Montenegro Travel Podcast with Anja Vuković

Location

Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Terrain

Highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus

Climate

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

Elevation

Highest point

Zia Kolata 2,534 m

Lowest point

Adriatic Sea 0 m

Mean elevation

1,086 m

Area

Total

13,812 sq km

Land

13,452 sq km

Water

360 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than Connecticut; slightly larger than twice the size of Delaware

Coastline

293.5 km

Land borders

Total

680 km

Border countries

Albania 186 km; Bosnia and Herzegovina 242 km; Croatia 19 km; Kosovo 76 km; Serbia 157 km

Natural resources

Bauxite, hydroelectricity

Land use

Agricultural land

19.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

0.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0.4% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

18.5% (2023 est.)

Forest

61.5% (2023 est.)

Other

18.9% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes

Note

Strategic location along the Adriatic coast

Population

Total

599,849 (2024 est.)

Male

294,482

Female

305,367

Nationality

Noun

Montenegrin(s)

Adjective

Montenegrin

Ethnic groups

Montenegrin 45%, Serbian 28.7%, Bosniak 8.7%, Albanian 4.9%, Muslim 3.3%, Romani 1%, Croat 1%, other 2.6%, unspecified 4.9% (2011 est.)

Languages

Languages

Serbian 42.9%, Montenegrin (official) 37%, Bosnian 5.3%, Albanian 5.3%, Serbo-Croat 2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 4% (2011 est.)

Major-language sample(s)

Knjiga svetskih činjenica, neophodan izvor osnovnih informacija. (Serbian)

Religions

Orthodox 72.1%, Muslim 19.1%, Catholic 3.4%, atheist 1.2%, other 1.5%, unspecified 2.6% (2011 est.)

Median age

Total

41.5 years (2025 est.)

Male

39.5 years

Female

42.5 years

Life expectancy

Total population

78.2 years (2024 est.)

Male

75.8 years

Female

80.7 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

68.5% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Highest population density is concentrated in the south and southwest; the extreme eastern border is the least populated area

Largest cities

177,000 PODGORICA (capital) (2018)

Background

The use of the name Crna Gora or Black Mountain (Montenegro) began in the 13th century in reference to a highland region in the Serbian province of Zeta. Under Ottoman control beginning in 1496, Montenegro was a semi-autonomous theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes until 1852, when it became a secular principality. Montenegro fought a series of wars with the Ottomans and eventually won recognition as an independent sovereign principality at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1918, the country was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. At the end of World War II, Montenegro joined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). When the SFRY dissolved in 1992, Montenegro and Serbia created the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), which shifted in 2003 to a looser State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro voted to restore its independence on 3 June 2006. Montenegro became an official EU candidate in 2010 and joined NATO in 2017.

Government

Parliamentary republic

Capital

Podgorica

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

None

Independence

3 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro); notable earlier dates: 13 March 1852 (Principality of Montenegro established); 13 July 1878 (Congress of Berlin recognizes Montenegrin independence); 28 August 1910 (Kingdom of Montenegro established)

National day

Statehood Day, 13 July (1878, 1941)

Overview

Upper-middle-income, small Balkan economy; uses euro as de facto currency; reduced growth due to slowdown in tourism and industrial production; new impetus for EU accession under Europe Now government; energy price cap and declining food and services prices easing inflation rate

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$27,900 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$27,000 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$25,400 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

3.3% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

8.6% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

13% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

14.1% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

14.7% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

14.9% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.951 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.877 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism

Agriculture

Milk, potatoes, watermelons, grapes, sheep milk, cabbages, oranges, eggs, goat milk, figs (2023)

Airports

5 (2025)

Railways

Total

250 km (2017)

Standard gauge

250 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge (224 km electrified)

Ports

Total ports

4 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

0

Small

1

Very small

3

Ports with oil terminals

1

Key ports

Bar, Kotor, Risan, Tivat

Internet domain

.me

Internet users

Percent of population 90% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

1.31 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

203 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets; serious air pollution in some cities from lignite power plants and household use of coal and wood for heating