The Republic of Macedonia is in a place with various and disputed trade routes.
Macedonia ( [ mæsᵻˈdoʊniə ] ; Μακεδονία , Makedonía [ maceðoˈnia ] ) is a geographic and historical region of Greece in the southern Balkans . Macedonia [ mæsᵻˈdoʊniə ] is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe . Republic of Macedonia . Republika Makedonija ) , is a country in the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe . It became a member of the United Nations in 1993 , but , as a result of an ongoing dispute with Greece over the use of the name `` Macedonia '' , was admitted under the provisional description the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ( sometimes abbreviated as FYROM and FYR Macedonia ) , a term that is also used by international organizations such as the European Union , the Council of Europe and NATO . Following centuries of contention between the Bulgarian and Byzantine empires , it gradually came under Ottoman dominion from the 14th century .