Gevgelija Explained

Gevgelija
Nickname:Macedonian Las Vegas[1]
Settlement Type:Town
Flag Size:150x75px
Pushpin Map:North Macedonia
Pushpin Label Position:top
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within North Macedonia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1: Southeastern
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2: Gevgelija
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Andon Saramandov (VMRO-DPMNE)
Elevation M:64
Population As Of:2002
Population Total:15,685
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Coordinates:41.1456°N 22.4994°W
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:1480
Area Code:+389 34
Blank Name:Car plates
Blank Info:GE

Gevgelija (Macedonian: Гевгелија; in Macedonian pronounced as /ɡɛvˈɡɛlija/) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway from Skopje and three regional capitals, Belgrade, Zagreb, and Sofia with Thessaloniki in Greece. The town is the seat of Gevgelija municipality.

Name

In Macedonian the town is called Gevgelija (Гевгелија). It is known as Yevyeli (Γευγελή) in Greek, Gevgeli (Гевгели) in Bulgarian, Đevđelija (Ђевђелија, pronounced as /dʑeʋdʑělija/) in Serbian and Gevgeli in Turkish. Furthermore, in Megleno-Romanian, the city is known as Ghivgheliia.[2]

Gevgelija is known as the "Balkan Las Vegas".[3] [4]

History

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Gevgelija was part of the Salonica Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. According to the statistics of the French geographer Alexandre Synvet, the town had a total Christian population of 290 families (1.740 people) in 1878, consisting of 35 Bulgarian Christian ones and 255 Greek Christian families.[5] The town had also 4 Greek schools. According to Bulgarian Exarchate secretary Dimitar Mishev (D. M. Brancoff), in 1905 the town had a population of 4,375 Christians, consisting of 2.240 Patriarchist Bulgarians (Grecomans), 1.840 Exarchist Bulgarians, 80 Serbian Patriarchist Bulgarians (Serbomans), 8 Uniat Bulgarians, 90 Roma people, 72 Vlachs (Megleno-Romanians), 30 Albanians and 15 Greeks.[6]

From 1929 to 1941, Gevgelija was part of the Vardar Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Transport

The town is served by Gevgelija railway station, outside the city limits on its eastern edge.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census, the town of Gevgelija had 15,685 residents, most of whom were ethnic Macedonians.[7]

Ethnic groupNumber
Macedonians15,060 (96.22%)
Serbs292 (1.9%)
Vlachs (Megleno-Romanians)201 (1.3%)
Others132 (0.8%)
Total15,685

As of 2021, the village of Gevgelija has 15,156 inhabitants and the ethnic composition was the following:[8]

Geography

Located between the mountains Kožuf and Pajak only 70km (40miles) from Thessaloniki and 165km (103miles) from Skopje, the town acts as a rail depot between the two countries, making it a central location in its region. Its position in the south of the country gives it a warm Mediterranean climate (Csa classification), making it the optimal location in North Macedonia for cultivation of fruits and vegetables such as figs, lemons, and grapes. The town is also a centre for raising silkworms, an integral part of the country's silk trade. Alongside its agriculture, Gevgelija's economy consists of a light industry sector. Tourism is growing, with a spa located in a nearby village.

Climate

Gevgelija has a hot-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa).

Sports

Local football club FK Kožuf have played in the Macedonian First Football League.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in North Macedonia.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Gevgelija is twinned with:

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/region/makedonski-las-vegas.lt.html Makedonski Las Vegas
  2. https://www.academia.edu/10069098 Megleno-Romanians in Gudurica: Language and Identity
  3. Book: Dimova, Rozita . 2021. Border Porosities . Manchester University Press . 9781526140654.
  4. Book: 2011 . Identitäten und Imaginationen der Bevölkerung in Grenzräumen . LIT. 215 . 9783643107572.
  5. Synvet, A., Les Grecs de l'Empire ottoman: Etude statistique et ethnographique, Constantinople ("L Orient illustre") 1878, p. 50, ΑΡΒ 1366
  6. Dimitri Mishev and D. M. Brancoff, La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne, p. 194
  7. http://www.stat.gov.mk/Publikacii/knigaX.pdf Macedonian census, language and religion
  8. Web site: Total resident population of the Republic of North Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlement, Census 2021 . makstat.stat.gov.mk . 26 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221225143154/http://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__Popisi__Popis2021__NaselenieVkupno__PodatociNaselenie/T1503P21.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=46ee0f64-2992-4b45-a2d9-cb4e5f7ec5ef . December 25, 2022.
  9. http://www.skgo.org/php/opstine/detalji.php?Id=30&IdSvojstva=MO Stalna konferencija gradova i opština