SKOPLJE, the capital of southern Serbia, Yugoslavia (Turk ish Uskiib). It lies on a fertile plain, with the Vardar running through it, and is completely encircled by a Turkish cemetery. Pop. (1931) 64,807, comprising Serbs, Albanians, Turks, Bulgars and a few gipsies. The agricultural production of the district includes maize, oats and barley, and silkworm culture is ex tensively carried on. There is an important opium market and Skoplje is the distributing centre for a very large area. At the outbreak of the World War (1914-18) it possessed a steam flour mill, a brewery, distilleries, tanneries, braid, soap, horseshoe and sugar factories, and was the centre of the silver filigree industry. The principal buildings are the citadel, the palace of the former Turkish governor,a Roman aqueduct, many churches and mosques, a School of Agriculture, an electric power station, an Insti tute of Tropical Diseases, two banks, several schools, including one for girls, and a university. The second urban Serbian school
in Macedonia was opened here in 183o, and the first Macedonian newspaper published here in 19o8. It is the seat of a Greek Ortho dox bishop, a Roman Catholic and a Bulgarian bishop. Skoplje is the headquarters of one of the five Army provinces, and is strate gically the most important point in Macedonia, and perhaps in the Balkans, several main arteries of communication, and four railways, converging upon it. Antimony, saltpetre, and veins of pure magnesite are found in the district and there is said to be much gold at Kara Dagh to the north.
The name is derived from Scupi, an ancient town whose ruins lie near by, and which was destroyed by an earthquake in 518, and rebuilt by Justinian. In the 13th century Skoplje was taken by King Milutin of Serbia and made his capital, and his successor, Stephen Dushan was crowned here in 1346, and here composed his famous Code.