Journal of Earth Science and Engineering 3 (2013) 569-581 D DAVID PUBLISHING Demographic and Infrastructure Problems of Villages in the Hilly-Mountainous Areas of Prilep Cane Koteski, Dushko Josheski, Zlatko Jakovlev, Snezana Bardarova and Vladimir Kitanov Faculty of Tourism and Business Logistics, Goce Delchev University of Shtip, Gevgelija 1480, Republic of Macedonia Received: June 15, 2013/Accepted: July 20, 2013/Published: August 25, 2013. Abstract: In this paper it has been investigated the issue of the dynamics of the rural population in villages in the mountainous areas of the municipality of Prilep height distribution of the mountainous villages, the area size, absolute density and agrarian population in hilly-mountainous villages, the distance of the hill-mountain villages of the municipality center and institutional infrastructure hilly-mountainous areas in Prilep. Despite the demographic decline that was made in the past 45 years, the municipality and the country will have even more incentive in the coming years to invest in infrastructure to improve little very bad living conditions and foremost here we think of infrastructure, roads, water drinking, clinics, veterinary stations, public transportation, gas stations, stores, construction of ethnic restaurants and small hotels so that at least the older generations of the cities as the least retirement to spend at home, to create minimum conditions for living and so that villages in hilly and mountainous villages to be attractive to younger generations of the cities and migrant workers from European countries and America Australia frequently to visit home, and to be able to invest in small commercial buildings in the area of tourism. Key words: Demographic structure, geographical location, agricultural density, institutional structure, Prilep. 1. Introduction 2. Geographical Location of Prilep In the paper it has been investigated more issues Prilep is located in the northern part of the such as: geographical position of Prilep within our Pelagonian valley with coordinates 41°14'26" North state, than movement, dynamics and structure of the geographic latitude and 21°28'54" East geographic national population in rural areas in mountainous longitude of the largest valley in the country. areas of Prilep, also the height distribution of the According to the size of the area Prilep is the largest 2 mountainous districts, and the size of the areas, and municipality in the country to 1,188 km . Its agricultural absolute density of population in the boundaries extend into central, southern and hilly-mountainous villages, also there is being southwestern part of the state. The municipality has an described the distance of hilly-mountainous villages average altitude [2]. The village territory is spread of the municipal center town of Prilep and finally it is from northern and northwestern parts of the upper described the institutional infrastructure of catchment area of Raechka River, south slope of hilly-mountainous villages in the municipality of Mount Babuna, as part of Prilep Pole, the South 1 Prilep [1]. At the end of a paper there are given entered the territory of Mariovo and the SW and W scientific conclusions, proposals and initiatives for occupies a large part of Prilep Field. Prilep has a way further development of the villages in the of stretching NW-SE. From S West and bordering hilly-mountainous areas of Prilep. municipalities Krivogashtani Dolneni Chaska, and the municipality of Kavadarci of SE with Sobotsko in Corresponding author: Dushko Josheski, master, main research field: economic geography. E-mail: 1 For explanation: S-W is South-West, NW-North West, [email protected]. SE-South-East, S-South. 