| Official name | Republika Crna Gora (Republic of Montenegro) |
|---|---|
| Form of government | multiparty republic with one legislative house (Parliament [81])1 |
| Chief of state | President |
| Head of government | Prime Minister |
| Capital | Podgorica; Cetinje is the old royal capital |
| Official language | Montenegrin |
| Official religion | none |
| Monetary unit | euro (€)2 |
| Population estimate | (2007) 624,000 |
| Total area (sq mi) | 5,333 |
| Total area (sq km) | 13,812 |
![[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/79/95679-003-E66C3787.gif)
![Karstic terrain near Cetinje, Monte.[Credits : The J. Allan Cash Photolibrary, London]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/21/6221-003-A1C541CB.gif)
country located in the west-central Balkans at the southern end of the Dinaric Alps. It is bounded by the Adriatic Sea and Croatia (southwest), Bosnia and Herzegovina (northwest), Serbia (northeast), Kosovo (east), and Albania (southeast). Montenegro’s administrative capital is Podgorica, though its cultural centre is the historical capital and older city of Cetinje. For much of the 20th century Montenegro was a part of Yugoslavia, and from 2003 to 2006 it was a component of the federated union of Serbia and Montenegro.
![[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/80/95680-003-192105F9.gif)
The country’s names—both Montenegro (from Venetian Italian) and Crna Gora—denote “Black Mountain,” in reference to Mount Lovćen (5,738 ft [1,749 m]), its historical centre near the Adriatic Sea and its stronghold in the centuries of struggle with the Turks. Alone among the Balkan states, Montenegro was never subjugated. The old heartland of Montenegro, in the southwest, is mainly a karstic region of arid hills, with some cultivable areas—e.g., around Cetinje and in the Zeta valley. The eastern districts, which include part of the Dinaric Alps (Mount Durmitor, 8,274 ft [2,522 m]), are more fertile and have large forests and grassy uplands. The drainage system of Montenegro flows in two opposite directions; the Piva, Tara, and Lim rivers follow northerly courses, the Morača and Zeta rivers southerly ones.
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
Karstic-terrain-near-Cetinje-MonteKarstic terrain near Cetinje, Monte.[Credits : The J. Allan Cash Photolibrary, London]
[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]
The-monastery-at-Cetinje-MonteThe monastery at Cetinje, Monte.[Credits : J. Allan Cash]
Sveti-Stefan-MonteSveti Stefan, Monte.[Credits : © Don Klumpp—The Image Bank/Getty Images]
Montenegrins-celebrating-independence-in-Cetinje-May-22-2006Montenegrins celebrating independence in Cetinje, May 22, 2006.[Credits : AP]
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