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Skopje

Capital of North MacedoniaSkopje stretches along the Vardar River in the Skopje Valley, in the north of North Macedonia. The Šar Mountains rise to the west, and Mount Vodno, about 1,070 m high, stands inside the city limits.

Why it's the capital

The Romans founded a town called Scupi here in the late 1st century. After the Second World War Skopje became the capital of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia within Yugoslavia, and in 1991 it became the capital of the independent country.

Fun facts

  1. Mother Teresa was born in Skopje on 26 August 1910, and a memorial house in her honour stands in her home city.
  2. An earthquake in 1963 destroyed 80% of the city, which was then largely rebuilt with help from other countries.
  3. The Stone Bridge over the Vardar was built under Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1469 and is the main symbol on the city's coat of arms.

Finding it on the globe

Skopje is in the north of North Macedonia, roughly halfway between Belgrade and Athens. Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, is only about 80 km to the north.

Sources: Wikipedia: Skopje, Wikipedia: Mother Teresa, Wikipedia: Stone Bridge (Skopje)