Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Official Name:
After being part of “Yugoslavia,” then “Serbia and Montenegro,”
it's now the Republic of Montenegro (Republika Crna Gora)—which means “Black
Mountain.” It might have gotten its name from sailors who saw darkly forested cliffs
as they approached, or it may have been named for a mythical mountain in the coun-
try's interior.
Snapshot History:
Long overshadowed by its Croatian and Serbian neighbors,
Montenegro finally achieved independence on June 3, 2006, in a landmark vote to
secede from Serbia—its influential and sometimes overbearing “big brother.”
Population:
Montenegro is home to 662,000 people. Of these, the vast majority
are Eastern Orthodox Christians (45 percent Montenegrins, 29 percent Serbs), with
minority groups of Muslims (including Bosniaks and Albanians, about 13 percent
total) and Catholics (1 percent).
Area:
5,415 square miles (slightly smaller than Connecticut).
Red Tape:
Americans andCanadians need onlyapassport (novisa required) toenter
Montenegro.
Geography:
Montenegroischaracterizedbyarugged,rockyterrainthatrisesstraight
up from the Adriatic and almost immediately becomes a steep mountain range. The
country has 182 miles of coastline, about a third of which constitutes the Bay of Ko-
tor.Theonlyrealcityisthedrearycapitalintheinterior,Podgorica(144,000people).
Each of Yugoslavia's six republics had a town called Titograd, and Podgorica was
Montenegro's.
Economy:
Upondeclaringindependencein2006,Montenegro'seconomywasweak.
But the privatization of its economy (including its dominant industry, aluminum)
and the aggressive development of its tourist trade (such as soliciting foreign invest-
ment—mostly Russian—to build new luxury hotels) have turned things around. In
fact,in2008,Montenegrohadthemostforeigninvestment,percapita,ofanycountry
inEurope.Butit'sstillapoorplace:Montenegro'sunemploymentratehoversaround
19 percent, and its per capita GDP is just $18,000.
Currency:
Though it's not a member of the European Union, Montenegro uses the
euro as its currency: €1 = about $1.30.
Language and Alphabet:
The official language is Montenegrin, which is nearly
identical toSerbian butpredominantly uses“our”Roman alphabet (rather thanCyril-
lic).Still,you'llseeplentyofCyrillichere—targetingthecountry'slargeSerbminor-
ity as well as Russian tourists and investors.
Telephones:
Montenegro's country code is 382. When calling from another country,
first dial the international access code (00 from Europe, 011 from the US), then 382,
