Република Црна Гора Republika Crna Gora Republic of Montenegro
Flag of Montenegro Flag Coat of arms
Anthem Oj, svijetla majska zoro "Oh, Bright Dawn of May"
Location of Montenegro Location of  Montenegro  (orange) on the European continent  (white)  —  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Podgorica
Official languages		Montenegrin1 Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian and Croatian
Demonym		Montenegrin, Montenegrins
Government		Republic
-	President	Filip Vujanović
-	Prime Minister	Željko Šturanović
Independence		Breaking of State Union with Serbia
-	Declared	June 3, 2006
-	Recognized	June 8, 2006
-	Water (%)	1.5
Population
-	July 2007 estimate	684,736[1] (160th)
-	2003 census	620,145
GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$3.443 billion
-	Per capita	$5,028
GDP (nominal)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$2.27 billion
-	Per capita	$3,315
HDI (2004)		0.788[2] (medium) (72nd)
Currency		Euro2 (EUR)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.me (.yu)3
Calling code		+382
1 Formerly considered a dialect of the Serbo-Croatian language. 2 Adopted unilaterally; Montenegro is not a formal member of the Eurozone. 3 .me became active in September 2007. Suffix .yu will exist until September 2009.
2

Montenegro (Montenegrin: Црна Гора or Crna Gora, pronounced /'t͡sr̩na: 'ɡɔra/, listen (helpinfo)), officially the Republic of Montenegro (Република Црна Гора or Republika Crna Gora), is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south, and borders Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the southeast. Its de facto capital and largest city is Podgorica, while Cetinje is designated as Prijestonica, the old royal capital or seat of the throne.

An independent principality in the late Middle Ages, its independence from the Ottoman Empire was formally recognized in 1878. From 1918, Montenegro was later a part of various incarnations of Yugoslavia and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. Based on the results of the referendum held on May 21 2006, Montenegro declared independence on June 3, 2006. On June 28, 2006, it became the 192nd member state^[3] of the United Nations, and on May 11, 2007, the 47th member state of the Council of Europe.^[4]

Name

Montenegro's native name, Crna Gora, is first mentioned in 11th century in Vatican documents and translates literally to "black mountain" or "black forest", a reference to the dark forests that once covered the slopes of the Dinaric Alps as seen from the Adriatic coast.^[5] The country's name in most Western European languages, including English, reflects an adoption of the Venetian term monte negro, also meaning "black mountain", which probably dates back to the era of Venetian hegemony over the area in the Middle Ages. Other languages, particularly nearby ones, use their own direct translation of the term "black mountain" (e.g. Albanian: Mali i Zi, Bulgarian: Черна гора, Cherna gora, Czech: Černá Hora, Greek: Μαυροβούνιο, Mavrovoúnio, Italian: Montene(g)ro, Polish: Czarnogóra, Romanian: Muntenegru, Slovene: Črna Gora, Slovak: Čierna hora, and Turkish: Karadağ). Names from further afield include Russian: Черногория, Chernogoriya and Chinese: 黑山 (pinyin: "hēishān"^[6])

The ISO Alpha-2 code for Montenegro is ME and the Alpha-3 Code is MNE.^[7]

History

History of Montenegro

Praevalitana

Duklja

Principality of Zeta

Montenegro Province, Ottoman Empire

Principality of Montenegro

Kingdom of Montenegro

Zeta Banovina

Independent State of Montenegro

Socialist Republic of Montenegro

FR Yugoslavia

Serbia and Montenegro

Republic of Montenegro

Main article: History of Montenegro

The first settlers of Montenegro were the Illyrians. Romans conquered these southern Illyrians in AD 9, annexing them to the Roman province of Illyricum. The historian Theodore Mommsen wrote (in his The Provinces of the Roman Empire) that all Illyricum was fully Romanised and Latin speaking by the fourth century.

