The Republic of Macedonia (Republika Makedonija)
is bordered by Bulgaria on the east, Greece on the
south, Albania on the west, and Kosovo (administered
under UNSCR 1244 as of this writing, 30
October 2004) and Serbia on the north. Although
efforts to create a Macedonian literary language and
an independent Macedonian state date from the 19th
century, it was only on August 2, 1944 that Macedonian
was declared the official language of the People’s
Republic of Macedonia (later the Socialist Republic
of Macedonia) as one of the constitutive republics
of the former Yugoslavia. The Macedonian parliament
adopted its own constitution, thereby declaring
independence, on November 17, 1991.