nationalism Nationalism

[Skapis9999 3]

Every country believes that their borders should be much further than they are today. At least, the used to believe it. I would like to start a thread where everyone would just say how big his country could be. I am not intended to make people fight with each other. I just want to learn how other people see history. I start:

Country:Greece

Year of Independence :1830

Possible lands:

1. Northern Epirus (part of Albania)
2. Northern Macedonia (part of FYROM and Bulgaria)
3. Eastern Thrace(part of Turkey)
4. Minor Asia(part of Turkey)
5. Pontus(part of Turkey)
6. Cyprus(Cyprus)
7. Eastern Rumelia (part of Bulgaria)

Former lands impossible nowaday to be part of the country:

1. Sicily
2. Southern Italy
3. Rest of the Balkans
4. Spanish and French coasts
5. Rest of Turkey
6. Northern Egypt
7. many more

So I will attach some maps and facts to help you understand history.

1. Northern Epirus is a small part of southern Albania. There are no reliable statistics abotu the Greek population.

In 1919 Paris conference Greek minority numbered 120,000 and in 1989 58,785. During 90s the number was near 80,000. Today independent sources estimate between 70,000-110,000. During last albanian census there were a fine of $1000  to everyone who would will declare anything other than albanian. As a result the census was boycotted. According to census there are 17,622 Greeks while Greek community reports 286,852 Greeks.

Historically, northern Epirus was part of the ancinet kingdomg of Epirus (map). In 1914 there was a short-lived, self-governing entity founded named "Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus". It was planned that Northern Epirus would be ceded to Greece following the war, but withdrawal of Italian support and Greece's defeat in the Asia Minor Campaign resulted in its final cession to Albania in November 1921.(map)

2.Macedonia. One of the most wanted areas in Europe during19th and 20th centuries. Greeks, Serbs, Slavs, Bulgarians, Turks. All of them wanted a part of it.

Macedonia most commonly refers to:

• Republic of Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe (it is recognised by Greece with the name FYROM. Last months were held succesful negotiations about renaming the country.
• Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic region, spanning three administrative divisions of northern Greece:
  • Western Macedonia
  • Central Macedonia
  • Eastern Macedonia and Thrace
• Macedonia (region), a region covering all of the above, as well as parts of Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia (see map)
• Macedonia (ancient kingdom), also known as Macedon, the kingdom that became Alexander the Great's empire

Macedonia, as a region has over 4,760,000 population today.

Demographics today:

• Macedonian Greeks  approximately 2,500,000
•  Ethnic Macedonians   approximately 1,300,000 (Greece recognises them as Slavomakedones )
• Macedonian Bulgarians  approximately 250,000

(FanFact: Paradoxically, during the last few years around 53,000 Macedonians have applied for Bulgarian citizenship and more than 70,000 ethnic Macedonians have already obtained Bulgarian passports.

• Albanians 25.2% of the total population of FYROM
• Smaller numbers of Turks, Bosniaks, Roma, Serbs, Vlachs (Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians), Egyptians, Armenians and Jews

History. During 1st and 2nd WW and Balkan Wars history has only blood and fights. Communists, Fascists, Nationalists, Self declared governments, countries, tried to exploit locals to win wars. There is long controversy about almost everything.

Map of the geographical area of modern Macedonia.

7. Eastern Rumelia. One of the most forgotten greek core areas.  Its capital is Plovdiv  (in greek  is called Philippopolis  means the city of Philippos (the father of Alexander the great)

In 1884 at least  55,000 Greeks used to live there (official numbers are). Real populations was much bigger. In the past the number used to be much biggger.  Today (census 2011) 1398 Greeks are registered.

Maps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Principality_of_Bulgaria_(1890).svg

 

Note1. I live in Macedonia Greece.

Note2. Some of my ancestors were born in Trabzon (Trapezounta) in Pontus and near Istanbul(Konstantinoupoli) in eastern Thrace.

 

More Facts will be added during next days.

Edited February 2, 2019 by Skapis9999