Montenegro

Lore & Background

Montenegro's English name is a literal translation from a Venetian calque of the Montenegrin phrase 'Crna Gora', or 'Black Mountain', deriving from the appearance of Mount Lovćen, which was covered in dense evergreen forests. The name was first used to refer to the country in the late 15th century. Before the arrival of the Slav peoples in the 6th and 7th centuries CE, the area was inhabited principally by Illyrians. During the Early Medieval period, three principalities were located on its territory: Duklja, Travunia, and Rascia. The Principality of Zeta emerged in the 14th and 15th centuries. From the late 14th century to the late 18th century, large parts of southern Montenegro were ruled by the Venetian Republic. After falling under Ottoman rule, Montenegro gained semi-autonomy in 1696 under the House of Petrović-Njegoš. Independence was recognised at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1910, it became a kingdom, then part of Yugoslavia after World War I. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro formed a federation. Montenegro declared independence in June 2006 after a referendum.

In Their Own Story

Morning mist clung to the limestone ribs of the Bay of Kotor as the first ferry sliced through the glass-still water. On a weathered stone quay in Perast, an old fisherman mended nets, his eyes fixed on the twin bell towers of Our Lady of the Rocks piercing the grey sky. Here, time didn't tick; it flowed with the tides. The walls around him had witnessed centuries of Venetian galleons and Ottoman sieges, yet in this quiet corner, history felt less like a textbook and more like a slow, deliberate breath.

Reader's Guide

Montenegro has an upper-middle-income economy, mostly service-based, and is in late transition to a market economy. It is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the Central European Free Trade Agreement. It is also a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean, and has been in the process of joining the European Union since 2012.

Did You Know?

• The name 'Montenegro' means 'Black Mountain' in Venetian, a calque of the Montenegrin 'Crna Gora'.
• Cetinje is the Old Royal Capital and cultural centre, while Podgorica is the capital and largest city.
• Montenegro's independence was recognised by the Great Powers at the Congress of Berlin in 1878.
• The country became a kingdom in 1910 and later part of Yugoslavia after World War I.