Gevgelija

Gevgelija

Гевгелија (Macedonian)
Gevgelija Гевгелија (Macedonian)
Town
	From the top, Town Centre, Flower of Freedom Monument, Goce Delčev City Library
	Flag Coat of arms
	Nickname: Macedonian Las Vegas
	Gevgelija Location within North Macedonia
	Coordinates: 41°8′44″N 22°29′58″E / 41.14556°N 22.49944°E
Country	North Macedonia
Region	Southeastern
Municipality	Gevgelija
Government
• Mayor	Andon Saramandov (VMRO-DPMNE)
Elevation	64 m (210 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	15,685
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	1480
Area code	+389 34
Car plates	GE
Website	Official Website

Gevgelija (Macedonian: Гевгелија; [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, IPA: [dʑeʋdʑělija]) in Serbian and Gevgeli in Turkish.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[5] 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 group	Number
Macedonians	15,060 (96.22%)
Serbs	292 (1.9%)
Vlachs (Megleno-Romanians)	201 (1.3%)
Others	132 (0.8%)
Total	15,685

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

Macedonians – 13,621
Aromanians – 260
Serbs – 196
Turks – 53
Romani – 21
Albanians – 8
Bosniaks – 8
others – 134
Person without Data – 855

Geography

Located between the mountains Kožuf and Pajak only 70 kilometres (43 miles) from Thessaloniki and 165 km (103 mi) 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).

Climate data for Gevgelija
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.6 (49.3)	11.3 (52.3)	16.4 (61.5)	20.8 (69.4)	26.7 (80.1)	31.9 (89.4)	35.0 (95.0)	35.2 (95.4)	30.1 (86.2)	23.0 (73.4)	15.3 (59.5)	10.6 (51.1)	22.2 (71.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	3.1 (37.6)	5.7 (42.3)	11.4 (52.5)	15.7 (60.3)	20.5 (68.9)	25.8 (78.4)	28.0 (82.4)	27.9 (82.2)	23.1 (73.6)	17.7 (63.9)	10.3 (50.5)	5.1 (41.2)	16.2 (61.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.4 (34.5)	3.2 (37.8)	7.4 (45.3)	10.1 (50.2)	15.5 (59.9)	19.8 (67.6)	21.5 (70.7)	21.2 (70.2)	18.5 (65.3)	13.4 (56.1)	8.4 (47.1)	2.6 (36.7)	11.9 (53.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	33 (1.3)	33 (1.3)	37 (1.5)	35 (1.4)	50 (2.0)	26 (1.0)	19 (0.7)	15 (0.6)	28 (1.1)	40 (1.6)	53 (2.1)	45 (1.8)	414 (16.4)
Source: Climate-Data.org ^[9]

Sports

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

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Gevgelija is twinned with:

Notable people

Gallery

Postcard of Gevgelija, 1930s
Postcard of Gevgelija, Primary School in 1930s
The construction of the bridge near Malosiste, Gevgelija. The bridge connects the motorway Ljubljana-Gevgelija (1950s).

References

^ Makedonski Las Vegas (in Serbian). Politika. Mile Radenković; 21-01-2008
^ Megleno-Romanians in Gudurica: Language and Identity
^ Dimova, Rozita (2021). Border Porosities. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781526140654.
^ Identitäten und Imaginationen der Bevölkerung in Grenzräumen. LIT. 2011. p. 215. ISBN 9783643107572.
^ ^a ^b Synvet, A., Les Grecs de l'Empire ottoman: Etude statistique et ethnographique, Constantinople ("L Orient illustre") 1878, p. 50, ΑΡΒ 1366
^ Dimitri Mishev and D. M. Brancoff, La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne, p. 194
^ Macedonian census, language and religion
^ "Total resident population of the Republic of North Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlement, Census 2021". makstat.stat.gov.mk. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.^{[dead link‍]}
^ "Climate: Gevgelija". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
^ Stalna konferencija gradova i opština Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.

External links

Gevgelija Photo Essay – Photos of Gevgelija
Official website of the municipality of Gevgelija – Website with detailed information and history of Gevgelija

[pol.rs-1] Makedonski Las Vegas (in Serbian). Politika. Mile Radenković; 21-01-2008

[2] Megleno-Romanians in Gudurica: Language and Identity

[3] Dimova, Rozita (2021). Border Porosities. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781526140654.

[4] Identitäten und Imaginationen der Bevölkerung in Grenzräumen. LIT. 2011. p. 215. ISBN 9783643107572.

[synvet-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

[Statistical_Office-7] Macedonian census, language and religion

[Statistical_Office_Archived-8] "Total resident population of the Republic of North Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlement, Census 2021". makstat.stat.gov.mk. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.^{[dead link‍]}

[Climate-Data.org-9] "Climate: Gevgelija". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved February 24, 2018.

[Inđija_twinning-10] Stalna konferencija gradova i opština Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.

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