science

Wildlife of North Macedonia

Wildlife of North Macedonia is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wildlife of North Macedonia rather than just read about it. In short: Over 22,500 species of wildlife have been recorded in North Macedonia. Over 10,000 of these are insects, which include 3,000 beetle species and large numbers of Lepidoptera, flies, and Hymenoptera.

Key takeaways

Wildlife of North Macedonia belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wildlife of North Macedonia to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wildlife of North Macedonia from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Over 22,500 species of wildlife have been recorded in North Macedonia. Over 10,000 of these are insects, which include 3,000 beetle species and large numbers of Lepidoptera, flies, and Hymenoptera. Aside from insects, other large arthropod groups include Chelicerata (mostly spiders) and crustaceans. Among vertebrates, more than 300 species of birds recorded, although not all nest in the country. There are over 80 species of both fish and mammals, 32 reptiles, and 14 amphibians. Over 4,200 plants have been identified, of which more than 3,700 are vascular plants. The majority of existing forest is deciduous, and the amount of forest has expanded slightly in recent years. Over 2,000 species of algae have been found, most of them within lakes. There are also 2,000 species of identified fungi, with 90% of these being Basidiomycota, and at least 450 lichens. The country covers 25,713 square kilometres (9,928 sq mi), with much of the terrain being mountainous. Significant variation in topography has contributed to large variation within local climates, which together with the presence of ice age refugia has resulted in significant diversity and endemism. Although North Macedonia is landlocked, it has numerous rivers and lakes supporting aquatic wildlife. The forest and caves in the west of the country support a number of unique and endangered animals. The three largest lakes, Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa, and Lake Dojran, are further areas of relatively high diversity. There is substantial interaction between people and wildlife, especially in rural areas. Various plant and fungi species are foraged for local use and for export, and many animal species are hunted. Other threats to wildlife include land use change, pollution, and climate change. A number of animal and plant species have become locally extinct. A variety of laws protect some species and habitats and regulate their use, and action plans have been developed by the government, covering topics including the environment, biodiversity, and water. Four national parks have been established, and North Macedonia is party to a number of European and International conventions that relate to wildlife and the environment.

Environment

North Macedonia spans 25,713 square kilometres (9,928 sq mi) in the middle of the Balkan Peninsula. The landlocked country is centred around the Vardar river valley, with the national borders being marked by mountain ranges. Its diverse landscape creates a variety of local climates, which can be divided into eight biomes. The varied habitats of the country, including both natural and man-made environments, can be divided into 28 broad types, which are further subdivided into 120 at the third level of EUNIS classification. These are spread across 38 classes of landscapes. The overall climate is temperate, with the area undergoing four seasons throughout the year. However, the varied geography means that there is significant local climatic variety. Precipitation also varies significantly. Up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) of snow can fall on some mountains. North Macedonia contains 477 square kilometres (184 sq mi) of surface water. Its 35 rivers fall into three river basins, with one basin each flowing into the Aegean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, and the Black Sea. The majority of the country, 22.075 square kilometres (8.523 sq mi), falls within the Agean Basin, which contains Lake Dojran. 20.661 square kilometres (7.977 sq mi) of this basin is covered by the Vardar river and its tributaries. The remaining 1.649 square kilometres (0.637 sq mi) of the Aegean drainage basin is covered by the Strumica river and its tributaries. The main river of the 3.359 square kilometres (1.297 sq mi) Adriatic basin is Black Drim, which begins at Lake Ohrid. Lake Prespa also falls within this basin. Under some accounting there are also three minor drainage basins, which combined cover just over 1% of North Macedonia. Altogether, lakes cover 2% of the country, about 500 square kilometres (190 sq mi). The three large lakes mentioned above are tectonic lakes. Lake Ohrid is 348.8 square kilometres (134.7 sq mi), and has an average depth of 144.8 metres (475 ft). It is thought to be 2–3 million years old. Lake Prespa is 274 square kilometres (106 sq mi), with an average depth of 18.8 metres (62 ft). Lake Dojran is 43 square kilometres (17 sq mi), with a maximum depth of just 10 metres (33 ft). These three lakes are split between North Macedonia and neighbouring countries. Around 43 glacial lakes exist in the mountains. There are also 111 are artificial lakes, including large reservoirs. A complex geological history means the country's surface rocks originate from many periods of Earth's history. There are 13 mountains whose heights exceed 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), with the highest being 2,753 metres (9,032 ft) above sea level. Around 50% of the country is considered mountainous, containing many gorges and valleys. Caves, especially in limestone mountains found in the west, support a variety of cave fauna, and contain their own lakes. Forests cover 9,888.35 square kilometres (3,817.91 sq mi) of the country, 90% of which is within state-owned land. Agricultural land covers 12,680 square kilometres (4,900 sq mi), including both actively used land and land that is able to be quickly cultivated. Pastures make up 757,000 of this agricultural land.

Plants

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wildlife of North Macedonia

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wildlife of North Macedonia claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wildlife of North Macedonia before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wildlife of North Macedonia ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wildlife of North Macedonia

In research: Wildlife of North Macedonia appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wildlife of North Macedonia in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wildlife of North Macedonia is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biota of North Macedonia, Wildlife by country, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wildlife of North Macedonia outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Wildlife of North Macedonia in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wildlife of North Macedonia means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wildlife of North Macedonia out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wildlife of North Macedonia in simple terms?

Over 22,500 species of wildlife have been recorded in North Macedonia. Over 10,000 of these are insects, which include 3,000 beetle species and large numbers of Lepidoptera, flies, and Hymenoptera.

Why does Wildlife of North Macedonia matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wildlife of North Macedonia?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wildlife of North Macedonia.