Compare and Contrast Essay

This is my Country

Macedonia is located in the heart of south central Europe. It shares a border with Greece to the south, Bulgaria to the east, Serbia and Kosovo to the north, and Albania to the west. Since the end of the Second World War, Macedonia's population has grown steadily, with the greatest increases occurring in the ethnic Albanian community. From 1953 through the time of the latest official census in 2002, the percentage of ethnic Albanians living in Macedonia rose threefold. The western part of the country, where most ethnic Albanians live, is the most heavily populated, with approximately 40% of the total population. As in many countries, people have moved into the cities in search of employment. Macedonia has also experienced sustained high rates of permanent or seasonal emigration.

Most ethnic Muslim Albanians say that all they want is to be equal to ethnic Macedonians. Despite the huge differences like religion. Macedonians are Christians and Albanians are Muslims by religion. Orthodox Christianity is the majority faith of the Republic of Macedonia making up 64.7% of the population, the vast majority of which belong to the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Macedonians speak Macedonian language and the Muslim Albanians speaks Albanian language. Also, there is a huge difference if we compare the lifestyle. Macedonians are friendly people open to the world just like every western civilization. Traditional Macedonian food is world wide known and it is very different than the Albanian food. Also Muslim Albanians still live the lifestyle like their grand-grand-fathers. They still build walls around their houses so that other people can’t see what’s going on in their yard or house. They don’t let their women to show their hair in public and even their faces.  

But most Macedonians argue that what their Albanian countrymen really want is the destruction of Macedonia and the creation of a "Greater Albania". The "mother state" of Albanians is, of course, Albania. From the Macedonian (as well as from the Serbian or Greek) standpoint, since Albanians already have their own mother state, Albania, they do not need to have a second one at the expense of neighboring peoples. Economically, Muslim Albanians are generally self-reliant, with many being self-employed. More generally, however, Macedonians argue that the Muslims enjoy every single right a national minority is entitled to. Muslim Albanians fiercely oppose Macedonia's fundamental law which defines the republic as a state Macedonians, and other minorities.