- unifying a vast expanse of land from Greece to Egypt and India. He was born in 356 BC

in the Kingdom of Macedon [Ma-se-don]. But today that region, is disputed. The Republic

of Macedonia and the REGION of Macedonia in Greece, have been fighting about the true

borders of the Macedonian region - and where Alexander the Great was born - for decades.

So what’s the deal here? Why do Macedonia and Greece hate each other?

Well, first let’s clear up the obvious confusion here. There are TWO places that identify themselves

as “Macedonian”. One is just a REGION of Greece, and one is an actual country with

the official name: “the Republic of Macedonia”.

These two places share a similar historical affiliation with the ancient kingdom of Macedon,

where Alexander the Great was born. People who affiliate themselves with Macedonian culture

in both the region and the republic have their own unique language and traditions. Many view

the state border between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, as an illegal partition of their

people. On the other hand, Greece and other nations refuse to acknowledge an independent

Macedonian identity. They claim that what is Macedonian is actually Greek - or Albanian,

or Bulgarian - depending on the country.

Greeks have viewed Macedonia as a part of their empire for a long time, and much of

their history is interrelated. After the Balkan Wars in 1913, Greece officially acquired the

entire Macedonian region. But they lost part of their territory during the World Wars to

what later became Yugoslavia. The lost territory was known as the Republic of Macedonia.

Today, the politically stronger Greece, has barred the poorer country of Macedonia from

joining organizations like the EU and NATO - mostly over the name dispute. In fact, Greece

is the reason the country must internationally call itself the “FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC

of Macedonia.” According to Greek officials, using the name “Macedonia” for another

country “ implies territorial ambitions toward Greece's own northern province of Macedonia”.

Greece also has a history of repressing Macedonian culture - or denying that it exists - in order

to better unify their own nation. Even now, the Macedonian language is not permitted in

Greek media, education, or public life. There, it’s considered a Greek dialect instead

of a separate Slav language.

But Macedonia has been pushing back against Greek dominance. In the early 2000’s, they

challenged Greece’s claim on Alexander the Great by renaming their airport in his honor,

and erecting a huge statue of him in their capital. They also sued Greece in 2008 for

disallowing them access to NATO. They won their lawsuit, but, tensions have not improved

between the two countries in the past few decades. Other nations, like Bulgaria, Serbia,

Albania and Kosovo, also have trouble accepting Macedonians as a separate ethnicity. This

is partially why the Balkan Peninsula remains a politically volatile area to this day.

Greece’s relationship with Turkey is another complicated one, marred with history and ethnic

conflict. To learn about how this plays out on the Island of Cyprus, check out our video

here. Thanks for watching TestTube! Don’t forget to subscribe!