# Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200 "2012-05-26T21:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Danger\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/1 "2012-05-26T21:54:24Z")
Why would a country call itself that? ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_ch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dan\_ch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_ch)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/2 "2012-05-26T22:15:33Z")
Because of its southern neighbour, Greece. Macedonia is the name of a historical greek province, and the greeks apparently believe that a country will call itself “Macedonia” so that it can claim the greek province with the same name. You can read more about this on [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Macedonia#Naming_dispute). Sort of like Canada not recognizing USA because, hey, a country named United States of America must want to conquer the whole America…it’s right there in the name, after all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/3 "2012-05-26T22:20:37Z")
BTW the USA has been recognizing them as plain old Republic of Macedonia for years now. But the various countries, including Macedonian itself, have generally decided to do the polite, PC thing and when in international activities involving both Macedonia and Greece, humor the latter by going for the FYROM designation (sort of like how Taiwan/ROC is referred to as “Chinese Taipei”). **Dan\_ch** : Or the Mexican and USA states of California and Baja California demanding of each other they change their names because there can only be one California and it’s us. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/4 "2012-05-26T23:48:11Z")
They do it as a diplomatic courtesy to the insistence that they do it of the Former Turkish Nation of Greece. 🙂 By the way, I feel that the proper term for an inhabitant of FYROM is “FYROManiac.” ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/5 "2012-05-27T11:03:50Z")
> [@Danger\_Man](#): > > Why would a country call itself that? In the business world, one would say: The name Macedonia is trademarked. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/6 "2012-05-27T11:07:41Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > They do it as a diplomatic courtesy to the insistence that they do it of the Former Turkish Nation of Greece. 🙂 That’s Former Ottoman Nation of Greece – “FONG” for short. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/7 "2012-05-27T11:28:04Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Or the Mexican and USA states of California and Baja California demanding of each other they change their names because there can only be one California and it’s us. There really is [an irredentist movement](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconquista_(Mexico))wanting to get New Mexico back for Mexico. Along with the rest of the US Southwest, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/8 "2012-05-28T09:58:44Z")
On a side note: Why is it pronounced _masedonia_ in English instead of _makedonia_ (which is the local pronunciation)? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/9 "2012-05-28T10:53:23Z")
> [@Floater](#): > > On a side note: Why is it pronounced _masedonia_ in English instead of _makedonia_ (which is the local pronunciation)? Perhaps because it came into English via Greek, not Macedonian. In Greek, the second consonant is not the IPA /k/ but the [IPA /c/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_palatal_stop). ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/10 "2012-05-28T12:24:43Z")
> [@Dan\_ch](#): > > Because of its southern neighbour, Greece. Macedonia is the name of a historical greek province, and the greeks apparently believe that a country will call itself “Macedonia” so that it can claim the greek province with the same name. You can read more about this on [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Macedonia#Naming_dispute). It’s worse than that - the Greeks don’t believe that the Macedonians are actual Macedonians, but rather the Slavic usurpers of the \*real \*Macedonians, who were actually Greeks. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/11 "2012-05-28T12:25:14Z")
Mind you, right about now FYR Macedonia could probably buy the Greek province off them at a good price. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-yugoslavian-republic-of-macedonia/623200/12 "2012-05-28T13:11:27Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Perhaps because it came into English via Greek, not Macedonian. In Greek, the second consonant is not the IPA /k/ but the [IPA /c/](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_palatal_stop). Are you sure? It is written with a K in Greek - is that letter really pronounced with a “ch”? My guess would have been that it was pronounced Makedonia in classical Latin, became Machedonia in later Latin and Italian, then Masedwan in French, and came into English with the /s/ sound from French.