The division of the Roman Empire between Roman and Byzantine rule – and subsequently between the Latin and Greek churches – was marked by a line that ran northward from Skadar through modern Montenegro, symbolizing the status of this region as a perpetual marginal zone between the economic, cultural, and political worlds of the Mediterranean peoples and the Slavs. As Roman power declined in the fifth century, this part of the Adriatic coast suffered from intermittent ravages by various semi-nomadic invaders, especially the Goths in the late fifth century and the Avars during the sixth century. These soon were supplanted by the Slavs, who became widely established in the Balkans by the middle of the seventh century.

The Romanized Illyrians escaped to the mountains and survived mainly as shepherds, and were named morlachs (dark "vlachs"), and eventually losing their original Romance language by being assimilated with the Slavs. This extinct neo-Latin language can be found in the toponimy of many places of Montenegro, like the name of the mount Durmitor, that means "place where to sleep" in the language of those Vlachs.The last morlachs, called Vlasi Ridani, moved from Durmitor area in the 15th century, escaping the Ottoman conquest, and found refuge in Dalmatia and Istria.

Slav tribes, mixed with the descendants of the romanized Illyrians, formed the semi-independent dukedom of Duklja by the tenth century. In 1077, Pope Gregory VII recognized Duklja as an independent state, acknowledging its King Mihailo (Michael) (of the Vojislavljević dynasty founded by nobleman Stefan Vojislav) as rex Docleae (King of Duklja).^[8][9] The kingdom, however, paid tribute to the Byzantine Empire and later to the Bulgarian Empire; it gave birth to the medieval kingdom of the Serbian Grand Prince (Serbian: župan) Stefan Nemanja, who was born in Ribnica, a settlement near Doclea, renaming the country "Zeta".

The Principality of Zeta asserted its independence in the 1360s.^[10][11]The House of Balšić (1360s–1421) and the House of Crnojević (1421–1499) ruled Zeta. Although the Ottoman Empire controlled the lands to the south and east from the 15th century, it never fully conquered Zeta.

Most of the coast of Montenegro was controlled by the Republic of Venice from the 13th century to the Napoleon times(1420-1797) although Bar and Ulcinj were conquered by the Ottomans in the 1570s. The area was called Albania Veneta.

During those centuries the Venetian language, from which the word "Montenegro" comes, was the lingua franca of the Adriatic coast of Montenegro. In the area of Bay of Kotor there were Venetian speaking populations until the first half of the 20th century. For example, in the Austrian census of 1880, Kotor had 930 ethnic Italians in a total population of 2910 people.

In 1516, the secular prince Đurađ Crnojević abdicated in favour of Archbishop Vavil, who then made Montenegro into a theocratic state^[12] under the rule of the prince-bishop (known as владика, vladika) of Cetinje, a position held from 1697 by the Petrović-Njegoš family of the Riđani clan. Petar Petrović Njegoš, perhaps the most influential vladika, reigned in the first half of the 19th century. In 1851, Danilo II Petrović Njegoš became vladika, but in 1852 he married, left the priesthood, assumed the title of knjaz (Prince), and transformed his land into a secular principality. Montenegro officially confirmed its independence and became a principality in 1878. Later, it was transformed into a kingdom in 1910, under the rule of King Nicholas I. ^[13][14]

In 1910, Prince Nicholas I became King of Montenegro. Two years later, in October 1912, King Nicholas declared war on the Ottoman Empire, preceding the two Balkan Wars. The Montenegrin army attacked the Ottoman fortress city of Shkodër, and forced the empire to gather a large army in neighbouring Macedonia. This Ottoman army was then attacked by the forces of Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria which entered the war by pre-arrangement. This resulted in the redefinition of borders in the Balkans according to the Treaty of London in 1913.

Montenegro emerged from the Balkan Wars doubled in size, receiving half of the former Ottoman territory known as Sandžak, but without the city of Shkodër, the country's major goal in the war. The London Conference awarded Shkodër to an independent country of Albania.

During World War I, Montenegro was part of the allies. In the Battle of Mojkovac. Montenegro's army bravely defended the fallback for Serbian troops withdrawing across Albania. In the course of the war, Montenegro was occupied by Austro-Hungarian troops. Feldmarschalleutnant Viktor Weber von Webenau became Military Governor of Montenegro on February 26 1916.

