"text":"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. The later medieval state of Zeta maintained its existence until 1496 when Montenegro finally fell under Ottoman rule. Over subsequent centuries, Montenegro managed to maintain a level of autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro was a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it transformed into a secular principality. Montenegro was recognized as an independent sovereign principality at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. After World War I, during which Montenegro fought on the side of the Allies, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, creating the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, shifting to a looser State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia barely exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU - allowing Montenegro to formally restore its independence on 3 June 2006."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia"
"text":"the country's name locally as well as in most Western European languages means \"black mountain\" and refers to the dark coniferous forests on Mount Lovcen and the surrounding area"
"text":"3 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"National Day, 13 July (1878, the day the Berlin Congress recognized Montenegro as the 27th independent state in the world, and 1941, the day the Montenegrins staged an uprising against Nazi occupiers and sided with the partisan Communist movement)"
"text":"President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 6 April 2008)"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"Prime Minister Milo DJUKANOVIC (since 4 December 2012)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Ministers act as cabinet"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 April 2013 (next to be held in 2018); prime minister nominated by the president, approved by the Assembly"
"text":"unicameral Assembly or Skupstina (81 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)"
"text":"Supreme Court or Vrhovni Sud (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 15 judges); Constitutional Court or Ustavni Sud (consists of the court president and 7 judges)"
"text":"Supreme Court president proposed by general session of the Supreme Court and elected by the Judicial Council, a 9-member body consisting of judges, lawyers designated by the Assembly, and the minister of judicial affairs; Supreme Court president elected for a single renewable, 5-year term; other judges elected by the Judicial Council for life; Constitutional Court judges - 2 proposed by the president of Montenegro and 5 by the Assembly, and elected by the Assembly; court president elected from among the court members; court president elected for 3 years, other judges 9 years"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"Administrative Courts; Appellate Court; Commercial Courts; High Courts; basic courts"
"text":"Albanians Decisively [Genci NIMANBEGU] (includes FORCA, AA, DUA) ++ Albanian Alternative or AA [Nik DJELOSAJ] ++ Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC] ++ Croatian Civic Initiative or HGI [Marija VUCINOVIC] ++ Democratic Alliance or DEMOS [Miodrag LEKIC] ++ Democratic Front or DF [collective leadership] (includes NOVA, PZP, DNP, RP) ++ Democratic Montenegro or DCG [Aleksa BECIC] ++ Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC] ++ Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Mehmet ZENKA] ++ Key Coalition [Miodrag LEKIC] (includes DEMOS, SNP, URA] ++ Movement for Change or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC] ++ New Democratic Power or FORCA [Nazif CUNGU] ++ New Serb Democracy or NOVA [Andrija MANDIC] ++ Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC] ++ Social Democrats or SD [Ivan BRAJOVIC] ++ Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC] ++ United Reform Action or URA [Zarko RAKCEVIC] ++ Workers' Party or RP [Janko VUCINIC]"
"text":"a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered; the arms consist of a double-headed golden eagle - symbolizing the unity of church and state - surmounted by a crown; the eagle holds a golden scepter in its right claw and a blue orb in its left; the breast shield over the eagle shows a golden lion passant on a green field in front of a blue sky; the lion is a symbol of episcopal authority and harkens back to the three and a half centuries when Montenegro was ruled as a theocracy"
"text":"Montenegro's economy is transitioning to a market system. From the beginning of the privatization process in 1999 through 2015, around 85% of Montenegrin state-owned companies have been privatized, including 100% of banking, telecommunications, and oil distribution. Tourism brings in twice as many visitors as Montenegro’s total population every year. Several new luxury tourism complexes are in various stages of development along the coast, and a number are being offered in connection with nearby boating and yachting facilities. ++ ++ Montenegro uses the euro as its domestic currency, though it is not an official member of the euro zone. In January 2007, Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF, and in December 2011, the WTO. Montenegro began negotiations to join the EC in June, 2012, having met the conditions set down by the European Council, which called on Montenegro to take steps to fight corruption and organized crime. ++ ++ The government recognizes the need to remove impediments in order to remain competitive and open the economy to foreign investors. The biggest foreign investors in Montenegro are Italy, Norway, Austria, Russia, Hungary and the UK. Net foreign direct investment in 2014 reached $483 million and investment per capita is one of the highest in Europe. ++ ++ Montenegro is currently planning major overhauls of its road and rail networks, and possible expansions of its air transportation system. In 2014, the Government of Montenegro selected two Chinese companies to construct a 41 km-long section of the country’s highway system. Construction will cost around $1.1 billion. Montenegro first instituted a value-added tax (VAT) in April 2003, and introduced differentiated VAT rates of 17% and 7% (for tourism) in January 2006. In May 2013, the Montenegrin Government raised the higher level VAT rate to 19%."
"text":"data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions"
"text":"state-funded national radio-TV broadcaster operates 2 terrestrial TV networks, 1 satellite TV channel, and 2 radio networks; 4 public TV stations and some 20 private TV stations; 14 local public radio stations and more than 40 private radio stations (2007)"
