s located on the
upper course of the Vardar River and is located on a major north-south Balkan route between Belgrade and Athens.
It is a center for metal-processing, chemical, timber, textile, leather, and
printing industries. Industrial development of the city has been accompanied by
development of the trade, logistics, and banking sectors, as well as an
emphasis on the fields of culture and sport. According to the last official
count from 2002, Skopje has a population of 506,926 inhabitants; according to
two unofficial estimates for more recent period, the city has a population of
668,518 or 491,000 inhabitants
