Montenegro: area, population, geography, economy, religion, sights

Today Montenegro is one of the most popular tourist destinations among European countries. The natural luxury of this delightful country, the comfortable climate, the many values of history and architecture and the low prices attract more tourists to the country of black mountains and white beaches.

Montenegro is famous for its natural treasures, among which are the Shasskoe and Skadar lakes of a stunning azure-bluish color, the national park, inside which is the famous Black Lake and the colorful canyons of the Tara River and Morac, Kotor Bay.

Any corner of Montenegro is interesting in its own way, and all the exotic places can not be described, so this delightful country should definitely be visited. The name (Black Mountain) the country most likely acquired due to impenetrable black forests, they in the Middle Ages covered Mount Lovcen and other Alpine heights of ancient Montenegro.

Tourist country

Montenegro today is a very popular Eastern European country in terms of tourism. Mountain landscapes, the cleanest Adriatic Sea, the optimal temperature - that's why the rest here is so popular. Even when most resorts are overcast, in Montenegro the weather always pleases resting with its mild Mediterranean climate. In summer, the air warms up to + 40 ° C, and the water temperature on the coast of Montenegro reaches +25 ° C. What else do you need for a wonderful time? Meanwhile, the winter in the mountains is snowy and moderately cold, which favors the development of ski tourism.

The number of those who dream to spend their holidays in Montenegro, to relax or improve, is constantly growing, many people from all over Europe dream of even buying real estate for this - after all, under remarkable natural conditions, housing prices are lower here than in most other countries.

Geographical location

Montenegro is located in the south of Europe, from the south-west side of the Balkans. Its southern border passes with Albania, in the west - with Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the north side of its neighbor are Serbia and Croatia. The area of Montenegro is territorially divided into three regions: the mountains in the northeastern part of the country, the Adriatic Sea, as well as the flat basin of Skadar Lake and the valley landscape near it. The length of the coast reaches 293.5 km. The state owns 14 sea islands.

In the north west there is a large flood - Boka Kotorska. The main beaches are on the Budva Riviera. Montenegro is a colorful country that swims in the Adriatic waters. The coastal line occupies about one third of the state border. Rocky mountains, colorful architecture and generous nature - that's what Montenegro is famous for today. Mountain tourism is as exciting as relaxing on the seaside. The Durmitor National Park reveals the delightful colors of the Black Mountains to the tourist. The way to them is more convenient and more interesting to lead through the town of Pluzhine. On the way you can see the Pivske artificial reservoir, with a natural emerald shade. You can go through the tunnels carved into the rocks, in them there are rampant roads in the form of serpentine. Here you will find stunning views of the Black Lake, the Tara River canyon, the Djurzhevich Bridge between the two mountain banks.

For the country there are cozy small towns with small houses and huge natural expanses. The most famous among the travelers are Podgorica, Kotor, Budva, Perast, Petrovets, Cetinje.

Capital

The city of Podgorica is the largest inhabited locality in Montenegro, representing the center of the economy and industry of the state. Tourists in the city are attracted by narrow streets and unique ancient buildings of the ancient districts of Stara Varos and Drach. The most fascinating places to visit are: the Church of St. George, the Cathedral of Christ's Resurrection, the Museum of Natural History, the National Theater, the Palace of the Negus and the Art Gallery. Of modern buildings - the Millennium Bridge (Millennium), stretching across the river Morac. Near Podgorica you can see the ruins of the ancient fortress Medun, which existed in the 3rd century BC. E.

Population

The population of Montenegro has about 627 000 inhabitants. The variety of the population is distributed according to ethnic composition as follows:

• Montenegrins - 43%;
• Serbs - 32%;
• Bosnians - 8%;
• Albanians - 5%;
• Other nationalities: Croats, Russians, Gypsies.

The official language in the country is Montenegrin, which refers to Slavic, and therefore very close to Russian and Ukrainian. From foreign languages the most popular are German and English.

The historical and cultural capital is rightly considered the city of Tsetne, located in a colorful valley at the foot of the mountain Lovcen. A complex of historical, cultural and architectural attractions create a true open-air museum. Among the most visited places are: the Bilyard Palace, the Royal Palace of Nicholas I, the Vlaska Church, the artistic, ethnographic and many other museums. Be sure to get to the National Park, see the royal patrimonial estate of Petroviches in the picturesque village of Negushi on top of the Lovcen mountain. Here you can also visit the Mausoleum of Peter II Negosh.

