For such a small country, Macedonia boasts a bewilderingly complex history, one which defies neat explanations and which has kept researchers and regular folks constantly occupied with investigating, and debating, their findings. The country's territory has been continuously settled through all periods of human civilization, and has been both the center of great empires and a decisive battleground where rival powers sparred, including the ancient kingdoms of Macedon and its contemporaries, the Roman empire, Byzantium, medieval Bulgarian, Serb and Macedonian kingdoms, the Crusaders, the Ottoman empire and the contemporary Balkan states.

Despite a turbulent past, however, Macedonia's people today are peace-loving, friendly and optimistic about a common future among the greater European family of nations.