Montenegro - Reference, Further reading

Montenegro (Serbian: Црна Гора or Crna Gora, pronounced /'t͡sr̩naː 'ɡɔra/), officially the Republic of Montenegro (Република Црна Гора or Republika Crna Gora), is a country located in southeastern Europe.

Independent from the late Middle Ages until 1918, the country was later a part of various incarnations of Yugoslavia and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. Based on the results of a referendum held on May 21, 2006, Montenegro declared independence on June 3, 2006.

Name

Montenegro's native name, Crna Gora, was first mentioned in a charter of St. Nicholas Monastery (Vranjina) issued by the Serbian King Milutin, in 1296 and translates literally to "black mountain", a reference to the dark forests that once covered the slopes of the Dinaric Alps as seen from the coast.

The ISO Alpha-2 code for Montenegro is ME and the Alpha-3 Code is MNE.

The Principality of Zeta (which more closely corresponds to the early modern state of Montenegro) asserted itself towards 1360.

In 1516, the secular prince Đurađ Crnojević abdicated in favour of the Archbishop Vavil, who then made Montenegro into a theocratic state under the rule of the prince-bishop (vladika) of Cetinje, a position held from 1697 by the Petrović-Njegoš family of the Riđani clan.

In 1910, Prince Nikola I became King of Montenegro.

Montenegro emerged from the Balkan Wars doubled in size, receiving half of the former Ottoman territory known as the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, but without Skutari, the country's major prize in the war.

An allied power during World War I, Montenegro was occupied by Austro-Hungarian troops.

From 1919 to 1941, Montenegro was a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which renamed itself the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. From 1945 to 1992, Montenegro separated from Serbia and became a constituent republic in its own right of the Socialist Federal Republic 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.

In 1996, Milo Đukanović's government de facto severed ties between Montenegro and Serbia, which was then still under Milošević.

In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to a new agreement regarding continued cooperation. In 2003, the Yugoslav federation was replaced in favour of a looser state union named Serbia and Montenegro and a possible referendum on Montenegrin independence was postponed for a minimum of three years.

Independence

The status of the union between Montenegro and Serbia was decided by a referendum on Montenegrin independence on May 21, 2006. Serbia, the member-states of the European Union, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have all recognized Montenegro's independence; However, the pro-Union bloc in Montenegro refused to acknowledge the result of the referendum, as they allege that up to 16,000 foreign people came into the country to vote pro independence, and that the Montenegrins in Serbia were given free train passes to vote pro-union.

On June 3, 2006, the Parliament of Montenegro declared the independence of Montenegro, 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 dead shortly thereafter.

Montenegro began the process of seeking international recognition as well as a seat at international organizations, and on June 28, 2006, it became the 192nd member state of the United Nations.

International recognition of Montenegro

The first state to recognise Montenegro was Iceland, on June 8, 2006, followed by Switzerland and Estonia on June 9, and Russia on June 11. The European Union and the United States recognized Montenegro on June 12, as have various member states of the EU and other European countries (including Bulgaria ). The United Kingdom formally extended recognition on June 13, as did the People's Republic of China and France on June 14, meaning that all five permanent United Nations Security Council members recognise the government of Montenegro.

Geography

Montenegro borders Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania.

Some of the cities and towns in Montenegro are:

Montenegro's large Karst region lies generally at elevations of 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) above sea level — however some parts rise to 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) like Mount Orjen (1,894 m / 6,214 ft), the highest massif among the coastal limestone ranges.

The rough mountains of Montenegro include some of the most rugged terrain in Europe.

Government and politics

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) comprises the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers as well as ministers. The ruling party in Montenegro is the center-left Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) (Demokratska Partija Socijalista Crna Gore), in coalition with 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 and secret ballots.

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 constituent Assembly was on 2 October)

Symbols

A new official flag of Montenegro was adopted on July 12, 2004 by the Montenegrin legislature.

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. Montenegro's official anthem during the reign of King Nikola was Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori (To our beautiful Montenegro).

Administrative divisions

Montenegro is divided into 21 municipalities (opština), and 2 urban municipalities, subdivisions of Podgorica municipality:

Economy

During the era of communism Montenegro experienced a rapid period of urbanization and industrialization.

Due to its favourable geographical location (it had access to the Adriatic Sea and a water-link to Albania across Lake Skadar) Montenegro became a hub for smuggling activity.

In 1997, Milo Đukanović took control over the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro (DPS) and began severing ties with Serbia. This eventually resulted in creation of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose union in which Montenegro mostly took responsibilty 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. People who may declare themselves Serbs if living in Montenegro, to emphasise their connection with the Serbian cultural space, may declare themselves Montenegrins in Serbia, as the identity needing to be emphasised would be the Montenegrin one.

In the constitution of Montenegro adopted in 1992, the official language of the republic was changed from Serbo-Croat to the Ijekavian standard dialect of Serbian.

Culture

Because of the country's location, the culture of Montenegro has been shaped by a variety of influences throughout history.

Montenegro has many significant cultural and historical sites, including heritage sites from the pre-Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque periods.

Montenegro's capital Podgorica and the former royal capital of Cetinje are the two most importantant centers of culture and the arts in the country.

Education

Education in Montenegro is regulated by the Montenegrin Ministry of Education and Science.

Miscellaneous

Serbia and Montenegro were represented by a single football team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup tournament, despite having formally split just days prior to its start.

The first official international representation of Montenegro as an independent state was in the Miss World 2006 celebrated on September 30th, 2006 in Warsaw, Poland. Both Montenegro and Serbia competed separately in this pageant for the first time after the state union came to an end on June 3 2006.

Recognition in popular culture following independence has been swift, with Montenegro providing a setting for the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006 film), the location of the titular casino (relocated from the fictional French town of the novel, Casino Royale).

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (Sv.

Church in Perast.

The two islands off Perast.

Monastery of Holy Trinity, Pljevlja.

Husein-pasa's mosque with the tallest minaret (42m) in the Balkans, Pljevlja.

Durmitor.

Orjen.

Njegoš's mausoleum on top of the Mount Lovćen.

Ostrog monastery.

Tara River Canyon.

Millennium bridge, Podgorica.

Nikšić.

Palace of the Princes and Kings of Montenegro, Cetinje.

Savina monastery.

Biogradska Gora.