The total area of Montenegro is - 13 812 km ².

The largest resorts: Budva, Becici, Herceg, Petrovac, Novi, Bar. Airports: Podgorica and Tivat. The highest place in Montenegro is the peak of the Bobot's Cook in the Durmitor mountain range - 2522 m. Here is Skadar Lake - the deepest on the Balkan Peninsula, its depth reaches 530 km. Here is the deepest European canyon along the Tara River, with a depth of up to 1300 m. The climate thanks to the successful geography of Montenegro on the coast is subtropical: summer is long, hot and dry, the air warms up to + 28-32 ° C, the water in the sea - up to +22-26 ˚С, and a short mild winter with temperatures up to +8 +10 ˚С. The beach season lasts six months a year, because in terms of the number of sunny days per year in Montenegro, only Cyprus. In mountainous regions the climate is temperate-continental, the winter is snowy and long, which favors the development of mountain skiing.

Kitchen

A feature of the entire Montenegrin cuisine is the high ecological purity of the products used. The land in Montenegro is so fertile that additional artificial fertilizers are not used here at all, and the local population has not even heard of GMOs. Natural food, clean ecology, mountain air and sea water - all favors the health of the local population, not without reason here is a high life expectancy. Typical Slavic cuisine with elements of Mediterranean - a variety of meat dishes, seafood, fruits, vegetables. Do not forget to taste the local wines "Vranac" and "Krstach", as well as grape vodka - vine. Another distinctive feature of Montenegrin cuisine is large portions in bars and restaurants, which can not but please foreign guests of the country.

First of all in Montenegro tourists buy products of local crafts: jewelry, haberdashery, honey, olive oil, wine. Shops work daily, from morning till late evening. Both supermarkets and small shops are open every day from 6:00 to 20:00, and in tourist centers - until 23:00. Everywhere you can also find shops that function around the clock. In local markets, you can make purchases in the morning.

Holidays and vacations

Montenegro has a lot of festive days off in the year, both state and religious: on January 1 and 2, Montenegro celebrates the New Year, January 6 and 7 - Christmas, April 27 - Statehood Day in Montenegro, the Christian Easter is also celebrated in the spring with all May 1 - Day of Spring and Labor, May 9 - Victory Day, June 4 - Day of Partisan, June 13 - Day of Uprising, November 29 and 30 - Days of the Republic. If the celebration falls on the weekend, then the daily routine that follows is also considered a day off.

Political system of the country

According to the Constitution of the country, adopted in 2007, Montenegro is a free democratic state. The President of Montenegro is elected for five years as a result of a general secret ballot. Since 2003, the state is headed by Philip Vujanovic. During the reign of the current president in May 2006, Montenegro's independence was proclaimed. The residence of the President of Montenegro is in Cetinje.

Foreign exchange regulation

What is the currency in Montenegro? Monetary currency in Montenegro is the euro. There are no special restrictions on import and export. Tourists are allowed to import and export any amount of foreign currency, which was declared at the entrance to the country, without a declaration the export of cash from the country is allowed not more than 500 euros. When exporting large sums, it is necessary to declare them. In this case, it is necessary to produce a declaration that the amount of currency was previously imported to the area of Montenegro. The National Bank of the State operates only on weekdays. Commercial banks accept customers on Thursdays and Fridays. On weekends, only currency exchange offices operate. It is better to use plastic cards, then the question is which currency in Montenegro is better to pay and where to change it, will not stand.

Hotels & Accommodations

Over the past decades, the Montenegrin economy has experienced a huge current - tourism, which brings significant profits to the state. A beautiful ecological situation and a convenient location attract more and more prosperous Europeans. Recently, many comfortable hotels, hotels, private villas and mini-hotels have been built in Montenegro, money has been invested in the development of the resort infrastructure. Many hotels have undergone reconstruction. It is very common to live in private villas. Usually, this is a 3-5 - storey building with standard rooms and apartments, equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable pastime. Almost all of them provide tourists with breakfast. All private villas are located at a distance of 900 to 200 m from the sea shore. Check-out time in hotels in private villas: accommodation in rooms after 12:00, rooms are released until 11:00. The composition of the population by ethnicity: Montenegrins (43%) and Serbs (32%), other nationalities - Bosnians, Albanians, Croats, Russians, Gypsies. The official language in the country is Montenegrin.

