Turks in the Republic of Macedonia
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There are 77,959 Turks in the Republic of Macedonia, who live in the municipalities of Centar Župa and Plasnica (in which they form the majority of population), and also much smaller numbers in the cities of Bitola, Gostivar, Tetovo, and Resen. Turkish groups in the region live in accordance with the administrational structure of the country. The Turk Democratic Union represents Turks in Kosovo (Serbia) and Sandžak (in Montenegro and Serbia).
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[edit] Short history
There has been various tribes in Macedonia throughout history. Some Turkic clans such as Huns, Avars, Cumans, Pechenegs and Ottoman Turks lived for a long time in this region. Many Turkish immigrants from Anatolia settled in Macedonia after 1300. While there were 203,000 Turks in Macedonia in 1953, today this figure decreased to 77,959.
[edit] Economy
Most Turks deal with agriculture, livestock, and commerce in Macedonia.
[edit] Political structure
A political party, “Turk Democratic Union”, was founded and is still active today. It represents Turks living in the region. There are some newspapers and magazines published in Turkish in Macedonia. There are also radio programs in the Turkish language.
[edit] Education
Turks have the right of education in Turkish for four years in East Macedonia. There are 264 teachers in these schools. There is a lycee in Gostivar and a technical college in Tetovo where students are trained in Turkish. Few quota is spared for Turkish students at universities in Skopje and Bitola. There are also private Turkish schools established by Turkish entrepreneurs. Macedonian Turks show great interest in these schools.
[edit] Further reading
- Mandaci, Nazif (April 2007). "Turks of Macedonia: The Travails of the "Smaller" Minority". Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs 27 (1): 5–24.
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