Location:
Southeastern Europe, north of Greece
Geographic coordinates:
41 50 N, 22 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 25,333 sq km
water: 477 sq km
land: 24,856 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Vermont
Land boundaries:
total: 766 km
border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km,
Serbia and Montenegro 221 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
warm, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with
heavy snowfall
Terrain:
mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three
large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by
the Vardar River
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vardar River 50 m
highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,753 m
Natural resources:
chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron
ore, asbestos, sulfur, timber, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 23.59%
permanent crops: 1.85%
other: 74.56% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
550 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
high seismic risks
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from metallurgical plants
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central
Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe