Are you planning a vacation to this beautiful Balkan country? But you don’t know much about Montenegro? This little article is for you. There will be general and interesting facts about Montenegro. They will help you better understand the country, broaden your mind, and simply prepare for the trip.
Table of contents:
It will be difficult for you to plan your dream trip to Montenegro without these websites
General facts about Montenegro
Let’s start with the most basic points:
- The name of the country – Montenegro – was given by the Venetians: Mons = mountain, Negro = black). And the locals call this region – Crna Gora, which is also translated as Black Mountain. And we call this country Montenegro.
- The word – Black, as part of the name of the country, does not mean the color of the mountains, but that it was very difficult to live here. Moreover, it was difficult – in every sense of the word: it was difficult to build houses, it was difficult to farm, it was difficult to move around.
- More than 80% of the area of Montenegro is occupied by mountains.
- The area of Montenegro is 13812 sq. km. This is almost 9 times the size of London.
- The population is only about 620 thousand people. This is 14.5 times less than in London. Most of the population is concentrated in the capital Podgorica and in the cities along the coast.
- The capital of Montenegro is Podgorica.
- Podgorica is the largest city in the country, much larger than any other city in Montenegro. The population of Podgorica is about 130 thousand people.
- Flag of Montenegro – a golden double-headed eagle on a red background
- The language of Montenegro is Montenegrin. But in fact it is Serbian. If more convenient, then this is the language of the Serbian language group with dialectical features. There are differences, but not big ones. Everything about the national language of Montenegro and what is important for a tourist.
Interesting facts about Montenegro:
In 2017, a survey was conducted about the language used by the local population in Montenegro. 42% indicated that the Serbian language and only 39% that Montenegrin. Another 15% is Albanian, and the rest was divided between the Croatian and Bosnian languages.
10 interesting facts about Montenegro for tourists
The above was just general information about the country. And then I’ll tell you interesting facts that may surprise some or just make you smile.
- For many tourists, Montenegro is a country on the seashore for a beach holiday. In fact, more than 60% of the territory is located at an altitude above 1000 m above sea level and 82% of the country is mountains.
- There are 4 climatic zones in Montenegro. On the coast, flowers and green trees bloom all year round. At the same time, in the mountains in winter, snow falls above the roofs of houses. This is despite the fact that the whole country is about 200 km long and wide.
- Montenegro’s .me domain zone is popular all over the world with bloggers. More than a million addresses are registered in this zone every year. The country earns about 300 – 500 million euros annually from the sale of domain names.
- Although the country is located on the sea, the locals are great meat lovers. Seafood here is eaten only by tourists. And the seafood is quite expensive. So, who wants to eat seafood – plan your budget 🙂
- The country’s official currency is Euro. At the same time, Montenegro is not a member of either the European Union, or the Schengen area, or the eurozone. How it happened, read the article: Currency in Montenegro.
- In Montenegro, they drink only coffee. Turkish, nescafe, instant, etc. Classic black tea is hard to find even in the supermarket. You can only buy tea in bags – hibiscus, mint or chamomile. If you want to order tea in a restaurant, the waiter can say: “You will drink tea at home, but we only have coffee”
- In Montenegro, about 60% of locals smoke. Almost all women, and older people, and of course men. It’s okay to smoke in a train car, in a closed room, in any other room. It is almost impossible to find non-smoking rooms in restaurants. At the same time, cigarettes here are not cheap: from 3 euros a pack.
- Everything about prices in Montenegro: everything a tourist needs to know.
- The famous Montenegrin commandments, which once appeared as a joke, and today fully reflect the mentality of the locals. Here are some of those commandments:
- Love your bed like yourself
- If you see that someone is resting, help him
- Tired of working, lie down and rest
- No one has died from rest
- Work kills, don’t die young
- And so on, you understand the meaning.
- The Tara River Canyon is one of the five deepest in the world. According to some reports, he even takes second place. Everything about Durmitor Park and the Tara River Canyon: a great overview.
Travel tips: facts about Montenegro
You received general information. The most important facts for a tourist is that the currency in Montenegro is the euro. And also the fact that Montenegrins love to relax and have fun, so we recommend not to worry about non-punctuality, but to relax and be in tune with locals and also relax.
And also, the fact that there are a lot of mountains in the country and if you plan to go inland from the coast, you need to have appropriate clothes – even in summer. In the mountains, on average, it is 10-15 degrees colder.
In conclusion: I hope the facts about Montenegro helped you better understand some moments of life about the country. And now you are better prepared for your dream journey through the land of black mountains.
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Montenegro
- Flights at the best prices with discounts
- Car rental in Montenegro (cheaper – only by bus):
- Discovery Cars – a large international resource
- LocalRent – work with local rental companies. Leader in car rental in Montenegro.
- Hotels and apartments all over the country: Booking
- Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- eSIM virtual card in Montenegro
- Taxi and transfers from Montenegro airports: Intui.Travel