Montenegro Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
- This article is about the republic in Serbia-Montenegro, Europe. For the city in Brazil, see Montenegro, Brazil.
Montenegro is a democratic, social and ecological state - according to its constitution.
Between 1945 and 2003 it was a republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia respectively; it is now one of two constituent parts of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro.
The principal cities are the capital Podgorica (139,100 inhabitants), Nikšić (57,600), Pljevlja (18,800) and Bijelo Polje (17,100). The former royal capital and the seat of the throne is Cetinje.
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| Official language | Serbian | ||||
| Capital | Podgorica | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | 13,812 km² n/a | ||||
| Population - Total (2003) - Density | 616,258 48.7/km² | ||||
| Ethnic groups | Montenegrins: 43% Serbs: 32% Bosniaks: 8% Albanians: 5% Others: 12% | ||||
| President | Filip Vujanović | ||||
| Prime Minister | Milo Đukanović | ||||
| Anthem (state) | Oj, svijetla majska zoro Official MP3 version (melody) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +1 | ||||
| Carrier | Montenegro Airlines | ||||
| Currency | Euro | ||||
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2 Union with Serbia 3 Symbols 4 See also 5 External links |
Main article: Demographic history of Montenegro
Ethnic composition according to the 2003 census:
Demographics
Montenegrins are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christians. The two major branches are the Serb Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, which was re-established in 1993. Also, many Montenegrin citizens are of the Muslim faith.
On the last referendum on remaining in Yugoslavia in 1992, some 96% of the votes were cast for keeping the federation with Serbia, although the turnout was at 66% because of a boycott by the Muslim and Catholic minorities as well as of pro-independence Montenegrins. Proponents of independence claim that the poll was organized in undemocratic conditions with widespread propaganda from the state-controlled media in favour of a federation vote.
In 1996, Milo Đukanović's government de facto severed ties between Montenegro and Serbia (back then still under Milošević). The tensions between the two states still simmer regardless of the political changes in Belgrade. Montenegro formed its own economic policy and switched to the Deutsche Mark as its currency. It is currently exclusively using the euro, though it is not formally part of the Eurozone. Serbian Dinar is not legal tender in Montenegro and is not accepted as a mode of payment.
The current and previous government of Montenegro are carrying out pro-independence policies after recongizing the failure of remaining in a joint state with Serbia. They postponed the census twice, under pressure from the international community, which was afraid for the stability of Serbia, from 2001 to 2002 and then November 2003). They also postponed the independence referendum countless times, which caused many independence supporters too loose faith in the government's will for independence.
In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to a new agreement regarding continued cooperation. In 2003, the Yugoslav federation was replaced in favor of a looser state union named Serbia and Montenegro and the possible referendum for Montenegro's independence was postponed until 2006.
The status of the state union between Serbia and Montenegro is probably going to be decided when the three-year-set moratorium on an independence referendum ends.
Montenegro's parliament on July 12, 2004, adopted a new flag, national anthem and national day, as part of a push for the republic's independence from the state union of Serbia and Montenegro.
The flag of the former Montenegrin monarchy: the gold coat of arms of the King Nikola on red field with a gold border (the initials НI of King Nikola, however, are left out), shown above, was adopted as the official flag of Montenegro on July 12th 2004 by the Parliament of Montenegro.
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 the first popular uprising in Europe against the Axis Powers on 13 July 1941 in Montenegro.
Parliament selected the popular folk song "Oh Bright Dawn" as the national anthem.
This is an Article on Montenegro. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Montenegro Union with Serbia
Symbols
See also
External links