Montenegro

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Before the arrival of the Slav peoples in the Balkans in the 6th and 7th centuries CE, the area now known as Montenegro was inhabited principally by people known as Illyrians.

During the Early Medieval period, three principalities were located on the territory of modern-day Montenegro: Duklja, roughly corresponding to the southern half; Travunia, the west; and Rascia proper, the north. The Principality of Zeta emerged in the 14th and 15th centuries.

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Etymology

Montenegro's ( MON-tin-E(E)G-roh, -⁠AY-groh; Montenegrin: Crna Gora / Црна Гора, Montenegrin pronunciation: [t͡sr̂ːnaː gǒra]; Albanian: Mali i Zi) English name is a literal translation from a Venetian calque of the Montenegrin phrase "Crna Gora", or "Black Mountain", deriving from the appearance of Mount Lovćen, which was covered in dense evergreen forests. Crna Gora was mentioned for the first time in edicts issued by Stefan Uroš I to the Serbian Orthodox Zeta Episcopate seat at Vranjina island in Lake Skadar. It came to denote the majority of contemporary Montenegro in the 15th century.

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History

Modern-day Montenegro was part of Illyria and populated by the Indo-European-speaking Illyrians. The Illyrian kingdom was conquered by the Roman Republic in the Illyro-Roman Wars and the region was incorporated into the province of Illyricum (later Dalmatia and Praevalitana).

Three principalities were located on the territory: Duklja, roughly corresponding to the southern half, Travunia, the west, and Raška, the north. Duklja gained its independence from the Byzantine Roman Empire in 1042.

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Geography

Montenegro features high peaks along its borders with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia. Its geography also includes a segment of the karst of the western Balkan Peninsula, to a narrow coastal plain that is only 1.5 to 6 kilometres (1 to 4 miles) wide. The plain stops abruptly in the north, where Mount Lovćen and Mount Orjen plunge into the inlet of the Bay of Kotor.

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Politics

Montenegro is a parliamentary representative democratic republic with a codified constitution established in 2007. The constitution describes Montenegro as a "civic, democratic, ecological state of social justice, based on the reign of Law". Montenegro is a multi-party system.

The President of Montenegro is the representative head of state, elected for a period of five years through direct election.

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Economy

The economy of Montenegro is mostly service-based and is in late transition to a market economy. According to the International Monetary Fund, the nominal GDP of Montenegro was $5.424 billion in 2019. The GDP PPP for 2019 was $12.516 billion, or $20,083 per capita. According to Eurostat data, the Montenegrin GDP per capita stood at 48% of the EU average in 2018.

Montenegro joined the Central European Free Trade Agreement in 2007 and has a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association since 2012.

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Demographics

The 2023 census reported 623,633 citizens. Montenegro is a multiethnic state with no ethnic majority. Montenegrins make up 41.1% of the population, Serbs 32.9%, Bosniaks 9.45%, Albanians 4.99%, and Russians 2.01%. There is a significant number of other ethnic groups, including Romani people, Croats, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Turks.

The official language in Montenegro is Montenegrin. Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, and Croatian are recognised in official usage. Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian are mutually intelligible as standard varieties of the Serbo-Croatian language.

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Culture

Montenegrin culture has been shaped most importantly by Orthodox, Ottoman (Turk), Slavic, Central European, and seafaring Adriatic cultures (notably parts of Italy, like the Republic of Venice).

Montenegro has many significant cultural and historical sites, including heritage sites from the pre-Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque periods. The Montenegrin coastal region is known for its religious monuments, including the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in Kotor (Cattaro under the Venetians), the basilica of St. Luke (over 800 years), Our Lady of the Rocks (Škrpjela), the Savina Monastery and others. Medieval monasteries contain many artistically important frescoes.

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