In 1918, the Podgorica Assembly, whose legality is questioned up to the present, voted for uniting Montenegro with the Kingdom of Serbia. ^[15][16] However, pro-independence Montenegrins revolted on Christmas Day 1919 (January 7, 1919, Christmas Day by the then-prevailing Orthodox calendar) against Serbia.^[17] The revolt was finally suppressed in 1924, although guerrilla resistance remained in the Highlands for many years after.

During WWII Italy occupied Montenegro in 1941 and annexed the area of Kotor^[18], where there was a small Roman population (also, the Queen of Italy, Elena of Montenegro, was daughter of the former king of Montenegro), to the Kingdom of Italy. The Independent State of Montenegro was created under fascist control when Krsto Zrnov Popović returned from exile in Rome in 1941 to attempt to lead the Zelenaši ("Green" party), who supported the reinstatement of the independent Montenegrin monarchy. These forces were called the Lovćen Brigade. Montenegro was ravaged by a terrible guerrilla war, mainly after Nazi Germany replaced the defeated Italians in September 1943.

After World War II, from 1945 to 1992, Montenegro became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in its own right. It was during this time that the present capital Podgorica was renamed Titograd, after Josip Broz Tito, communist ruler of Yugoslavia. Over the next half century, Montenegro remained one of six constituent republics of Yugoslavia.

Union with Serbia (1992–2006)

After the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992, Montenegro agreed on a federation with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, then as a looser State Union of Serbia and Montenegro that broke up as soon as a deadline for holding an independence referendum expired.

In the referendum on remaining in Yugoslavia in 1992, 95.96% of the votes were cast for remaining in the federation with Serbia, although the turnout was at 66% because of a boycott by the Muslim, Albanian and Catholic minorities as well as of pro-independence Montenegrins. The opposition claimed that poll was organised under undemocratic conditions, during war time in the former Yugoslavia, with widespread propaganda from the state-controlled media in favour of a pro-federation vote. There is no impartial report on the fairness of the referendum, as the 1992 referendum was totally unmonitored, unlike the 2006 vote, which has been closely monitored by the European Union.

During the recent Bosnian War and Croatian War (1991-1995) Montenegro participated with its police and paramilitary forces in the attacks on Dubrovnik and Bosnian towns along with Serbian troops. It conducted persecutions against Bosniak refugees who were arrested by Montenegrin police and transported to Serb camps in Foča, where they were executed.^[19]

In 1996, Milo Đukanović's government de facto severed ties between Montenegro and Serbia, which was then still under Milošević. Montenegro formed its own economic policy and adopted the Deutsche Mark as its currency. It has since adopted the euro, though it is not formally part of the Eurozone. Subsequent governments of Montenegro carried out pro-independence policies, originally restored by the Liberal Alliance of Montenegro, and political tensions with Serbia simmered despite the political changes in Belgrade. Despite its pro-independence leanings, targets in Montenegro were repeatedly bombed by NATO forces during Operation Allied Force in 1999.^[20]

In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to a new agreement regarding continued cooperation and entered into negotiations regarding the future status of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 2003, the Yugoslav federation was replaced in favor of a looser state union named Serbia and Montenegro and a possible referendum on Montenegrin independence was postponed for a minimum of three years.

21^st century independence

The status of the union between Montenegro and Serbia was decided by the referendum on Montenegrin independence on May 21, 2006. A total of 419,240 votes were cast, representing 86.5% of the total electorate. 230,661 votes or 55.5% were for independence and 185,002 votes or 44.5% were against.^[21] The 45,659 difference narrowly surpassed the 55% threshold needed to validate the referendum under the rules set by the European Union. According to the electoral commission, the 55% threshold was passed by only 2,300 votes. Serbia, the member-states of the European Union, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have all recognized Montenegro's independence; by doing so they removed all remaining obstacles from Montenegro's path towards becoming the world's newest sovereign state.

