The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Before 1991 and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, Macedonia wouldn't have appeared on most maps as its own country. What larger, multinational state was Macedonia part of for most of the twentieth century?

Answer: Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia, literally "the land of the South Slavs", had its beginnings as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in the aftermath of World War I. This state was renamed "Yugoslavia" in 1929. Within the Yugoslav context, the Socialist Federal Republic of Macedonia was proclaimed in 1946.

This republic would become independent in 1991; and was admitted to the United Nations in 1993 as The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

2. The main river of Macedonia effectively bisects the country and drains about 90% of its territory. What is the name of this waterway?

Answer: The Vardar River

The Vardar is also known as the Axios River in Greek, and was mentioned in Homer's "Iliad" as the home of the Paeonians who fought for Troy. It flows through most of the major cities of the country, including the capital of Skopje.

3. Macedonia's capital city is Skopje, but this is mainly an administrative distinction; Skopje is not one of Macedonia's larger towns, and its status as capital is an artifact of communist inefficiency.

Answer: False

About a third of all Macedonians live in Skopje, and it is the largest city in the country by far. It began as a Roman colony in the first century CE and has been a population center ever since. During the Ottoman rule of the territory from 1392 to 1912, the city was renamed Uskub, and it was a cosmopolitan center for Muslim and Jewish culture.

4. Though the majority of Macedonians are Slavs with close cultural ties to Bulgaria and Serbia, about a quarter of the country's people are from another ethnic group whose mother tongue was officially recognized as Macedonia's second language in 2001. What group is this?

Answer: Albanians

Macedonia saw a substantial insurgency in 2001 from Albanians protesting for their rights. Though any violent uprising is a human tragedy, and several dozen people did lose their lives, this conflict, thankfully, did not boil over into a human rights catastrophe on the order of the Bosnian and Kosovo conflicts.

The Macedonian government recognized Albanian as the country's second language with the Ohrid Agreements later that year.

5. Macedonia has one UNESCO world heritage site, an ancient city historically known as the 'Slavic Jerusalem'. What is this city on the shores of a beautiful lake that bears its name?

Answer: Ohrid

Ohrid was a center of Slavic Orthodox learning in the middle ages, when the most widespread Slavic church language was a form of Old Bulgarian native to the region. The city is also known for Samuil's Fortress, a thousand-year-old castle built on fortifications erected by Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great's father.

6. Perhaps the most impressive archeological site in Macedonia is Kokino near the city of Kumanovo. Which of these best describes Kokino?

Answer: An ancient observatory not unlike Stonehenge

Kokino is a 3,800-year-old observatory whose megaliths mark the position of the sun during events like the solstices and equinoxes. Surrounding the site are remains of what appears to be a network of ten temples, as well as numerous stone drawings that are probably religious (or at least cosmological) in nature.

These and other artifacts unearthed at and near the site suggest that the people who built Kokino may have been the oldest civilization in the Balkans.

7. The highest mountain in Macedonia is also the highest mountain in Albania. What is this border-straddling alpine giant?

Answer: Mount Korab

In the 2001 Macedonian Insurgency, Mount Korab's border status worked against it, as the area surrounding the Macedonia/Albania border was saturated with land mines to prevent Albanian guerrillas from crossing over. The area on the Albanian side is much safer, though it seems that would-be climbers have had trouble from time to time with aggressive dogs!

8. Jordan is known for its city of Petra (carved directly into the rock), and Egypt is known for its pyramids. Macedonia is known for its "stone town" made of natural "earth pyramids" near what village?

Answer: Kuklica

The Stone Town of Kuklica is a striking natural formation of natural stone pillars, some over 30 feet high, which have eroded out of the surrounding hills. The 120+ pillars look, to the romantic eye, somewhat like people, giving rise to legends telling of a bigamist's wedding party turned to stone for their disrespect, or an invading army flash-frozen in the wasteland they created.

In more geologic terms, the pillars are a result of uneven erosion. The volcanic hills surrounding Kuklica were formed by volcanic activity. Portions of the hill cooled very quickly, resulting in a soft outer composition of glass and ash known as ignimbrite. Within the ignimbrite, more solid granite bodies formed as the lava cooled more slowly. Over time, the soft ignimbrite has worn away, leaving the more durable columns.

9. Which of these is NOT true about Macedonia?

Answer: It is known for glaciers and tundra

Macedonia's climate is actually very diverse for a country of its size. The eastern and southern plains are relatively close to the Aegean and Black seas, making for a warm, Mediterranean setting. The mountains block this warm air from the northern and western areas, however, and they have a cooler, more continental climate with wide variances in temperature.

These variances do not extend to arctic conditions, however.

10. Though Macedonia is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, perhaps its most gorgeous feature is its white, sandy coastline painted across the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

Answer: False

Macedonia is landlocked, but it does have its share of beautiful lakeside vistas. These include Lake Ohrid, mentioned above, Lake Mavrovo in the national park of the same name, Lake Prespa on the borders with Greece and Albania, and the twin glacial lakes 'Gorski O�i' (Mountain Eyes) on top of Baba Mountain.

Source: Author stuthehistoryguy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The pieces, places, and people that make up this nation of Southeast Europe, now called North Macedonia.

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