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.

Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N 19 18 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 13,812 km²
Rank: 161
Land: 13,452 km²
Water: 360 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

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes

Geography
Note: strategic location along the Adriatic coast

Population: 672,180 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 164
Growth rate: -0.851% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 232
Below poverty line: 7% (2007 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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 16%
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 244,949/female 227,794)
65 years and over: 13.7% (male 37,217/female 54,729) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.7 years
Male: 35.2 years
Female: 38.4 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.851% (2009 est.)
Rank: 232

Birth rate: 11.14 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 173

Death rate: 8.63 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 90

Urbanization
Urban population: 60% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -0.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.08 male/female
Under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (2009)

Education expenditures: NA

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 Berane Bijelo Polje Budva Cetinje Danilovgrad Herceg Novi Kolasin Kotor Mojkovac Niksic Plav Pljevlja Pluzine Podgorica Rozaje Savnik Tivat Ulcinj Zabljak

Independence: 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

National holiday: National Day 13 July (1878)

Constitution: approved 19 October 2007 (by the Assembly)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC
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: unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats in 2006)
Elections: last held 29 March 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 51.94% SNP 16.83% NSD 9.22% PZP 6.03% other (including Albanian minority parties) 15.98%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 48 SNP 16 NSD 8 PZP 5 Albanian minority parties 4

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 or 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 BARDHIJ]; 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]; New Serb Democracy or NSD [Andrija MANDIC]; 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]); Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Srdjan MILIC]

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 consulate 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

Economy overview: Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank adopted the Deutchmark then the euro - rather than 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 and signed a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in October 2007. On December 15 2008 Montenegro submitted an EU membership application. Unemployment and regional disparities in development are key political and economic problems. 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. The global financial crisis is likely to have a significant negative impact on the economy.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 153
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 27

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 104
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

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

Labor force: 259,100 (2004)
Rank: 162
By occupation agriculture: 2%
By occupation industry: 30%
By occupation services: 68% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14.7% (2007 est.)
Rank: 152

Population below poverty line: 7% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 30 (2003)
Rank: 115

Budget
Revenues: NA
Expenditures: NA

Public debt: 38% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 59

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (2007)
Rank: 43

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 9.09% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 92

Stock of domestic credit:

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 90

Current account balance: -$1.102 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 124

Exports: $171.3 million (2003)
Rank: 183

Imports: $601.7 million (2003)
Rank: 182

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $NA

Debt external: $650 million (2006)
Rank: 160

Exchange rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.) 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006) 0.8041 (2005) 0.8054 (2004)

Electricity
Production: 2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Production rank: 128
Consumption: 18.6 million kWh (2005)
Consumption rank: 206
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Consumption: NA m³

Telephones
Main lines in use: 362,000 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 105
Mobile cellular: 735,000 (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 147

Telephone system
General assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites
Domestic: GSM wireless service available through 3 providers with national coverage is growing
International: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect the national system

Internet
Country code: .me
Hosts: 3,245 (2009)
Hosts rank: 141
Users: 294,000 (2008)
Users rank: 128

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

Airports: 5 (2009)
Rank: 182
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2009)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Railways
Total: 250 km
Rank: 126
Standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2007)

Roadways
Total: 7,368 km
Rank: 146
Paved: 4,742 km
Unpaved: 2,626 km (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 6
Rank: 129
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

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 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)