Municipality of Sveti Nikole
Plain of Sheep municipality—North Macedonia's second-largest crop area—where Vlach pastoral traditions yield lamb, dairy, and untapped oil deposits.
Sveti Nikole exists because sheep required winter pasture and the Ovče Pole ("Plain of Sheep") provided it. This municipality of 14,855 residents covers 480 square kilometers in northeastern North Macedonia—one of the country's largest—centered on a plateau at 470 meters where transhumant flocks from surrounding mountain ranges traditionally wintered. The ethnic Vlach population that settled here maintained extensive sheep economies that shaped culinary and cultural traditions.
The formation era established patterns of mobile pastoralism that left permanent settlement. Today the Ovče Pole is North Macedonia's second-largest crop-producing area, the sheep economy having given way to irrigated agriculture. Ground investigations have revealed oil and gas sources—the only such deposits in Macedonia—though exploitation requires technology and investment the country lacks.
Today Sveti Nikole operates through food processing, textiles, trade, services, and the agricultural-pastoral heritage that defines the region. The 650 legal entities in the municipality include production (18.1% of economic activity), with vine cultivation yielding high-quality wine by European standards. The villages maintain ideal conditions for organic farming and traditional products: lamb, dairy in all forms, and the distinctive cuisine that Vlach pastoralism created.
By 2026, Sveti Nikole's agricultural economy faces modernization pressure as EU accession approaches. The organic farming and traditional product potential could command premium markets if certification and marketing develop. The untapped hydrocarbon deposits represent a contingent asset awaiting future technology or investment that has not materialized in decades of awareness.