FYR Macedonia

Published on 22 May 2006 in ,

So what to do when you’re off work with a dodgy stomach? Well there was only one option. Find out just why it’s the “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. Well it’s the kind of lightweight, fluffy task that my brain can cope with on such a day.

I have a bit of a soft spot for the FYR of Macedonia name – every time I see it on Eurovision I delight in the fact that someone has a stranger name than our own “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. But at least it’s easy to work out where the UK’s name came from.

As for the FYR? Well naming your country after a group of countries that you used to be aligned with, isn’t an obvious one, but according to Wikipedia’s Republic of Macedonia article, it’s so called because Greece had a bit of a strop because Macedonia also refers to an area that’s far bigger than just the Macedonian republic – some of the Macedonia region is also in Greece.

I like that. I like the idea of another country having a bit of a tizz over names. But there’s more. Greece also got a bit angry about FRY Macedonia’s flag in 1992 as well! Apparently this was resolved in 1995 when a new flag was introduced.

So there you go. If you’ve ever sat down and watched Eurovision, and wondered by Macedonia has the most convoluted name of the lot, now you know. And lets face it, it’s far more interesting that just calling your country a single word, isn’t it?