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Geography |
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Capital |
Podgorica. |
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Area |
Montenegro (13,938 sq. km.) is slightly smaller than Connecticut. |
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Terrain |
Varied; mountainous regions with thick forests; central
plains; southwestern Adriatic coast with high shoreline
with very few islands off the coast. |
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Climate |
Generally continental; Mediterranean along the coast. |
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People |
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Nationality |
Noun--Montenegrin(s); adjective--Montenegrin. |
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Population |
630,548 (2004 Republic census). |
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Groups |
(2004 census): Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 31%, Bosniak
8%, Albanian 5%, Muslim 5%, Croatian 1%, Roma 0.5%. |
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Religions |
Orthodox 74%, Muslim 18%, Roman Catholic 4%. |
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Languages |
Serbo-Croatian 95%, Albanian 5%. |
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Government &
History |
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Official Name |
Republic of Montenegro |
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Government |
Republic. |
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Independence |
June 3, 2006 (declared by parliament after referendum in favor of
independence from state union of Serbia and Montenegro). |
Montenegro resisted the rule of the Ottoman Turks, maintaining its
independence and playing off its powerful neighbors against each
other. Montenegro was recognized as an independent and sovereign
principality by the Great Powers of Europe assembled at the Congress
of Berlin on July 13, 1878.
During World War I, Montenegro fought on the side of the Allies but
was defeated and occupied by Austria. Upon Austrian occupation, the
Montenegrin king, King Nikola I, and his government went into exile.
In late 1918, an Assembly met in Podgorica, and under the eyes of
the Serbian army, deposed King Nikola and declared unification with
Serbia. The government of Montenegro in exile denounced the
Assembly's action, to no avail. From 1919 to 1941, Montenegro was
part of what became known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, despite
armed resistance in the early 1920s to rule from Belgrade.
When Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by the Axis powers in
April 1941, Montenegro was appropriated by the Italians under a
nominally autonomous administration. While some Montenegrins sided
with Italy, motivated by antipathy against past rule from Belgrade,
the Partisan Revolt in Montenegro began early, on July 13, 1941, and
initially scored impressive successes against the Italian occupiers.
Throughout World War II, Montenegro served as an effective base and
refuge for Tito's Partisans. After the war, Montenegro was granted
the status of a republic within Yugoslavia.
The breakup of the Yugoslav federation after 1989 left Montenegro in
a precarious position. Between 1991 and 1992, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia all seceded from Yugoslavia.
On April 27, 1992 in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro joined in
passing the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Though Montenegro reaffirmed its political attachment to Serbia, a
sense of a distinct Montenegrin identity continued to thrive. The
government of Montenegro was critical of Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic's 1998-99 campaign in Kosovo, and the ruling coalition
parties boycotted the September 2000 federal elections, which led to
the eventual removal of Milosevic's regime.
In March 2002, the Belgrade Agreement was signed by the heads of the
federal and republican governments, setting forth the parameters for
a redefinition of Montenegro's relationship with Serbia within a
joint state. On February 4, 2003, the F.R.Y. parliament ratified the
Constitutional Charter, establishing a new state union and changing
the name of the country from Yugoslavia to Serbia and Montenegro. On
May 21, 2006, the Republic of Montenegro held a successful
referendum on independence and declared independence on June 3. |
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