570 Demographic and Infrastructure Problems of Villages in the Hilly-Mountainous Areas of Prilep Greece and SW and W by municipalities and Novaci villages live in 2,873 or 11.8%, while in 2002 the mound. Prilep has a very favorable geographical number of population in plain areas was 5,599 or position and transport links. Through Prilep passes the 79.3%, lived in the hilly villages or 19.6% in 1384 and main road E-65. Prilep is 41 km away from Bitola, lived in mountain villages or 81 people 1:14% [4]. We Demir Hisar 62 km from KRU 32 km from M.Brod 37 feel free to conclude that the population in the period km, 49 km from Kavadarci and the capital Skopje 123 1961-2002 was decreased by 29.0%, according to the km [3]. categories of villages in the plain villages population in the period 1961 to 2002 decreased by 49.2% in the 3. Dynamics of Population in Villages in the hilly villages in the period from 1961 to 2002, the Municipality Prilep population decreased by 13.7% and in the mountain Prilep is comprised of 59 neighborhoods that are 58 villages of the population in the period 1961 to 2002 villages and the town of Prilep community center (Fig. 1). decreased by 2.8% [5]. As a conclusion the disastrous To see how the dynamics of population took place in decline of the population in all three categories in the villages in the municipality of Prilep in the period villages in the period 1961-2002 had a profound 1961-2002 year will use the data from Table 1. impact poor roads, water supply, sewerage, electricity According to the Table 1, it presents in 1961 the and postal infrastructure, lack of health and veterinary total population of 24,320 inhabitants in the villages in clinics, stores, then mass migration from villages to the municipality of Prilep plain lived 11,376 or 46.7%, cities and mass occurrence of going abroad for work live in hilly areas 10,071 or 41.4% in mountain during the 1960-1980 year [6]. Fig. 1 Limits and rural area of the municipality of Prilep. Demographic and Infrastructure Problems of Villages in the Hilly-Mountainous Areas of Prilep 571 Table 1 Dynamics of population in rural areas of the municipality of Prilep in the period 1961-2002 year. Item Altitude Lowland Hilly Mountain Census periods 1961-2002 years Settlement number (m) settlements areas areas 1961 1971 1981 1994 2002 1 Alinci 670 + 449 486 449 281 238 2 Belovodica 800 + 356 182 73 18 24 3 Berovci 628 + 352 375 357 353 334 4 Bešište 900 + 1,171 1,016 238 93 22 5 Bonce 620 + 580 475 243 86 45 6 Veprčani 800 + 367 319 275 18 10 7 Veselčani 613 + 361 319 275 121 98 8 Vitoliste 830 + 1,291 1,110 664 290 170 9 Volkovo 780 + 148 79 79 41 42 10 Vrpsko 800 + 137 46 3 2 0 11 Galičani 617 + 341 359 335 249 251 12 G. Radobil 620 + 429 304 197 108 107 13 G. Konjari 607 + 926 922 905 685 699 14 Gudjakovo 580 + 132 41 4 0 0 15 Dabnica 605 + 117 41 17 13 66 16 Dren 570 + 46 19 16 7 10 17 Dunje 690 + 778 731 333 145 77 18 Erekovci 600 + 789 643 684 455 385 19 Ž ivovo 920 + 250 79 7 5 0 20 Zagorani 612 + 546 455 396 190 108 21 Kadino S. 612 + 564 521 419 314 269 22 Kalen 640 + 336 287 110 38 19 23 Kanatlatci 620 + 1,523 1031 1039 990 972 24 Klepac 590 + 432 389 366 156 160 25. Kokre 720 + 266 206 53 16 7 26. Kruševica 759 + 637 595 283 117 87 27 Krstec 1080 + 93 21 9 8 1 28 Leništa 780 + 413 265 40 2 0 29 Lopatica 576 + 611 417 194 331 41 30 Mazučište 660 + 610 474 465 362 346 31. M.Radobil 620 + 115 63 31 23 10 32 M.Konjari 613 + 786 804 834 713 727 33 M. Ruvci 740 + 229 250 68 27 22 34 Manastir 690 + 232 139 19 12 4 35 Marul 780 + 365 280 130 39 25 36 Nikodin 600 + 437 212 66 10 7 37 N. lagovo 640 + 251 238 212 189 213 38 Oreovec 860 + 308 172 44 16 17 39 Peštani 670 + 210 149 63 18 20 40 Pletvar 990 + 331 177 87 30 22 41 Podmol 600 + 552 448 338 185 138 42 Polčište 910 + 824 479 192 45 31 43 Prilepec 830 + 154 119 53 16 9 44 Prisad 940 + 204 95 48 9 5 45 Rakle 700 + 269 145 24 7 7 46 Selce 740 + 322 295 292 310 294 47 Smolani 650 + 20 2 0 0 0 572 Demographic and Infrastructure Problems of Villages in the Hilly-Mountainous Areas of Prilep (Table 1 continued) Item Altitude Lowland Hilly Mountain Census periods 1961-2002 years Settlement number (m) settlements areas areas 1961 1971 1981 1994 2002 48 St. lagovo 685 + 161 93 74 49 38 49 Toplica 680 + 144 73 15 6 5 50 Topolcani 600 + 929 857 748 505 449 51 Trojaci 600 + 224 119 34 29 11 52 Trojkrsti 600 + 268 258 204 97 81 53 Carevic 696 + 166 77 32 12 10 54 Čanište 720 + 694 552 348 83 47 55 Čepigovo 600 + 216 197 218 167 162 56 Čumovo 860 + 227 171 94 33 17 57 Šeleverci 635 + 137 137 81 33 21 58 Štavica 800 + 494 413 264 107 84 Total 24 28 6 24,320 19,221 13,141 8,264 7,064 Population in plain villages Total number of villages 24 11,376 9,614 8,517 6,301 5,599 Population in hilly villages Total number of villages 28 10,071 7,740 4,043 1,773 1,384 Population in mountain Total number of villages 6 28,73 1,867 581 190 81 villages Data source: Comparable data for population 1971 and 1981 Statistical Review 139, 1984 year, Skopje.