The 2006 referendum was monitored by five international observer missions, headed by an OSCE/ODIHR monitoring team, and around 3,000 observers in total (including domestic observers from CEMI, CEDEM and other organizations). The OSCE/ODIHR ROM joined efforts with the observers of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE) and the European Parliament (EP) to form an International Referendum Observation Mission (IROM). The IROM—in its preliminary report—"assessed compliance of the referendum process with OSCE commitments, Council of Europe commitments, other international standards for democratic electoral processes, and domestic legislation." Furthermore, the report assessed that the competitive pre-referendum environment was marked by an active and generally peaceful campaign and that "there were no reports of restrictions on fundamental civil and political rights."

On June 3 2006, the Parliament of Montenegro declared the independence of Montenegro^[22], formally confirming the result of the referendum on independence. Serbia did not obstruct the ruling, confirming its own independence and declaring the Union of Serbia and Montenegro ended shortly thereafter.

On September 6 2007 an advisor of the Prime Minister of Serbia called Montenegro a 'quasi-state'^[23]. Montenegro gave a protest list to the Serbian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Božidar Đelić, has apologised for this. ^[24]

International recognition of Montenegro

Main article: Foreign relations of Montenegro

The first state to recognize Montenegro was Iceland^[25], on June 8, 2006, followed by Switzerland^[26] and Estonia^[27] on June 9, and Russia on June 11^[28]. Recognition by Croatia^[29], Bosnia and Herzegovina^[30] and Slovenia^[31] soon followed. The European Union^[32] and the United States recognized Montenegro on June 12, as did various member states of the EU and other European countries. The United Kingdom formally extended recognition on June 13^[33], as did the People's Republic of China^[34] and France^[35] on June 14, meaning that all five permanent United Nations Security Council members then recognized the independence of Montenegro. Serbia, the other former constituent member of the State Union, recognized Montenegro on June 15^[36], signaling the formal dissolution of the Union. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe decided to accept Montenegro as the 56th member of the organization on June 21 and the country took its seat at the Permanent Council on June 22^[37]. The United Nations, in a vote of the Security Council, extended full membership in the organization to Montenegro on June 22, 2006.^[38] Montenegro was confirmed as a member on June 28.^[39] In January 2007, Montenegro received full membership in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. It was admitted to the Council of Europe on May 11 the same year. ^[40]. On 15 October, 2007 Montenegro signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union^[41].

Geography

Main article: Geography of Montenegro

Internationally, Montenegro borders Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. Historically, its territory is composed by the following geo-historical entities:

• Old Montenegro
• The Highlands
• Old Herzegovina
• Montenegrin Littoral, or the Bay of Kotor in specific

including other parts not belong to either of these, e.g. the southern half of Sandžak.

Some of the cities and towns in Montenegro are:

• Podgorica (capital; 211,788 inhabitants)
• Nikšić (104,706)
• Pljevlja (44,593)
• Bijelo Polje (55,628)
• Herceg Novi (30,593, including Igalo)
• Berane (49,953)
• The former royal capital and the seat of the throne is Cetinje (20,307).

Montenegro ranges from high peaks along its borders with Serbia and Albania, a segment of the Karst of the western Balkan Peninsula, to a narrow coastal plain that is only one to four miles wide. The plain stops abruptly in the north, where Mount Lovćen and Mount Orjen plunge abruptly into the inlet of the Bay of Kotor.

Montenegro's large Karst region lies generally at elevations of 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) above sea level; some parts, however, rise to 2,000 metres (6,560 ft), such as Mount Orjen (1,894 m / 6,214 ft), the highest massif among the coastal limestone ranges. The Zeta River valley, at an elevation of 500 meters (1,640 ft), is the lowest segment.

The mountains of Montenegro include some of the most rugged terrain in Europe. They average more than 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) in elevation. One of the country's notable peaks is Bobotov Kuk in the Durmitor mountains, which reaches a height of 2,522 metres (8,274 ft). The Montenegrin mountain ranges were among the most ice-eroded parts of the Balkan Peninsula during the last glacial period.

