Map of Montenegro | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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.


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Location: Southeastern Europe between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N 19 18 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 14,026 km²
Land: 13,812 km²
Water: 214 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 625 km
Border countries: (5) 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
Extremes 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

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes

Geography
Note: strategic location along the Adriatic coast


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Population: 678,177 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: -0.925% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Montenegrin
Adjective: Montenegrin

Ethnic groups: Montenegrin 43% Serbian 32% Bosniak 8% Albanian 5% other (Muslims Croats Roma (Gypsy)) 12% (2003 census)

Languages: Serbian 63.6% Montenegrin (official) 22% Bosnian 5.5% Albanian 5.3% unspecified 3.7% (2003 census)

Religions: Orthodox 74.2% Muslim 17.7% Catholic 3.5% other 0.6% unspecified 3% atheist 1% (2003 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.925% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 11.17 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 8.51 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor
International agreements party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
Vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (2008)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Montenegro
Local long form: none
Local short form: Crna Gora
Former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Montenegro

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Podgorica
Geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 21 municipalities (opstine singular - opstina); Andrijevica Bar Berana Bijelo Polje Budva Cetinje Danilovgrad Herceg Novi Kolasin Kotor Mojkovac Niksic Plav Pljevlja Pluzine Podgorica Rozaje Savnik Tivat Ulcinj Zabljak

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

National holiday: National Day 13 July (1878)

Constitution: 19 October 2007 (approved by the Assembly)

Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May 2003)
Head of government: Prime Minister Milo DJUKANOVIC (since 29 February 2008)
Cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet
Elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 April 2008 (next to be held in 2013); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly
Election results: Filip VUJANOVIC reelected president; Filip VUJANOVIC 51.89%, Andrija MANDIC 19.55%, Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC 16.64%, Srdan MILIC 11.92%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 47.7%, Serbian List 14.4%, Coalition SNP-NS-DSS 13.8%, PZP 12.9%, Liberals and Bosniaks 3.7%, other (including Albanian minority parties) 7.5%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 41, Serbian List 12, Coalition SNP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11, Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Albanian minority parties 3

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)

Political parties and leaders: Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition for European Montenegro or DPS-SDP (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC] (includes Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC] and Social Democratic Party of SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]); Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc) (includes Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC] People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC] and Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]); Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARHDI]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberals and the Bosniak Party (bloc) [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] (includes Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] and Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]); Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; Serbian List (bloc) [Andrija MANDIC] (includes Party of Serb Radicals or SSR [Dusko SEKULIC] People's Socialist Party or NSS [Emilo LABUDOVIC] and Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC])

International organization participation: CE CEI EAPC EBRD FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU ITUC MIGA OPCW OSCE PCA PFP SECI UN UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMIL UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC
In the us chancery: 1610 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-6,108
In the us fax: [1] (202) 234-6,109
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Roderick W. MOORE
From the us embassy: Ljubljanska bb, 81,000 Podgorica, Montenegro
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [382] 81 225 417
From the us fax: [382] 81 241 358

Flag description: a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank used the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official currency collected customs tariffs and managed its own budget. The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. On 18 January 2007 Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization as well as negotiating a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $5.918 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7.5% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $3,800 (2005 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

Agriculture products: grains tobacco potatoes citrus fruits olives grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible

Industries: steelmaking aluminum agricultural processing consumer goods tourism

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: 259,100 (2004)
By occupation agriculture: 2%
By occupation industry: 30%
By occupation services: 68% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14.7% (2007 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 30 (2003)

Budget
Revenues: NA
Expenditures: NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 38% of GDP (2006)

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (2007)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 9.09% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $3.083 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: $NA

Exports: $171.3 million (2003)
Partners: Switzerland 83.9% Italy 6.1% Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3% (2006)

Imports: $601.7 million (2003)
Partners: Greece 10.2% Italy 10.2% Germany 9.6% Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.2% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $NA

Debt external: $650 million (2006)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004) 0.886 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Consumption: 18.6 million kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Consumption: NA m³

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 353,300 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 643,700 (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites
Domestic: GSM wireless service, available through 2 providers with national coverage, is growing rapidly
International: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect the national system

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .me
Users: 280,000 (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: compulsory national military service abolished August 2006

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (2007)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 250 km
Standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 7,368 km
Paved: 4,742 km
Unpaved: 2,626 km (2006)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 6
By type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 1
Registered in other countries: 3 (Bahamas 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Bar


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 7,000 (Kosovo); note - mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999
Idps: 16,192 (ethnic conflict in 1999 and riots in 2004) (2007)

Illicit drugs