulgarian Exarchate for the dioceses of Bulgaria as well as those, wherein at least two thirds of Orthodox Christians were willing to join it, by issuing the Sultan's firman promulgated on March 12 [ O.S. February 28] 1870…”
How much mutual intelligibility is there between Serbian and Bulgarian?
Linguists sometimes say there is 60 percent mutual intelligibility between Serbian and Bulgarian. I have a Yugoslav (Serbocroatian speaking) friend who claims he can understand Bulgarian. This is rather similar to the degree of mutual intelligibility between Swedish and Norwegian.
Is North Macedonia a Greek country?
If you mean the people of North Macedonia in first they are not Macedon ians. Till 1947 called themselves Vogories (Bulgarians). Tito create in vitro a new nation :part of ancient Greek history part of modern Bulgarian history a art of South Serbia with 200000-300000 Serbs including in New Federal state and an name of northern part of Greece and a brand new country was create were Vardaska was. Macedonians were and are Greeks and 90% of ancient Macedonia is where it always belong Hellas. Now in south part of what today is North Macedonia were 250000 of Greek minority (European statistic) in 193
Is the Slavs of North Macedonia related to Bulgarians?
Now if ine is talking about the Slavs of North Macedonia they are closely related to Bulgarians.
Is Northern Macedonia related to Alexander the Great?
Any notion that the modern population of Northern Macedonia is somewhat related to Alexander the Great is merely ridiculous that has turned N-Macedonian “scholars” and “historians” into nothing but laughing stock. Northern Macedonia is one of the latest creations on the map of Europe, similar to Kosovo.
Is Macedonia a separate country?
But the current Macedonian language is [for Bulgarian scholars and for most Bulgarians] obviously a more-or-less Serbinized version of Western-Bulgarian dialect (s) [with many further borrowed Greek words] but since that is a hot political issue, for political reasons, it is NOW considered a separate language from the same Bal kan ‘Slavic’ language-family as is contemporary&modern Bulgarian and Old Bulgarian (also known as ‘Old Church Slavonic’).
Who was the first foreign minister of the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia?
Last week, the first ever Foreign Affairs Minister of the Former Yugoslavia Republic of “Macedonia” (now known as “North Macedonia”) after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Denko Maleski, said “We are past the time when Macedonian history was protected by the powerful Yugoslav federation and could, without pressure, selectively choose the building blocks of the Macedonian nation, and could cross out mentions of ‘Bulgarian’ and write ‘Macedonian’ instead.”
What did Nikoloski say about the waiver of the Macedonian language?
Nikoloski continued saying that “the waiver of the Macedonian language, history, and the people who are the most important features of our identity is set as a condition.”
Does Bulgaria speak Macedonian?
Bulgaria, as reported by Greek City Times, told “North Macedonia” that if it wants to become an EU member, it must drop the claim that a “Macedonian” minority exists in Bulgaria, as well as acknowledge that there is no Macedonian language and rather that they speak a Bulgarian dialect.
What is the area of Macedonia?
Macedonia, Modern Greek Makedonía, traditional region of Greece, comprising the north-central portion of the country. Greek Macedonia has an area of about 13,200 square miles (34,200 square km).
When was Macedonia created?
Greek Macedonia was created as a result of the Second Balkan War in 1913. The region was occupied by Bulgarian troops during most of World War I and by Bulgarian and German troops in World War II, but each time it was returned to Greek sovereignty at the war’s end.
Where is Albania located?
Albania, country in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë). Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë —often taken to mean “sons of eagles,”…
What are the richest crops in Greece?
The Plain of Drámas and the valleys of the Struma and Axiós (Vardar) rivers are the richest farmland in Greece and produce rice, olives, cotton, and tobacco. Grapes and other fruits are widely grown, and wine and ouzo are produced.
What is the region of Macedonia?
The region of Macedonia ranges from the high plateaus and mountain peaks of Bulgaria and the North Macedonian republic to the wide, flat floodplains of the lower Axiós ( Vardar) and Strimón ( Struma) rivers in Greece. Since ancient times, Macedonia has served as a strategic crossroads linking the Adriatic and the Bosporus, as well as the Aegean, ...
Where is Macedonia located?
Macedonia, Macedonian Makedonija, Modern Greek Makedhonía, Bulgarian Makedoniya, region in the south-central Balkans that comprises north-central Greece, southwestern Bulgaria, and the independent Republic of North Macedonia.