Religion in Montenegro

The Montenegrin population in the majority professes the Orthodox Christian faith (74%), in the minority - Islam (18%) and Catholicism (4%). The most popular landmark of the state is the Ostrog monastery. It is located 15 km from Danilovgrad in a delightful natural place. This monastery is a well-known Orthodox shrine in the world, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims of different faiths come to it every year to touch the miraculous power of the relics of St. Basil of Ostrog. The top of the monastery is carved in a rock at an altitude of 900 m and looks amazing.

The Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Montenegro is one of the most stunning Orthodox churches in the world. To religion in Montenegro is a special attitude. In the nineties of the 20th century, the construction of the cathedral began in Podgorica. It was a grandiose and large-scale project of the most majestic in the Balkans Orthodox church. The construction of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ was begun in 1993 by the Metropolitan of Montenegro and Primorsky Amphilochius. The cathedral can be visited by five thousand parishioners at the same time. The largest bell is made in Voronezh at the Anisimov plant and has a weight of 10 tons. Together, all 14 church bells weigh nearly 20 tons. The temple is painted and finished today.

Nature

The cleanest sea of the Adriatic, capturing mountain ranges, the coast with many gaps, protected from strong winds and storms, excellent beaches, sun, magnificent nature is all Montenegro. The description of it can be continued indefinitely, but it is better to see everything with your own eyes.

In the early 90's, Montenegro was called a country of clean, untouched and protected nature. This is a land of sharp contrasts, located on a small square, Montenegro has both a sea with excellent beaches, and mountains covered with snow all year round, creating conditions for ski holidays. The beaches of Montenegro stretch along the Adriatic coast. 173 beaches with a total length of 73 km occupy a quarter of the total coastline of 293 km. A tourist can visit the beach with different preferences - with fine or coarse sand, pebbly or rocky, in calm jams or on promontories in the sea, there are beaches modernly furnished or wild with virgin nature. The water in the sea is dark blue, its transparency is striking - 40-55 meters, salinity is from 28% in the confinement of Boka Kotorska, and up to 38% in the south near Ulcin. There are nudist beaches, there is even a nudist village. At the level of mountain rocks, the climate is typical subalpine - with a cold snowy winter and moderate in summer. In the northern mountains of Montenegro, snow usually rests for many months, and sometimes even throughout the year.

Transport and communication

What kind of transport is developed in the country? Air transport. Montenegro has two airports of international importance - in the cities of Tivat and Podgorica. National airline Montenegro Airlines can not compete with the largest carriers, but its planes fly to Europe and neighboring Balkan countries. Regular flights here are also carried out by Russian Aeroflot and the Serbian airline JAT.

There is also a railway that connects such cities: Subotica - Novi Sad - Belgrade - Bar. The railway is laid from the port through Podgorica to Belgrade, there is also the direction Podgorica-Nikshich. Water transport. Port - city Bar. There is a regular ferry to Italy (route Bar - Bari). Seaports: Kotor and Perast. Sea transport connects all the beach resorts on the coast.

Between all cities there are bus routes. Quite good, as for a mountainous country, roads, traffic - right-sided.

Main highways: Adriatic Highway; Trails from the coast through Podgorica in Sarajevo and in Belgrade. In the country, the bus is the most common type of transportation, and in some places - the only one. On-demand stops on the road are allowed. For tourists, it's better to buy a ticket at any kiosk, because the ticket purchased on the bus will be approximately 2 times more expensive.

Mobile operators in Montenegro are the companies ProMonte and Monet.

Security

For security purposes, video and photo shooting can only be done where there is no special sign - a crossed camera. It is not allowed to photograph objects of transport and energy significance, port facilities and objects of military subordination. By the way, in Montenegro today the crime rate is very low, so that both residents and tourists of this country can feel safe and calmly enjoy the picturesque beauties of this unique region.