Capital: Podgorica
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Borders: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km,
Croatia 25 km, Kosovo 79 km, Serbia 124 km
Montenegro is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a
coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by
Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia
to the northeast, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south. Its
capital and largest city is Podgorica, while Cetinje is designated
as the Prijestonica, meaning the former Royal Capital City.
The thousand-year history of the Montenegrin state begins in the 9th
century with the emergence of Duklja, a vassal state of Byzantium.
In those formative years, Duklja was ruled by the Vojislavljevic
dynasty. In 1042, at the end of his 25-year rule, King Vojislav won
a decisive battle near Bar against Byzantium, and Duklja became
independent. Duklja's power and prosperity reached their zenith
under King Vojislav's son, King Mihailo (1046-81), and his son King
Bodin (1081-1101). From the 11th century, it started to be referred
to as Zeta. It ended with its incorporation into Raska, and
beginning with the Crnojevic dynasty, Zeta was more often referred
to as Crna Gora or by the Venetian term monte negro. A sovereign
principality since the Late Middle Ages, Montenegro saw its
independence from the Ottoman Empire formally recognized in 1878.
From 1918, it was a part of various incarnations of Yugoslavia. On
the basis of a referendum held on 21 May 2006, Montenegro declared
independence on 3 June.
Montenegro is a member of the United Nations, the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and CEFTA.
Montenegro is also a potential candidate for membership of the
European Union and NATO. Montenegro presented its official
application to the European Union, with the hopes of gaining EU
candidate status by 2009 and applied for a Membership Action Plan on
November 5, 2008, with the hopes it would be accepted in 2009.
Additionally, Montenegro is a founding member of the Union for the
Mediterranean upon its establishment in 2008.
Internationally, Montenegro borders Croatia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Albania. Historically, its territory
was divided into "nahije".
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 (6 km) wide.
The plain stops abruptly in the north, where Mount Lovćen and Mount
Orjen plunge 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.
The climate of Montenegro is continental in the
north, with harsh winters and very hot, humid summers. The centre of
Montenegro enjoys a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and much
sunshine, especially along the Adriatic coastline. Inland from the
coast, the winters bring much snow with them in the southeast. |
