Wellbeing in the Republic of Macedonia.

Abstract

The Republic of Macedonia is the smallest, poorest and most vulnerable country in the Balkans. It is a landlocked country, one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991. It has borders with Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west – countries that have some kind of claim to its territory, culture and even its name. It isn’t in the European Union. The Kingdom of Macedonia was established some time during the 7th Century BC. Macedonian dominance of Greece was secured by Philip II and subsequently by his son Alexander ‘The Great’. Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia, situated now in the Greek part of Macedonia. From Macedonia he conquered territories all the way to India, including Persia, opening out a corridor for East-West discourse and trade [1]. After several wars against the Macedonians, the Romans defeated them in 146 BC and the country became part of the Roman Empire. Its vast arable land and rich pastures allowed huge fortunes to be amassed by the Roman rulersin a society based on slave labour. The centre of Roman power was transferred to Byzantium in the 4th Century AD and since then various armies have controlled the country, includingBulgarians, Serbs and the Ottoman empire (13th–19th centuries) [2]. The Republic of Macedonia is a pristine land with mountains, lakes and old cities. It has the economic, cultural and physical conditions to offer a good quality of life to its small population of about 2.1 million people. Well-being has decreased since the breakdown of the former Yugoslavia. This is due mostly to the de-industrialization process, and weak political institutions in the country. The climate and land are very favourable to agriculture. Most of the country enjoys a Mediterranean climate as, despite being a landlocked country, it is near to the Mediterranean Sea. This provides high quality land, varied food, excellent wine, good weather, and low pollution. However Skopje, where half of the population lives, has an unhealthy summer because it is situated in a valley that concentrates the pollution created by the vehicles. Despite this, it is worth a visit for the abundance of new gigantic bronze statues of ancient heroes, museums and excellent food and wines. Luckily, it still keeps a strong educational sector and the cultural scene is dynamic with several good museums in the capital. The population strongly and peacefully participates in the difficult political life of the country. The health sector needs improvements, as will be shown further in this article.