The Republic of Macedonia (Република Македонија, blank">Britannica, Macedonia, Retrieved on 2007-06-18. ) , often referred to as Macedonia, is a landlocked country on the _Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Serbia and its partially recognized breakaway province of 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 former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM ), pending resolution of a naming dispute with Greece. Many other international institutions and countries have recognised the country under the same reference, although a large number of countries recognise it under its preferred name as the Republic of Macedonia.

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 500,000 inhabitants, and there are a number of smaller cities, notably Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, Kočani, Gostivar and Strumica. It has more than 50 natural and artificial lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 meters (6,550 ) above sea level.

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.