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Macedonia. Pop - 2,061,315. Area - 25,713 km2. Capital - Skopje. Largest City – Skopje. Currency – Macedonian denar (MKD). Language – Macedonian. Main Religion – Macedonian Orthodox Church. Time Zone – GMT + 1 hour. Main Airport – Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport (SKP). Climate – transitional climate from Mediterranean to continental. Voltage guide 230V. Dialing code 389. The Republic of Macedonia celebrates September 8, 1991 as its Independence Day and represents an intriguing melting pot of Slavic, Albanian, Turkish, and Mediterranean influences. The country mainly consists of mountainous territory marked by deep basins and valleys. The country is bisected by the Vardar River which flows through the capital, Skopje and then into the Aegean Sea near the Greek City of Thessaloniki. Macedonia is made up of three main regions namely: Povardarie (Home to Skopje); Western Macedonia (Home to the tourist attraction Lake Ohrid): Eastern Macedonia (Borders Bulgaria). Macedonia has 3 national parks and over 30 natural reserves. The parks are: Mavrovo (The largest of the three national parks. It is home to several river valleys, gorges, waterfalls, caves, and other geological formations); Pelister (The smallest of the three national parks); Galicica (Between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa, and home to diverse flora and fauna). Other places to see include: Stobi (Famous archaeological site); Kokino (Megalithic observatory with similarities to Stonehenge); Marko's Tower (A rocky mass composed of several fine sculptures); and Kuklica (A stone town, consisting of more than 120 naturally formed stone pillars). Typical Macedonian cuisine consists of lots of grilled meat or skara combined with shopska salata, a mix of cucumber, tomato, and grated feta type cheese. This can all be washed down with some excellent local beer and Rakija, a strong grape brandy.