Macedonians (Greek: Μακεδόνες, Makedónes ) is the term by which ethnic Greeks originating from the geographical region of Macedonia, a province in northern Greece.
The Macedonians have a strong regional identity, manifested both in Greece and by emigrant groups in the Greek diaspora.
This sense of identity has been highlighted in the context of the Macedonian naming dispute after the Breakup of Yugoslavia, in which Greece objects to its northern neighbour calling itself the "Republic of Macedonia", since explicit self-identification as Macedonian is a matter of national pride for many Greeks.
A characteristic expression of this attitude could be seen when Greek newspapers reported in big headlines a declaration by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis at a meeting of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in January 2007, saying that
"I myself am a Macedonian, and another two and a half million Greeks are Macedonians."
