Ethnic
Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...
form a small minority
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
. As of 2002, there were 2,686 declared Croats living in the countr
They mostly live in the capital city
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
, the second largest city
Bitola and around
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid ( mk, Охридско Езеро , al, Liqeni i Ohrit , also referred as ''Liqeni i Pogradecit'';) is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of E ...
.
In 2006, Croatian President
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatian lawyer and politician who served as President of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was prime minister of SR Croatia (1990) after the fir ...
and his Macedonian counterpart
Nikola Gruevski
Nikola Gruevski ( mk, Никола Груевски, pronounced ; hu, Nikola Gruevszki; born 31 August 1970) is a Macedonian politician who served as Prime Minister of Macedonia from 2006 until his resignation, which was caused by the 2016 Mace ...
announced that the Croats would receive national minority status in Macedonia.
Union of Croats of Macedonia
The Union of Croats in Macedonia ( hr, Zajednica Hrvata u Republici Sjevernoj Makedoniji; mk, Заедница на Хрватите во Македонија, translit=Zaednica na Hrvatite vo Makedonija) is the name of an umbrella group which represents the ethnic Croats living in North Macedonia. The Union was founded in 1996.
[Povijest ZHRM](_blank)
It is headquartered in
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
, with branches in
Bitola,
Štip
Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities.
As of the 2002 census, the city ...
and
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
-
Struga.
The Union has 1,187 members ,
which is approximately 45% of the entire Croat population in the Republic of Macedonia, according to the 2002 census.
Hrvatska nacionalna manjina u Makedoniji
In 2005, along with the Croatian Heritage Foundation, the union organised the ''Week of Croats in Macedonia'' in Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
as part of its annual minority week.
See also
* Croatia–North Macedonia relations
*Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...
* Ethnic groups in North Macedonia
References
External links
Hrvati i njihovi potomci u MakedonijiUnion of Croats of Macedonia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croats Of The Republic Of Macedonia
Macedonia
Ethnic groups in North Macedonia