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( Republic of Macedonia)
The Republic of Macedonia (Macedonian ????????? ??????????, Republika Makedonija)[1] listen&_160;(help·info), often referred to as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia (and Kosovo) to the north, Albania to the west, Greece to the south, and Bulgaria to the east. It was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 under the provisional reference the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[3] commonly abbreviated to FYROM,[4][5] pending resolution of a naming dispute with Greece.[6] Many other international institutions and countries have recognised the country under the same reference, although an overall majority of countries recognise it under its constitutional name.[7] The Republic of Macedonia forms approximately 35.8% of the land and 40.9% of the population of the wider geographical region of Macedonia. The capital is Skopje, with just over 500,000 inhabitants, and there are a number of smaller cities, notably Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, Kocani, Gostivar and Strumica. It has more than 50 natural and artificial lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,550&_160;ft). The country is a member of the UN and the Council of Europe and a member of La Francophonie, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Since December 2005 it is also a candidate for joining the European Union and has applied for NATO membership.
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