'Montenegro' (
Serbian: Црна Гора or ''Crna Gora'',
pronounced , ), 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 on the west,
Bosnia and Herzegovina on the northwest,
Serbia on the northeast and
Albania on 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''.
De facto independent since the late
Middle Ages, and an internationally recognised country from
1878 until
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 and (
pinyin: "hēishān"
[6])
The ISO Alpha-2 code for Montenegro is ME and the Alpha-3 Code is MNE.
[7]
History
Main articles: 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 ()
Stefan Nemanja, who was born in
Ribnica, a settlement near
Doclea.
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.
Budva
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.
King Nikola of Montenegro
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.
Map of Serbia and Montenegro
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 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
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. The
Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) provided legal counsel to Montenegro during its negotiations with
Serbia over 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.
21st 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.
Front page of ''
Pobjeda ''following the successful independence referendum.
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.
International recognition of Montenegro
Main articles: Foreign relations of Montenegro
The first state to recognize Montenegro was
Iceland[24], on
June 8,
2006, followed by
Switzerland[25] and
Estonia[26] on
June 9, and
Russia on
June 11[27]. Recognition by
Croatia[28],
Bosnia and Herzegovina[29] and
Slovenia[30] soon followed. The
European Union[31] 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[32], as did the
People's Republic of China[33] and
France[34] 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[35], 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[36]. The United Nations, in a vote of the Security Council, extended full membership in the organization to Montenegro on June 22, 2006.
[37] Montenegro was confirmed as a member on June 28.
[38] 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.
[4]
Geography
Map of Montenegro
Montenegro borders
Croatia,
Serbia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Albania.
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 articles: Military of Montenegro
Government and politics
Main articles: Politics of Montenegro
Coat of Arms of the Republic of Montenegro from 1993 to 2004
.svg.png)
Flag of the Republic of Montenegro from 1993 to 2004
By its current
constitution, Montenegro is defined as a "
democratic,
welfare, and
ecological state".
; 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 is the
center-left Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) (''Demokratska Partija Socijalista Crna Gore''), in coalition with the much smaller
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
Independent State of Montenegro that had existed between
1941 and
1943 used a flag almost identical to the current flag of Montenegro, according to the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. The only difference is that the double-headed eagle was silver in colour and not golden.
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 music was composed by the King's son
Knjaz Mirko. The Montenegrin popular anthem has unofficially been ''
Onamo, 'namo!'' since King Nikola I wrote it in the 1860s.
Municipalities
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 articles: 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 10
16 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
Ethnic map of Montenegro according to the 1981 census.
Ethnic map of Montenegro according to the 2003 census.
,
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:
[40]
★
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%'')
Actually there it is a growing political movement toward calling
Montenegrin language the official language of the country and toward using the
Latin alphabet as the dominant one.
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Montenegro
Savina Monastery
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
[18] (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.
[42]
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 articles: 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.
[43] 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.
[44] 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
Gallery
See also
References
1. CIA World Factbook: Montenegro
2. HDI 2004, source: Government of Montenegro
3. List of members to the United Nations by joining date
4. Directorate of Communication - The Republic of Montenegro becomes 47th Council of Europe member state
5. Geography
6. this literal translation is used in Mainland China and Hong Kong; Taiwanese Mandarin uses 蒙特內哥羅 "méngtènèigēluó", a phonetic transcription of "Montenegro"
7. ISO 3166-1 Newsletter No. V-12, Date: 2006-09-26
8. Montenegro.org: Duklja, the first Montenegrin state
9. Montenet - History of Montenegro: Duklja (Doclea), the first Montenegrin state - Vojislavljevic' rule
10. Montenet - History of Montenegro: Balsics' Rule (1356-1427)
11. Montenegro.org: Zeta (Duklja) under the second Montenegrin dynasty, the Balsic (1356-1427)
12. Montenet - History of Montenegro: Prince Bishops Rule (Vladikat)
13. Montenet - History of Montenegro: Nicholas I Petrovic (1860-1918)
14. Montenegro.org: King Nikola I of Montenegro
15. Montenet - History of Montenegro: Podgorica's Assembly 1918
16. Montenegro.org: How the Montenegrin State and Kingdom Was Abolished in 1918
17. Montenegro.org: Christmas Uprising, 1919
18. Kotor
19. PORODICA NEDŽIBA LOJE O NJEGOVOM HAPŠENJU I DEPORTACIJI 1992. GODINE [2]
20.
21. BBC News: Montenegro vote result confirmed
22. BBC News: Montenegro declares independence
23. http://index.hu/politika/kulfold/kvz0906/
24. Government of Montenegro: Iceland recognises Montenegrin independence
25. Government of Montenegro: Switzerland recognises Montenegrin independence
26. Estonia recognized the independence of Montenegro
27. Government of Montenegro: Russia recognises Montenegrin independence
28. Government of Montenegro: Croatia recognises Montenegrin independence
29. JamaicaObserver.com: Bosnia recognises Montenegro as independent state
30. Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Vzpostavitev diplomatskih odnosov s Črno goro
31. Governement of Montenegro: European Union recognises Montenegrin independence
32. Government of Montenegro: United Kingdom recognises Montenegrin independence
33. People's Daily Online: China recognizes independence of Montenegro
34. Government of Montenegro: France recognises Montenegrin independence
35. BBC News: Montenegro gets Serb recognition
36. DTT-NET.COM: Montenegro set to become member of OSCE
37. smh.com.au: Montenegro recommended as UN membership
38. UN News Centre: Annan, General Assembly welcome Montenegro as 192nd UN Member State
39. Directorate of Communication - The Republic of Montenegro becomes 47th Council of Europe member state
40. Official results of the 2003 Montenegrin census
41. Kotor
42. Montenet - History of Montenegro: Crnojevic Rule
43. UEFA: Montenegro set for big adventure
44. Montenegro take a bow at victory
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
; 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
★
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 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
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