Yes, we know: some of you didn’t even know that Montenegro existed. To be fair, you haven’t had that much time to learn about the country, because it has only existed since 2006. Which is when it declared independence from Serbia-Montenegro. And that makes it the third newest country in the world (after South Sudan and Kosovo). Montenegro is in the Balkans, aka former Yugoslavia, on the Adriatic coast. There’s a lot to know about this beautiful place. Here’s a quote from Lord Byron, who dug it here too:
At the birth of our planet, the most beautiful encounter between the land and the sea must have happened at the coast of Montenegro. When the pearls of nature were sown, handfuls of them were cast on this soil.”
Lord Byron
Here are some more things you probably didn’t know about Montenegro. (Mostly, we didn’t either!).
- November and December are the rainiest months of the year in Montenegro. And Podgorica, the capital city, is the rainiest city in Europe. So we are talking some serious rain. (We wish we had known this, although we’d still have come!)
- The official language in Montenegro is Montenegrin, but Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, and Croatian are all similar, and widely spoken. Fun fact: Google translate doesn’t offer Montenegrin; try Croatian instead.
- Cruise ships love Montenegro, especially Kotor Bay! Most parts of it are too narrow for them to dock, which means they all end up right in front of Kotor Old Town (where the water is is 60m deep). In wintertime, it’s one or two a week, but during peak summer season, there are sometimes more than one a day. We’re delighted for the local businesses that count on these visitors, but it does change the feel of the place to have five thousand people pop by. (This happens in Budva too.)
- Amazon doesn’t deliver to Montenegro, and you can’t get a burger from McDonald’s here either: the country, concerned with the health of its citizens, forced them to close the branch that opened in 2003.
- Montenegro (Crna Gora) takes its name from the large black mountain, Lovćen, near Budva. (The Venetians gave it the name Montenegro, the Italian equivalent of Crna Gora). But there are plenty of karst mountains to go around, made of grey limestone and dolomite. Mt Lovćen, and the rest, are ‘black’ from the thick evergreen forests. So actually, they’re gray, and very, very dark green.
- Geography: if you like mountains, this is the place for you; more than half the country is over 1000m (= 3281′) above sea level. Also if you like water, since the country is pretty much one or the other. Just about every city and town either nestles in a narrow strip of coastline or clings to the side of a mountain.
- The traditional Montenegrin celebration upon the birth of a son is to shoot off a lot of pistols, for a good long time. This mostly happens in villages. Still, here’s hoping!
- Montenegro is the second-largest exporter of raspberries in the world. And the country is also famous for its herbs, especially mint, thyme, and nettles.
- Montenegro contains the second deepest canyon in the world (Tara River, 1300m = 4300′), one of the last primeval forests in Europe (Biogradska Gora), and the only fjord in the Mediterranean (in the bay of Kotor). And Lake Skadar is home to more birds than anywhere else in Europe. Talking of fauna, Montenegro has the highest biodiversity per square metre in Europe.
- The majority of Montenegrins are Christian (Eastern Orthodox), and a surprising number of people seem to attend church regularly. But Montenegro also has the sixth-largest number of Muslims in Europe.
- Montenegrins are the second-tallest people in the world, with men coming in at 1.832m average height (= 6′). Only the Dutch and the people of Bosnia-Hercegovina are taller (tied for first at 1.839m, or 6.05′). The women aren’t nearly so tall, though.
- Montenegrins don’t like conflict, especially in public. They also aren’t really into dancing. We’ll tell you what they do like, though: smoking! It’s banned indoors, which means that there is outdoor seating nearly everywhere, and it’s always crowded, even when it’s really cold out. Also, Montenegrins like talking on the phone: they own an average of 1.8 phones per capita. They also like learning to read: Montenegro has a literacy rate of over 98%.
- We haven’t found decaf coffee anywhere.
- Montenegro is not in the EU, though it’s hoping to be, and the national currency is the Euro.
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