Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913. The territory was divided in two; one part, which constitutes Macedonia as it is today, was ceded to Serbia and the rest went to Greece and Bulgaria. Together with the rest of Serbia, in 1918 Macedonia became part of Macedonia was part of the Ottoman Empire for some 500 years until Turkey was defeated in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats Slovenes, the forerunner to Yugoslavia. In 1944 Macedonia became Communist republic in Tito's re established Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After multiparty elections Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Greece has continued to object the use of the name Macedonia for the newly independent state since it is the same as that of certain Greek northern territory. Despite the fact that a compromise was reached for the time being by renaming the state as the 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) Greece has imposed unilateral sanctions on Macedonia which are crippling the latter's economy. Macedonian Orthodox Christianity is the main religion and there is a Muslim minority. Macedonian is the main language.
