Montenegro

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.

Geography:

Location:
Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Geographic coordinates:
42 30 N, 19 18 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 13,812 sq km
country comparison to the world: 161
land: 13,452 sq km
water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:
total: 625 km
border countries: 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:

Current Weather
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
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

Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor

Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
strategic location along the Adriatic coast

Nationality:
noun: Montenegrin(s)
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 (includes Croatian) 3.7% (2003 census)

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

Population:
657,394 (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.5% (male 50,060/female 52,823)
15-64 years: 71% (male 244,057/female 225,620)
65 years and over: 13.5% (male 35,551/female 53,696) (2011 est.)

Median age:
total: 38.3 years
male: 37.1 years
female: 39.6 years (2012 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.633% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 222

Birth rate:
10.89 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174

Death rate:
9.03 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67

Urbanization:
urban population: 61% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 0.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population:
PODGORICA (capital) 144,000 (2009)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:
8 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 162

Hospital bed density:
3.98 beds/1,000 population (2007)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (2009)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
2.2% (2006)
country comparison to the world: 108

Education expenditures:
NA

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.4%
female: 97.4% (2010 est.)

Government:

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:
civil law 

International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 6 April 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Igor LUKSIC (since 29 December 2010)
cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet

elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 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 51.9%, Andrija MANDIC 19.6%, Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC 16.6%, Srdan MILIC 11.9%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 29 March 2009
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 serve nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)

Political parties and leaders:
Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition for European Montenegro (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC] (includes Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC], Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC], Bosniak Party of BS [Rafet HUSOVIC], and Croatian Civic Initiative or HGI [Marija VUCINOVIC]); Democratic Center or DC [Goran BATRICEVIC]; Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARDHIJ]; Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Mehmet ZENKA]; FORCA [Nazif CUNGU]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Andrija POPOVIC]; Movement for Change or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; New Serb Democracy or NOVA [Andrija MANDIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC]; Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC]

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

Flag description:
a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered; the arms consist of a double-headed golden eagle - symbolizing the unity of church and state - surmounted by a crown; the eagle holds a golden scepter in its right claw and a blue orb in its left; the breast shield over the eagle shows a golden lion passant on a green field in front of a blue sky; the lion is symbol of episcopal authority and harks back to the three and a half centuries that Montenegro was ruled as a theocracy

National symbol(s):
double-headed eagle

Economy:

Economy - overview:
Montenegro's economy is transitioning to a market system, but the state sector remains large and additional institutional changes are needed. The economy relies heavily on tourism and the export of refined metals. Unprofitable state-owned enterprises weigh on public finances. Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank, adopted the deutsch mark, 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. In January 2007, Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF. Montenegro became the 156th member of World Trade Organization in December 2011. The European Council (EC) granted candidate country status to Montenegro at the December 2010 session. Montenegro will begin negotiations to join the EC in 2012, if it meets the conditions set down by the European Council, which call on Montenegro to take further steps to fight corruption and organized crime. 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 had a significant negative impact on the economy, due to the ongoing credit crunch, a decline in the real estate sector, and a fall in aluminum exports. In 2011, real GDP growth reached 1.8%, the highest it has been in three years.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$7.249 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
$7.075 billion (2010 est.)
$6.903 billion (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.536 billion (2011 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.5% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
2.5% (2010 est.)
-5.7% (2009 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,700 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
$11,000 (2010 est.)
$10,700 (2009 est.)
note: data are in 2011 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.8%
industry: 11.3%
services: 87.9% (2011)

Labor force:
251,300 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 6.3%
industry: 20.9%
services: 72.8% (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate:
11.5% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
14.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:
6.6% (2010 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
24.3 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 135
30 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67

Budget:
revenues: $1.7 billion
expenditures: $1.9 billion (2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues:
37.5% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-4.4% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143

Public debt:
45% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
38% of GDP (2006 est.)
note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2011)
country comparison to the world: 59
3.4% (2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
9.69% (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
9.53% (31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of narrow money:
$749 million (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
$1.172 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of broad money:
$1.982 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
$1.446 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:
$3.29 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 124
$3.771 billion (31 December 2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$3.322 billion (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 89
$3.604 billion (31 December 2010)
$4.289 billion (31 December 2009)

Agriculture - products:
tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheep

Industries:
steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism

Electricity - production:
2.66 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128

Electricity - consumption:
4.1 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports:
1.5 billion kWh (2010 est.)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202

Oil - consumption:
4,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179

Oil - imports:
3,149 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 169

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m NA cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207

Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105

Current account balance:
-$1.927 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
-$1.102 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:
$640 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
$171.3 million

Exports - partners:
Serbia 17.5%, Hungary 16.9%, Croatia 10.1% (2011 est.)

Imports:
$2.5 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
$601.7 million

Imports - partners:
Serbia 28.4%, Greece 7.9%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.6% (2011 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$400 million (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 147

Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
$650 million

Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.7194 (2011 est.)
0.755 (2010 est.)
0.7198 (2009 est.)
0.6827 (2008 est.)
0.7345 (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications:

Telephones - main lines in use:
169,500 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 130

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.17 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 151

Telephone system:
general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites
domestic: GSM mobile-cellular service, available through multiple providers with national coverage, is growing
international: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect the national system

Broadcast media:
state-funded national radio-TV broadcaster operates 2 terrestrial TV networks, 1 satellite TV channel, and 2 radio networks; 4 public TV stations and some 20 private TV stations; 14 local public radio stations and more than 40 private radio stations (2007)

Internet country code:
.me

Internet hosts:
9,915 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 134

Internet users:
280,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 133

Transportation:

Airports:
5 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 181

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)

Heliports:
1 (2012)

Railways:
total: 250 km
country comparison to the world: 124
standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (169 km electrified) (2007)

Roadways:
total: 7,624 km
country comparison to the world: 145
paved: 5,097 km
unpaved: 2,527 km (2008)

Merchant marine:
total: 2
country comparison to the world: 146
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1
registered in other countries: 4 (Bahamas 2, Honduras 1, Slovakia 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals:
Bar

Military:

Military branches:
Armed Forces of the Republic of Montenegro: Army of Montenegro (includes Montenegrin Navy (Mornarica Crne Gore, MCG)), Air Force (2011)

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

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 149,159
females age 16-49: 131,823 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 3,120
female: 3,677 (2010 est.)

Transnational Issues:

Disputes - international:
none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 10,948 (Kosovo) (2010)

Source: Central Intelligence Agency`s World Factbook