This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Montenegro

Introduction
Montenegro

Background:

The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the
Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta;
over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its
independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th
centuries, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop
princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality.
After World War I, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs,
Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in
1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent
republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the
latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser
union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its
right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to
hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for
severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU
- allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June
2006.

Geography
Montenegro

Location:

Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Geographic coordinates:

42 30 N, 19 18 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 14,026 sq km
land: 13,812 sq km
water: 214 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 625 km
border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km,
Croatia 25 km, Kosovo 79 km, Serbia 124 km

Coastline:

293.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: defined by treaty

Climate:

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively
cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

Terrain:

highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged
high limestone mountains and plateaus

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, hydroelectricity

Land use:

arable land: 13.7%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 85.3%

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes

Environment -