Ss. Cyril and Methodius University

The Republic of Macedonia is situated in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, with an area of 25,713 square kilometres bordering on Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the north-west, Greece to the south, Bulgaria to the east and Albania to the west. Due to such a geographic location, the Republic of Macedonia is and has been an important crossroads of many different civilisations, religions and cultures throughout history. According to the last census in the Republic of Macedonia live around two million people. Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, has a population of over a half a million. It is in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, and it is an important crossroads on routes to the Aegean and Adriatic seas. The Vardar, the longest Macedonian river with a course of water current over 400 kilometres, flows through Skopje. In ancient times, Skopje, then known under the name of Skupi, was the chief town that later fell under Roman control. In 518 it was completely destroyed by a severe earthquake. With the coming of the Slavs in 695, the city experienced a significant growth and gained its present name of Skopje. In the 10th century, it became a part of Samoil's Empire and an important centre of transport and trade. Until the 15th century, and the Ottoman conquest, it changed its masters several times. After the Second World War, Skopje developed rapidly and gained the physiognomy of a modern metropolis. But this accelerated development was interrupted by the catastrophic earthquake of July 26th, 1963. Thanks to the solidarity of the former Yugoslav republics and the international community as well, Skopje grew again into an important economic, political, educational and cultural centre.