Montenegro with the capital city Podgorica is located in Europe (Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia). It covers some 14,026 square kilometres (slightly smaller than Connecticut) with 678,000 citizens.

About the flag and history of Montenegro

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 symbol of episcopal authority and harks back to the three and a half centuries that Montenegro was ruled as a theocracy.

The use of the name Crna Gora (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, while a part of the Ottoman Empire, was able to maintain a level of autonomy. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro was a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was 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, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in 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.

National administrative regions of Montenegro

• Montenegro (general)
• Opstina Andrijevica
• Opstina Bar
• Opstina Berane
• Opstina Bijelo Polje
• Opstina Budva
• Opstina Cetinje
• Opstina Danilovgrad
• Opstina Herceg Novi
• Opstina Kolasin
• Opstina Kotor
• Opstina Mojkovac
• Opstina Niksic
• Opstina Plav
• Opstina Pljevlja
• Opstina Pluzine
• Opstina Podgorica
• Opstina Rozaje
• Opstina Savnik
• Opstina Tivat
• Opstina Ulcinj
• Opstina Zabljak

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