• Longest beach: Velika Plaža, Ulcinj — 13,000 m (8 miles)
• Highest peak: Zla Kolata, Prokletije at 2,534 m
• Largest lake: Skadar Lake — 391 km² (151 sq mi) of surface area
• Deepest canyon: Tara River Canyon — 1,300 m (4,265 ft)
• Biggest bay: Bay of Kotor
• National parks: Durmitor — 390 km² (150 sq mi), Lovćen — 64 km² (25 sq mi), Biogradska Gora — 54 km² (21 sq mi), Lake Scutari — 400 km² (154 sq mi)
• UNESCO World Heritage sites: Durmitor and Tara River Canyon, old city of Kotor.

Military

Main article: Military of Montenegro

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Montenegro

Montenegro is defined as a "Civic, democratic, ecological and state of social justice, based on the reign of Law". It's an independent and sovereign Republic. It adopted its new Constitution with a two-third super-majority on 19 October 2007.

Government

The current Government of the Republic of Montenegro (Vlada Republike Crne Gore) is comprised of the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers as well as ministers. Željko Šturanović is the Prime Minister of Montenegro and head of the Government. The ruling party in Montenegro ever since multiparliamentarism is the controversial far left Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) (Demokratska Partija Socijalista Crna Gore), in coalition with the much smaller center-right Social Democratic Party of Montenegro (SDP) (Socijaldemokratska Partija Crne Gore).

President

The President of Montenegro is elected for a period of five years through direct elections. According to the constitution, the President will represent the republic in the country and abroad, promulgate laws by ordinance, call elections for the Parliament, propose candidates for the Prime Minister, president and justices of the Constitutional Court to the Parliament, propose to the Parliament calling of a referendum, grant amnesty for criminal offences prescribed by the national law, confer decoration and awards, and perform all other duties in accordance with the Constitution. The President shall also be a member of the Supreme Defence Council.

Parliament

The Montenegrin Parliament (Skupština Republike Crne Gore) passes all laws in Montenegro, ratifies international treaties, appoints the Prime Minister, ministers, and justices of all courts, adopts the budget and performs other duties as established by the Constitution. The Parliament can pass a vote of no-confidence on the Government by a majority of the members. One representative is elected per 6,000 voters, which in turn results in a reduction of total number of representatives in the Parliament of Montenegro. The current president of the Parliament is Ranko Krivokapić.

The present Parliament convening 81 seats instead of previous number of 75 (parliamentary elections were on 10 September 2006 and were the first after the proclamation of independence. The constituent Parliament session took place on 2 October 2006).

Symbols

A new official flag of Montenegro was adopted on July 12 2004, by the Montenegrin legislature. The new flag is based on the royal standard of King Nikola I of Montenegro. This flag was all red with a gold border, a gold coat of arms, and the initials НІ in Cyrillic script (corresponding to NI in Latin script) representing King Nikola I. These initials are omitted from the modern flag and replaced wih a golden lion.

The national day of 13 July marks the date in 1878 when the Congress of Berlin recognised Montenegro as the 27th independent state in the world and the start of one of the first popular uprisings in Europe against the Axis Powers on 13 July 1941 in Montenegro.

In 2004, the Montenegrin legislature selected a popular Montenegrin traditional song, Oh, the Bright Dawn of May, as the national anthem. Montenegro's official anthem during the reign of King Nikola was Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori (To our beautiful Montenegro). The Montenegrin popular anthem has unofficially been Onamo, 'namo! since King Nikola I wrote it in the 1860s.

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Montenegro

Montenegro is divided into twenty-one municipalities (opština), and two urban municipalities, subdivisions of Podgorica municipality:

• Andrijevica
• Bar
• Berane
• Bijelo Polje
• Budva
• Cetinje
• Danilovgrad
• Herceg Novi
• Kolašin
• Kotor
• Mojkovac
• Nikšić
• Plav
• Plužine
• Pljevlja
• Podgorica
• Golubovci
• Tuzi
• Rožaje
• Šavnik
• Tivat
• Ulcinj
• Žabljak

Economy

Main article: Economy of Montenegro

During the era of communism Montenegro experienced a rapid period of urbanization and industrialization. An industrial sector based on electricity generation, steel, aluminum, coal mining, forestry and wood processing, textiles and tobacco manufacture was built up, with trade, overseas shipping, and particularly tourism, increasingly important by the late 1980s.