What are the boundaries of Macedonia?
The traditional boundaries of the geographical region of Macedonia are the lower Néstos (Mesta in Bulgaria) River and the Rhodope Mountains on the east; the Skopska Crna Gora and Šar mountains, bordering southern Serbia, on the north; the Korab range and Lakes Ohrid and Prespa on the west; and the Pindus Mountains and the Aliákmon River on the south. Including the Chalcidice Peninsula, this stretch of land covers about 25,900 square miles (67,100 square km). About 50 percent of the region lies in Greece, with its centre at the port of Thessaloníki, and 10 percent lies in Bulgaria, with its centre at Blagoevgrad. The Republic of North Macedonia, with its capital at Skopje, occupies the rest.
What is the Macedonian question?
As a result, the Macedonian Question —the conflict over the territory and the national loyalties of the heterogeneous population of the region—developed into a problem of international magnitude that continues to undermine the goal of peace and stability in the Balkans. The region of Macedonia owes its name to the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, ...
What is the name of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia?
The region of Macedonia owes its name to the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, which was centred in the southern part of the area. By the 4th century bce it had extended its rule northward into the Balkan Peninsula and throughout the Mediterranean. In the 2nd century bce Macedonia became a Roman province.
What is the importance of Macedonia?
Since ancient times, Macedonia has served as a strategic crossroads linking the Adriatic and the Bosporus, as well as the Aegean, with the Danube. The leaders of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, both based in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), considered Macedonia an essential part of their realm.
Which country occupied Greece?
While Bulgarian troops occupied eastern Macedonia and most of western Thrace, the rest of mainland Greece, theoretically subject to a puppet government in Athens, was militarily occupied by the Italians except for three zones, namely the Athens district, the Salonika district, and the Dimotika strip of Thrace, which the German…
Overview
History
While Macedonia shows signs of human habitation as old as the paleolithic period (among which is the Petralona cave with the oldest European humanoid), the earliest known settlements, such as Nea Nikomedeia in Imathia (today's Greek Macedonia), date back 9,000 years. The houses at Nea Nikomedeia were constructed—as were most structures throughout the Neolithic in northern Gre…
Etymology
Both proper nouns Makedṓn and Makednós are morphologically derived from the Ancient Greek adjective makednós meaning "tall, slim", and are related to the term Macedonia.
Boundaries and definitions
The definition of Macedonia has changed several times throughout history. Prior to its expansion under Alexander the Great, the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, to which the modern region owes its name, lay entirely within the central and western parts of the current Greek province of Macedonia and consisted of 17 provinces/districts or eparchies (Ancient Greek: επαρχία).
Demographics
During medieval and modern times, Macedonia has been known as a Balkan region inhabited by many ethnic groups. Today, as a frontier region where several very different cultures meet, Macedonia has an extremely diverse demographic profile. The current demographics of Macedonia include:
• Macedonian Greeks self-identify culturally and regionally as "Macedonians" (G…
Foundation of North Macedonia as an independent state
Kiro Gligorov, the president of Yugoslav Macedonia, sought to keep his republic outside the fray of the Yugoslav wars in the early 1990s. Yugoslav Macedonia's very existence had depended on the active support of the Yugoslav state and Communist Party. As both began to collapse, the Macedonian authorities allowed and encouraged a stronger assertion of Macedonian national identity than before. This included toleration of demands from Macedonian nationalists for the r…
Controversy between North Macedonia and Greece
Slavs first arrived in the region late 6th and early 7th centuries AD when Slavic-speaking populations overturned Macedonia's ethnic composition. As a result, the appropriation by the "Republic of Macedonia" of what Greece held as its "Greek symbols", raised concerns in Greece as well as fuelling nationalist anger. This anger was reinforced by the legacy of the Civil War and the view in some quarters, that members of Greece's Slavic-speaking minority were pro-Yugoslavian …
Controversy between North Macedonia and Bulgaria
The number of ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria is controversial as several Bulgarian censuses showed conflicting numbers of ethnic Macedonians living in that country. As the Bulgarian authorities did not publish the results of the 1946 census regarding the number of ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria, Yugoslav sources claimed that some 252,000 people declared themselves as Macedonians in that census. Bulgarian embassy in London in 1991 stated that s…