North Macedonia vs Bulgaria

Why people mix them up

North Macedonia and Bulgaria are neighbours in the southern Balkans with closely related South Slavic languages, and both write in the Cyrillic alphabet. The historical region of Macedonia spans parts of North Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria, which adds to the confusion around names. People also compare them simply because they sit side by side north of Greece, and many wonder which of the two is larger.

How to tell them apart

• Bulgaria has a coastline on the Black Sea; North Macedonia is landlocked.
• Bulgaria is much larger, about 111,000 km², more than four times North Macedonia's roughly 25,700 km².
• Bulgaria's flag has horizontal stripes of white, green and red; North Macedonia's is red with a yellow sun sending eight broadening rays to the edges.
• The capitals are Sofia (Bulgaria) and Skopje (North Macedonia).
• Bulgaria is a member of the European Union; North Macedonia is a candidate country.
• Bulgaria borders Romania along the Danube; North Macedonia borders Albania and Kosovo, which Bulgaria does not.

Memory hook

Bulgaria is the Big one with the Black Sea; North Macedonia is the small country with the sun on its flag, shining down on Greece.

On the map

Find Greece and look directly north. The small, landlocked country above central Greece, between Albania and Bulgaria, is North Macedonia. Bulgaria is the larger country to its east, stretching all the way to the Black Sea, with the Danube marking most of its northern border with Romania. If the country you are tapping touches the sea, it is Bulgaria.