Kočani

Kocani (Cyrillic Кочани ) is a city and Opština in Macedonia, about 120 kilometers east of Skopje.

Geography

Kocani is located in the Eastern region, 65 km from the Bulgarian border. The city lies along the north side of the river of the same Kočanitals. North of it is the 2252 m high mountain Osogowo, 8 km south of the 1754 m high Plackovica.

History

Through archaeological finds there is evidence that there was already at the time of the Roman and Byzantine empires settlements in present-day city. The first mention of the city took place in 1337 when Jovan Oliver donated the church of St. Dmitry of Kocani. Beginning of the 15th century, the city fell under Ottoman rule.

In the 19th century the city was the center of a kaza of the same name. By 1900 the city's population was around 6,000 inhabitants.

Population

According to the 2002 census, the municipality had 38,092 inhabitants, of which 19,192 are male and 18,900 were female.

Broken down by ethnic groups, these were:

The members of the community locations outside of the city were almost exclusively inhabited by Macedonians.

Culture

Kocani is the home of the Original Kocani Orkestar, an internationally known Balkan Brass Band.