Montenegro - Montenegro Consul in Florida

Where is Montenegro?

Montenegro is located in the south-eastern part of Europe, east across the Adriatic Sea from Italy. In addition to the coastline, it shares its international boundaries with Croatia in the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the northwest, Serbia in the northeast, Kosovo in the east, and Albania in the southeast. Podgorica is the largest and capital city of the country.

General Information

Area: 13.812 km²
Population: 620 000
Length of borders: 614 km
Capital: Podgorica (186 000 inhabitants) – administrative and economic centre
Royal capital: Cetinje – historical and cultural centre
Currency: Euro
Length of the sea coast: 293 km
Number of beaches: 117
Length of beaches: 52 km
Longest beach: Velika plaža (Ulcinj) – 13 km
Highest mountain peaks: Maja Rosit (Prokletije) – 2.524 m, Zla Kolata (Prokletije) – 2534m n.v.; Dobra Kolata (Prokletije)- 2528m v.n.; Bobotov Kuk (Durmitor) -2523 m v.n.
Largest lake: Skadar Lake (391 m²)
Deepest canyon: Tara (1.300 m)
National parks: Durmitor, Biogradska gora, Skadarsko jezero, Lovćen, Prokletije
Largest bay: the Bay of Kotor
Climate: Continental-Mediterranean
Average air temperature: 27.4 ºC (summer)
Maximum sea temperature: 27.1 º C
Average number of sunny days during the year: 240
Swimming season: 180 days
Sea: dark blue
Transparency of the sea: 38-56 m
Time zone: GTM +1
Electrical power system: 220V/50Hz

National Holidays

January 1st – New Year’s Day
January 6th – Christmas & Epiphany (Eastern Church)
March 29th – Good Friday (Western Church)
April 1st – Easter Day (Western Church)
May 1st – Labor Day
May 3rd – Good Friday (Eastern Church)
May 6th – Easter Day (Eastern Church)
May 21st & 22nd – Independence Day
July 13th – Statehood Day
December 25th – Christmas Day (Western Church)

Political History

Montenegro voted for its independence in the year 2006. The government of Montenegro is a parliamentary representative democratic republic featuring a multi-party system. Under this political system the Prime Minister of Montenegro is the head of government and legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Montenegro. However, the executive power is exercised by the government. Montenegro is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, the Union for the Mediterranean, and in 2017 it was granted membership into NATO.

The Royal Family of Montenegro

King Nikola and Royal Family of Montenegro

Nikola, the Prince – King of Montenegro succeeded to the throne as a twenty-year-old. He had nine daughters and three sons with his wife, Princess – Queen Milena. For a while the king intended to build a monastery on the island of Grmozur on Skadar Lake for his daughters, the princesses of Montenegro. On the other hand their beauty, charm and education brought them to the attention of many courts, so in turn they all became leading ladies and important persons in European royal courts by marriage. This gave King Nikola the title of the European father-in-law.

Religious Relics

In Cetinje, three important relics are kept: the icon of the Our Lady of Philerme, the hand of Saint John the Baptist, and a fragment of the Holy Cross. Our Lady of Philerme is exhibited in a specially designed display in the National Gallery. The hand of Saint John the Baptists and the fragment of the Holy Cross are kept in the treasury of the monastery.