The loss of previously guaranteed markets and suppliers after the breakup of Yugoslavia left the Montenegrin industrial sector reeling as production was suspended and the privatization program, begun in 1989, was interrupted. The disintegration of the Yugoslav market, and the imposition of the UN sanctions in May 1992 were the causes of the greatest economic and financial crisis since World War II. During 1993, two thirds of the Montenegrin population lived below the poverty line, while frequent interruptions in relief supplies caused the health and environmental protection to drop below the minimum of international standards. The financial losses under the adverse effects of the UN sanctions on the overall economy of Montenegro are estimated to be approximately $6.39 billion. This period also experienced the second highest hyperinflation in history (3 million percent in January 1994) (The highest hyperinflation happened in Hungary after the end of World War II, when inflation there hit 4.19 x 10¹⁶ percent).

In 1997, Milo Đukanović took control over the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) and began severing ties with Milosevic' Serbia. He blamed the policies of Slobodan Milošević for the overall decline of the Montenegrin economy, as well as Milošević's systematic persecution of non-Serbs. Montenegro introduced the German mark as response to again-growing inflation, and insisted on taking more control over its economic fate. This eventually resulted in creation of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose union in which Montenegro mostly took responsibility for its economic policies.

This was followed by implementation of faster and more efficient privatization, passing of reform laws, introduction of VAT and usage of euro as Montenegro's legal tender.

Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of Montenegro and Demographic history of Montenegro

According to 2003 census, Montenegro has 620,145 citizens. If the methodology used up to 1991 was used in the 2003 census, Montenegro would officially have 673,094 citizens. Most recent estimates stake somewhere around 650,000 citizens.

Ethnic composition according to the 2003 census:^[42]

• Montenegrins: 267,669 (43.16%)
• Serbs: 198,414 (31.99%)
• Bosniaks: 48,184 (7.77%)
• Albanians: 31,163 (5.03%)
• Muslims by nationality: 24,625 (3.97%)
• Croats: 6,811 (1.1%)
• Roma: 2,601 (0.42%)
• Yugoslavs: 1,860 (0.3%)
• Macedonians: 819 (0.13%)
• Slovenes: 415 (0.07%)
• Hungarians: 362 (0.06%)
• Russians: 240 (0.04%)
• Egyptians: 225 (0.04%)
• Italians: 127 (0.02%)
• Germans: 118 (0.02%)
• others: 2,180 (0.35%)
• undeclared/undefined: 26,906 (4.34%)
• regional affiliation: 1,258 (0.2%)
• not known: 6,168 (0.99%)

Most inhabitants speak the official Serbian language, of the ijekavian dialect:

• Serbian: 393,740 (63.49%)
• Montenegrin: 136,208 (21.96%)
• Albanian: 32,603 (5.26%)
• Bosniak language: 19,906 (3.2%)
• Bosnian: 14,172 (2.29%)
• Croatian: 2,791 (0.45%)
• Roma: 2,602 (0.42%)
• Macedonian: 507 (0.08%)
• Hungarian: 255 (0.04%)
• Slovenian: 232 (0.04%)
• German: 126 (0.02%)
• other: 3,101 (0.5%)
• nondeclared and unknown: 13,902 (2.2%)

There are 24,610 refugees in Montenegro, forming 4.2% of the total population. 16,136 are refugees from Kosovo after 1999 and 8,474 expelled from Croatia and Bosnia.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Montenegro

The culture of Montenegro has been shaped by a variety of influences throughout history. The influence of Orthodox South Slavic, Central European, and seafaring Adriatic cultures (notably parts of Italy, like the Republic of Venice) have been the most important in recent centuries.

Montenegro has many significant cultural and historical sites, including heritage sites from the pre-Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque periods. The Montenegrin coastal region is especially well known for its religious monuments, including the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in ^[43] (Cattaro under the Venetians), the basilica of St. Luke (over 800 years), Our Lady of the Rocks (Škrpjela), the Savina Monastery and others. Montenegro's medieval monasteries contain thousands of square metres of frescos on their walls.

