Montenegro is a country in Eastern Europe. It shares borders with Albania, Kosovo and Serbia. It is a part of the western Balkan Peninsula and features a mountainous interior. The country’s coastline is narrow, only 1.5 to 6 kilometres wide, and ends abruptly in the north at Mount Lovcen and Mount Orjen.
Borders
Montenegro is located on the Balkan peninsula bordering the Adriatic sea. Its capital city is Podgorica. It shares land borders with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. It is separated from Italy by the Adriatic, and its ports are very important for shipping trade.
Montenegro shares its borders with Serbia and Kosovo in the northeast and with Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the southeast. Some of its towns are on the Serbian side of the border, while many others are on the Montenegrin side. In 2008, a border dispute arose between the two countries over the town of Pljevlja. In addition, the countries disagreed about the status of Kosovo.
The Montenegrins gained their independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. The victory forced the Great Powers to redraw the Balkan region’s borders. After the war, the Ottoman Empire formally recognized Montenegro’s independence. The country is a member of the European Union and NATO.
Montenegro has a long coastline of 183 miles, with approximately 120 beaches. Montenegro’s total area is approximately 5,333 square miles. Of that, 5,194 square miles are land. The rest of the country is made up of 139 square miles of water.
Montenegro is a multi-ethnic country. Its population has been shaped by migration, and it has been called “little Yugoslavia.” As such, Montenegro’s border is multi-ethnic and multicultural, with a mix of ethnic groups and religions within the same nation.
Climate
Montenegro is located in a region of Europe that is classified as a Mediterranean climate. Coastal areas experience heavy rains from September to April. The climate changes to a more continental climate as you move inland. This is partly because of the higher altitude. The climate is generally mild, with summers being warm and autumns cold.
Montenegro’s climate is generally moderate. There is a Mediterranean influence on the lower regions, with dry summers and cool, rainy winters. Podgorica has the warmest summer temperatures in the country, and Cetinje, which is at about two thousand feet (670 metres) above sea level, has a slightly cooler average temperature.
Montenegro is surrounded by mountain ranges, with some reaching more than 2,000 metres. One such mountain is Mount Orjen, which is 1,894 metres high and the highest of the coastal limestone ranges. It is located in the south-east, on the border with Albania.
Montenegro’s climate is Mediterranean along the coast and continental upcountry. The population is composed of mainly Montenegrins, with ethnic minorities of Serbian and Bosniak. Islam is the second most popular religion, with 19% of the population practicing it. This is the third-highest proportion of Muslims among Slavic countries.
The climate of Montenegro is mild and suitable for farming. The country has an agricultural economy and good natural resources. It has the lowest corporate tax rate in the region, with nine percent. In November 2008, Standard & Poors assigned the country a AAA and BB+ credit rating, indicating that the country is economically stable. The country’s economy suffered from war and sanctions in the early 1990s, but recovered following the end of the Kosovo crisis in 1999.
Economy
Montenegro is a small country in the Balkans with rugged mountains, medieval villages, and a narrow stretch of coastline on the Adriatic Sea. Its Bay of Kotor resembles a fjord and is studded with fortified towns and coastal churches. Its national parks include the Durmitor National Park, home to bears and glacial lakes, and the 1,300m-deep Tara River Canyon.
Although the country has an open economy and aims to join the European Union by 2025, the country is still small and lacks the capacity to fully exploit economies of scale. It also lacks EU-compatible regulatory bodies and is vulnerable to external shocks. As a result, it relies heavily on capital inflows from abroad.
The government of Montenegro offers a limited range of incentives for investment. It does not use forced localization, a policy that requires foreign investors to use local content. A recent investment deal with two Chinese firms aims to build Montenegro’s first national highway. The road is estimated to cost close to a billion euros and will require 30 percent local labor.
The country’s economy has recovered from its recent slump. It recorded real GDP growth of 14% in the first three quarters of 2021. Higher tourist activity and increased household and government consumption contributed to this growth. However, real investments remain lower than in the previous year. Although the economic outlook is improving, the country will have to face new challenges in the future. For example, developments in Russia and Ukraine could threaten the country’s economic growth.
Religion
Montenegro is a country with a multi-religious culture. People of various faiths live in harmony and peace. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion and practice. Montenegro has also adopted laws that contribute to the free exercise of religion. The Constitution protects people of all nationalities.
The dominant religion in Montenegro is Orthodox Christianity. This Christian faith started in this Balkan country. About 72 percent of the population is Orthodox. The Roman Catholic and Muslim groups make up the rest. Atheists account for less than one percent of Montenegro’s population.
The new Religious Freedom Law has caused a flurry of protests in Montenegro. Some Serbian Orthodox church leaders and university professors are leading demonstrations against the law. They are also concerned that the law will lead to the confiscation of their property. But Montenegrins are largely tolerant of the new law.
Muslims are the largest minority in Montenegro and adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. Most Montenegrins are Slavic Slavs and are affiliated with the Serbian Orthodox Church. There are also ethnic Albanians. The majority of Muslims live in northeastern municipalities and in areas where ethnic Albanians are the majority.
Montenegro also has a significant Jewish population. Although there are fewer Jews than in other European countries, they have a significant community. According to the World Jewish Congress, about 400-500 Jews live in Montenegro. Of these, about ten percent are actively involved in the community.
Landlocked countries
Landlocked countries are countries that lack access to the sea. As a result, they cannot participate in the marine economy. As a result, transportation costs are higher in landlocked countries. Some countries have created international river waterways to facilitate transport. The Mekong River provides access to Laos, and the Danube provides access to Austria and Hungary. Landlocked countries are not required to pay the transportation tax for goods traveling along these waterways.
Another landlocked country is Moldova, located in southeastern Europe. It borders Ukraine and Romania on all sides and covers an area of 33,843 square kilometers (about the size of Maryland). Its coastline is a total of 1,389 kilometers. Monaco is a small independent hereditary principality in Western Europe, located on the Mediterranean Sea near the border with Italy.
Montenegro’s government is considering a public-private partnership to build its highway network. This will require an outside partner to build and operate the highway under a 30-year state concession. The outside partner will then receive a return on investment from the state concession. Montenegro has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Road and Bridge Corporation, a state-owned Chinese company. However, European lenders are wary of the project because it would require revenue guarantees from Chinese investors.
The World Bank, the United Nations, and donor countries are working with landlocked countries to simplify their logistics. A recent meeting in New York has brought together experts to assess progress in the Almaty program, which was launched in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2003. The program calls for transparency in transit regulations, and a reduction in customs duties. This would simplify the logistics system and ease the way for companies to import goods.
Daylight saving time
Daylight saving time is a time change that occurs around the globe every two years. Unlike the United States, Montenegro follows the same time zone as the rest of the world, using the IANA identifier “Europe/Podgorica”. In this country, daylight saving time starts at 2 am and ends at 11 pm, so it will be dark before noon and light after midnight.
Montenegro is located in the Central European time zone, which is UTC+0100. That means the time in Montenegro is one hour ahead of New York, which is on UTC-4. Because the timezones of countries adjacent to Montenegro are different from one another, it’s important to check the time zone of your destination before traveling.
The best time to schedule a conference call or meet is between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM in the United States. Similarly, a meeting should be held between 4:00 PM and 6 PM in Montenegro. You can check your destination’s time zone by using a conversion chart.
Daylight saving time was first implemented in the German Empire in 1916. Now, about 70 countries are using it. The clock is shifted in March and reversed in October or November. The more distant a country is from the equator, the more likely it will adopt DST.
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