Čair Municipality

Municipality of Čair Општина Чаир Komuna e Çairit
City municipality (Urban)
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 42°0′7″N 21°26′17″E / 42.00194°N 21.43806°ECoordinates: 42°0′7″N 21°26′17″E / 42.00194°N 21.43806°E
Country	Macedonia
Region	Skopje Statistical Region
Municipal seat	Skopje
Government
• Mayor	Izet Mexhiti (DUI)
Area
• Total	3.52 km^2 (1.36 sq mi)
Population
• Total	64,773
• Density	18,400/km^2 (48,000/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
Website	http://cair.gov.mk/

Čair (Macedonian:  Чаир , Albanian: Çair, Turkish: Çayır) is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Skopje's old town is located in Čair.

Geography

Čair is located along the northern (left) bank of the Vardar River, opposite the modern city center. It borders Centar Municipality to the southwest, Karpoš Municipality to the west, Butel Municipality to the north, and Gazi Baba Municipality to the east.

History

Skopje's old town, or Stara Čaršija, had been the city's main center at least since the 12th century. Turkish influence is dominant in the Stara Čaršija. The old town has not changed much over time; it is still filled with narrow cobblestone walkways and most of the Ottoman monuments are still standing.

Demographics

According to the last national census from 2002, Čair has 64,773 inhabitants.^[1] Ethnic groups in the municipality include:

• Albanians = 36,921 (57.0%)
• Macedonians = 15,628 (24.1%)
• Turks = 4,500 (6.9%)
• Roma = 3,083 (4.8%)
• Bosniaks = 2,950 (4.6%)
• others = 1,691 (2.6%)

External links

• Official website

Notes

1. 2002 census results in English and Macedonian (PDF)