The traditional folk dance of the Montenegrins is the Oro, a circle dance that involves dancers standing on each other's shoulders in a circle while one or two dancers are dancing in the middle.

The first literary works written in the region are ten centuries old, and the first Montenegrin book was printed five hundred years ago. The first state-owned printing press was located in Cetinje in 1494, where the first South Slavic book, Oktoih, was printed the same year. Ancient manuscripts, dating from the thirteenth century, are kept in the Montenegrin monasteries. ^[44]

Montenegro's capital Podgorica and the former royal capital of Cetinje are the two most important centers of culture and the arts in the country.

Education

Main article: Education in Montenegro

Education in Montenegro is regulated by the Montenegrin Ministry of Education and Science.

Education starts in either pre-schools or elementary schools. Children enroll in elementary schools (Serbian: Osnovna škola) at the age of 6; it lasts 9 years. The students may continue their secondary education, which lasts 4 years (3 years for trade schools) and ends with graduation (Matura). Higher education lasts with a certain first degree after 3 to 6 years.

Sports

Serbia and Montenegro were represented by a single football team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament, despite having formally split just weeks prior to its start. Following this event, this team has been inherited by Serbia, while a new one was organized to represent Montenegro in international competitions.^[45] On March 24, 2007, the Montenegrin national team came from behind to win its first ever fixture, 2-1, in a friendly game against Hungary at the Podgorica Stadium. ^[46] On their 119th Session in Guatemala City in July 2007, the International Olympic Committee granted recognition and membership to the newly formed Montenegrin National Olympic Committee. Montenegro is set to debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

In popular culture

The first official international representation of Montenegro as an independent state was in the Miss World 2006 celebrated on September 30, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland. Ivana Knežević from the city of Bar was the first Miss Montenegro at any international beauty pageant. Both Montenegro and Serbia competed separately in this pageant for the first time after the state union came to an end.

Part of the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale is set in Montenegro, although the filming was done in Italy and the Czech Republic.

Nero Wolfe, the eccentric fictional detective created by American writer Rex Stout, is Montenegrin by birth. One Nero Wolfe novel, The Black Mountain, takes place in Tito-era Montenegro.

Jay Gatsby, the main character of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby, has supposedly fought in Montenegro in World War I, and has been given a medal of honour by the Montenegrin King Nicholas I.

Montenegrin Holidays

Holidays

Date	Name	Notes
1 January	New Year's Day	(non-working holiday)
7 January	Orthodox Christmas	(non-working)
7 April	Orthodox Good Friday	Date for 2007 only
8 April	Orthodox Easter	Date for 2007 only
9 April	Orthodox Easter Monday	Date for 2007 only
1 May	Labour Day	(non-working)
9 May	Victory Day
21 May	Independence Day	(non-working)
13 July	Statehood Day	(non-working)

Gallery

The Harbor in Budva.	Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Sv. Tripun) in Kotor.	Church in Perast.	The two islands off Perast.
Monastery of Holy Trinity, Pljevlja.	Husein-pasa's mosque with the tallest minaret (42m) in the Balkans, Pljevlja.	Durmitor.	Orjen.
Ostrog monastery.	Tara River Canyon.	Millennium bridge, Podgorica.	Nikšić.
Palace of the princes and kings of Montenegro, Cetinje.	Biogradska Gora.	View of Kotor from surrounding hills.

See also

Communications in Montenegro Cuisine of Montenegro Culture of Montenegro Economy of Montenegro Foreign relations of Montenegro History of Yugoslavia History of the Balkans

Languages of Montenegro Law enforcement in Montenegro List of rulers of Montenegro Military of Montenegro Montenegrin independence referendum Montenegrin Orthodox Church Montenegrin perper

Music of Montenegro Politics of Montenegro Savez Izviđača Crne Gore Sport in Montenegro Tourism in Montenegro Transport in Montenegro

References

Further reading

• Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro by Elizabeth Roberts (Hurst & Co, 2007) ISBN 978-1-85065-868-9
• Montenegro: The Divided Land by Thomas Fleming (2002) ISBN 0-9619364-9-5

