Montenegro

Internet country code

.me

Internet hosts

3,245 (2009) country comparison to the world: 141

Internet users

294,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 128

Radio broadcast stations

31 (station frequency types NA) (2004)

Telephone system

general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites domestic: GSM wireless service, available through 3 providers with national coverage, is growing international: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect the national system

Telephones - main lines in use

362,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 105

Telephones - mobile cellular

735,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 147

Television broadcast stations

13 (2004)

Agriculture - products

grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible

Budget

revenues: NA expenditures: NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate

9.24% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 92 9.09% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

-$1.102 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 124

Debt - external

$650 million (2006) country comparison to the world: 160

Distribution of family income - Gini index

30 (2003) country comparison to the world: 115

Economy - overview

Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank, adopted the Deutchmark, then the euro - rather than the Yugoslav dinar - as official currency, collected customs tariffs, and managed its own budget. The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. On 18 January 2007, Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization and signed a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in October 2007. On December 15, 2008, Montenegro submitted an EU membership application. Unemployment and regional disparities in development are key political and economic problems. Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector, and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector. The global financial crisis is likely to have a significant negative impact on the economy.

Electricity - consumption

18.6 million kWh (2005) country comparison to the world: 206

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 128

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)

Exports

$171.3 million (2003) country comparison to the world: 183

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.848 billion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$6.832 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153 $6.355 billion (2007 est.) $5.804 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$10,100 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104 $9,300 (2007 est.) $8,400 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

7.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27 9.5% (2007 est.) 8.6% (2006 est.)

Imports

$601.7 million (2003) country comparison to the world: 182

Industries

steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.4% (2007) country comparison to the world: 43

Investment (gross fixed)

30.5% of GDP (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 22

Labor force

259,100 (2004) country comparison to the world: 162

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 2% industry: 30% services: 68% (2004 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 90 $3.699 billion (31 December 2007) $1.754 billion (31 December 2006)

Natural gas - consumption

NA cu m

Oil - consumption

bbl/day NA

Oil - exports

313.6 bbl/day (2005) country comparison to the world: 127

Oil - imports

6,093 bbl/day (2005) country comparison to the world: 152

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 165

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 103

Population below poverty line

7% (2007 est.)

Public debt

38% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 59

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$NA (31 December 2008) $3.083 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$NA (31 December 2008) $1.172 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$NA (31 December 2008) $1.446 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

14.7% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Area

total: 13,812 sq km country comparison to the world: 161 land: 13,452 sq km water: 360 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Climate

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

Coastline

293.5 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m

Environment - current issues

pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

42 30 N, 19 18 E

Geography - note

strategic location along the Adriatic coast

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

total: 625 km border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km, Croatia 25 km, Kosovo 79 km, Serbia 124 km

Land use

arable land: 13.7% permanent crops: 1% other: 85.3%

Location

Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: defined by treaty

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes

Natural resources

bauxite, hydroelectricity

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

21 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina); Andrijevica, Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pljevlja, Pluzine, Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak

Capital

name: Podgorica geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

approved 19 October 2007 (by the Assembly)

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montenegro local long form: none local short form: Crna Gora former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Montenegro

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Roderick W. MOORE embassy: Ljubljanska bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [382] 81 225 417 FAX: [382] 81 241 358

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC chancery: 1610 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-6108 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6109 consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 6 April 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Milo DJUKANOVIC (since 29 February 2008) cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 April 2008 (next to be held in 2013); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly election results: Filip VUJANOVIC reelected president; Filip VUJANOVIC 51.89%, Andrija MANDIC 19.55%, Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC 16.64%, Srdan MILIC 11.92%

Flag description

a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered

Government type

republic

Independence

3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

International organization participation

CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)

Legal system

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats in 2006) elections: last held 29 March 2009 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 51.94%, SNP 16.83%, NSD 9.22%, PZP 6.03%, other (including Albanian minority parties) 15.98%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 48, SNP 16, NSD 8, PZP 5, Albanian minority parties 4

National holiday

National Day, 13 July (1878)

Political parties and leaders

Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition for European Montenegro or DPS-SDP (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC] (includes Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC] and Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]); Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc) (includes Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC], People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC], and Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]); Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARDHIJ]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberals and the Bosniak Party (bloc) [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] (includes Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] and Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]); Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; New Serb Democracy or NSD [Andrija MANDIC]; Serbian List (bloc) [Andrija MANDIC] (includes Party of Serb Radicals or SSR [Dusko SEKULIC], People's Socialist Party or NSS [Emilo LABUDOVIC], and Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC]); Socialist People's Party of Montenegro or SNP [Srdjan MILIC]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. After World War I, 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, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser 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 exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU - allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006.

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 154,029 females age 16-49: 136,847 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 3,945 female: 3,907 (2009 est.)

Military - note

Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully professional armed forces

Military branches

Armed Forces of the Republic of Montenegro: Army, Navy, Air Force (2009)

Military service age and obligation

compulsory national military service abolished August 2006

Age structure

0-14 years: 16% (male 52,645/female 54,846) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 244,949/female 227,794) 65 years and over: 13.7% (male 37,217/female 54,729) (2009 est.)

Birth rate

11.14 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Death rate

8.63 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 90

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, other (Muslims, Croats, Roma (Gypsy)) 12% (2003 census)

Languages

Serbian 63.6%, Montenegrin (official) 22%, Bosnian 5.5%, Albanian 5.3%, unspecified 3.7% (2003 census)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (2009)

Median age

total: 36.7 years male: 35.2 years female: 38.4 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

noun: Montenegrin(s) adjective: Montenegrin

Population

672,180 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

Population growth rate

-0.851% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 232

Religions

Orthodox 74.2%, Muslim 17.7%, Catholic 3.5%, other 0.6%, unspecified 3%, atheist 1% (2003 census)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 60% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: -0.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 7,000 (Kosovo); note - mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999 IDPs: 16,192 (ethnic conflict in 1999 and riots in 2004) (2007)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Montenegro is primarily a transit country for the trafficking of women and girls to Western Europe for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; women and girls from the Balkans and Eastern Europe are trafficked across Montenegro to Western European countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Montenegro is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; public attention to the issue of trafficking has diminished considerably in Montenegro in recent years (2008)

Airports

5 (2009) country comparison to the world: 182

Airports - with paved runways

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009)

Heliports

1 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 6 country comparison to the world: 129 by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 3 (Bahamas 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals

Bar

Railways

total: 250 km country comparison to the world: 126 standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2007)

Roadways

total: 7,368 km country comparison to the world: 146 paved: 4,742 km unpaved: 2,626 km (2006)