The town of Kocani, also known as the town of rice, is in the eastern part of Macedonia and spreads on the two banks of the Kocani River. The town lies at an altitude of 320m above sea level and is 115km away from the capital, Skopje. Kocani spreads over an area of 18.6km2 and has a population of 26,364 inhabitants, which makes it the third regional center in the eastern part of the country. There are no reliable data that would indicate the origin of its name, but it is known for sure that the town was first mentioned by the name of Kocani in 1337. Since the end of the 14th century, Kocani was under the reign of the Ottoman Empire. In the 17th and the 19th centuries and especially in the 20th century, after the railroad was built in 1926, the town grew considerably.