External links

• Republic of Montenegro

Government

• Government of the Republic of Montenegro (in Serbian and English)
• Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro (in Serbian)
• President of the Republic of Montenegro (in Serbian and English)
• The Royal House of Montenegro
• Constitution of Montenegro (in Serbian)
• Republic Referendum Commission (in Serbian)
• OSCE Mission to Montenegro
• Embassy of the United States of America in Podgorica

General information

• [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mj.html CIA World Factbook profile on Montenegro]
• Open Directory Project - Montenegro directory category
• Kotor grad
• NJegos Network Studies
• Serb land of Montenegro - History of Montenegro from a Montenegrin Serb point of view
• Information on Montenegro
• Montenegro
• Cattaro (Kotor) and the Montenegro's venetian speaking areas around (italian)
• Photo Gallery of Montenegro
• About Montenegro
• Montenegro's History
• Montenegro Portal in Mother tongue and English database about tourism and economy
• The Njegoskij Fund Public Project Private family archives-based digital documentary fund focused on historic and modern Sovereign Montenegro.
• Republic of Montenegro
• Internet Krstarica - Montenegro Search Engine
• crnago - Montenegro Search Engine
• Blogovanje.com - First Montenegrin Blog Service
• Montenegro Maps
• Montenegro FAQ

Tourist guides

• Visit-Montenegro.com Tourist portal
• Montenegro Tourism Directory - Montenegro Tourism and Travel Guide Everything you need to know before coming to Montenegro
• Discover-montenegro.com general and touristical information about Montenegro
• Photo- Montenegro.com Enjoy Hundreds of Photos from Montenegro
• Tourism- Montenegro.com Largest Tourist Directory
• Destination-Montenegro.com - Tourist destinations in Montenegro
• Montenegro Summer Budva, Kotor, Tivat - Destinations in Montenegro
• Visit Montenegro site of the National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro
• Eurotrek Discuss travel to Montenegro with travellers
• Uherope Travel Tips to Montenegro
• The Unofficial Guide to Montenegro
• Travel Destinations in Montenegro
• Travel to Montenegro Information and Picture Gallery on Montenegro Wild Beauty
• Stevan Kordic's Photography - Photos from the costal area of Montenegro
• Rivijera.net Budva, Montenegro - Tourist Guide

Geographic locale

•  • [ e] Sovereign states of Europe Albania Andorra Armenia2 Austria Azerbaijan1 Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus2 Czech Republic Denmark3 Estonia Finland France1 Georgia1 Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy3 Kazakhstan1 Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands3 Norway3 Poland Portugal3 Romania Russia1 San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain1 Sweden Switzerland Turkey1 Ukraine United Kingdom3 Vatican City 1 Has part of its territory outside Europe.  2 Entirely in West Asia but having socio-political connections with Europe.  3 Has dependencies or similar territories outside Europe.  •  • [ e] Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea Albania Algeria Bosnia-Herzegovina Croatia  Cyprus  Egypt  France  Greece  Israel  Italy  Lebanon The template is . Please use instead. This usage is deprecated. Please replace it with {{tdeprecated|Montenegro|Country}}. '''The template is deprecated. Please use instead.  Malta  Monaco  Montenegro  Morocco  Slovenia  Spain  Syria  Tunisia  Turkey For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List of unrecognized countries.  •  • [ e] Republics and autonomous provinces of the former Yugoslavia (SFRY) Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Republic of Macedonia Montenegro Serbia (Kosovo • Vojvodina) Slovenia  •  • [ e] Slavic-speaking states West Slavic  Czech Republic  Poland  Slovakia South Slavic  Bulgaria  Croatia  Montenegro  Serbia  Slovenia East Slavic  Belarus  Russia  Transnistria (unrecognized)  Transnistria

International membership

•  • [ e] Council of Europe Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom  •  • [ e] European Union (EU) candidates Candidates Croatia (status) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (status) Turkey (status) Potential candidates Albania (status) Bosnia and Herzegovina (status) Montenegro (status) Serbia (status)