This small country, also known as Montenegro or Montenegro, has an area of 13,812 km², 293 km of coastline, 614 km of borders and more than 70 mountains over 2000 meters. The name of the country is synonymous with its rich natural beauty and mountains.
Montenegro, with a population of around 650,000, has been attracting increasing tourist interest in recent years. It is quite easy to visit this country, as no visa is required for Turkish citizens. There are regular flights from Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara to Podgorica or Tivat.
Historically, the first inhabitants of Montenegro were Illyrians, but the Romans founded the city of Duklja/Doclea in the 2nd century BC. When the empire was divided in 395, the border between the Eastern and Western Roman Empires was formed. Christianity spread in the region between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD. In the 7th century, Slavs settled in the region and established principalities. The region was called Duklja until the 11th century, and later became known as Zeta. The official language, the Cyrillic alphabet, is Old Slavic. Cultural development took place under Greek and Byzantine influence. In 535 AD, the region was annexed to the Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire, and this continued until 1077.
The independent Zeta State was established in the 11th century and weakened in the early 12th century, recovering for a short time in the mid-14th century.
In 1439 the Serbian Despotate came under Turkish rule and the rulers of Upper Zeta accepted Venetian rule. The Turks signed a peace treaty with the Venetians. In 1482 Ivan Crnojevic moved the first Montenegrin capital, Crnojevica Zabljak, to Cetinje.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the Ottomans annexed Montenegro to the Skadar Sanjak and it remained under Ottoman rule for 400 years. The name "Montenegro" was first used in the 14th century. In 1697, Danilo I, the founder of the Petrovic dynasty, was elected bishop. Petar I Petrovic (r. 1784-1830) forced the Turkish armies to retreat from Montenegro and achieved important victories as a result of heavy and bloody wars. He also made progressive changes in the social structure, established peace between the tribes and established a strong state.
Petar II Petrovic Njegos (reigned 1830-1851) is known as a poet, bishop and ruler. He ensured the determination of the borders of Montenegro as a result of the agreement with Austria and established cultural institutions. In 1852, during the reign of Danilo Petrovic, Montenegro was declared a principality. The greatest development occurred during the reign of King Nikola I Petrovic (1860-1917).
In 1878, the Berlin Congress recognized Montenegro's independence. However, from the 1900s onwards, Montenegro experienced crises in domestic and foreign policy. Serbia wanted to take Montenegro under its control and Montenegro remained in Serbia's shadow. In 1907, an attack on the people of the Dynasty was attempted but failed. Montenegro's own constitution was enacted and its parliament was established. However, in the following years, the parliament, under the influence of King Nicholas, declared him king in 1910. In foreign policy, the crown cooperated with Russia and Italy. The importance of the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom decreased and war was started against the Ottoman Empire.
The problems between Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire grew and Serbia planned to form a province with Montenegro. However, these plans were disrupted in World War I and Montenegro fought on Serbia's side. In 1916, German and Austro-Hungarian troops entered Montenegro and the Montenegrin King and government fled to Italy and then to France. Montenegro emerged victorious from the war, but its freedoms and royal dynasty ended. On 29 November 1918, the Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia was established. Montenegro thus remained a region of Serbia. King Nicholas died in exile and in 1922 the parliament in exile established by Nicholas was dissolved.
During World War II, Montenegro was under siege by the Italians. The Italians aimed to create an independent Montenegro and restore the Petrovic dynasty, but the dynasty did not cooperate with the Italians. An independent committee, the National Committee, was established under the chairmanship of Blazo Dukanovic. The gangs fought first against the Italians and then against the Germans (1943-44).
After World War II, Montenegro became part of Yugoslavia and the Bay of Kotor was included in its territory. In 1945, Josip Broz Tito became prime minister of Yugoslavia. However, with Tito's death in 1980, conflict broke out in Kosovo in 1981 and demands for independence increased.
Following the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro established the Republic of Yugoslavia on 27 April 1992. Both states were governed autonomously, with border controls. Montenegro adopted the Euro and a Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established. In the parliamentary elections held on 20 October 2002, Milo Dukanović became Prime Minister and stated that he aimed for an independent Montenegro. In a referendum held on 21 May 2006, Montenegro's independence was voted on, with 55.5% of the population wanting independence. The country's independence was declared on 3 June 2006.
According to the 2024 census, the population of Montenegro is 633,158. Of this population, 43% are Montenegrins, 32% are Serbs, 9% are Bosniaks, 7% are Albanians, 5% are Muslims and 1% are Croats.
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