Montenegro (2007) | Reunion (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | 21 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Andrijevica, Bar, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pluzine, Pljevlja, Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak | none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 121,050; female 115,440)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 238,553; female 245,236) 65 years and over: 6% (male 18,626; female 27,248) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible | sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn |
Airports | 5 (2007) | 2 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
- |
Area | total: 14,026 sq km
land: 13,812 sq km water: 214 sq km |
total: 2,517 sq km
land: 2,507 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Connecticut | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
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. | The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. |
Birth rate | 11.18 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 19.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA |
revenues: $1.26 billion
expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1998) |
Capital | name: Podgorica (administrative capital)
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 note: Cetinje (capital city) |
Saint-Denis |
Climate | Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland | tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April |
Coastline | 293.5 km | 207 km |
Constitution | 12 October 1992 (was approved by the Assembly); note - Montenegro is currently writing a new constitution set to be presented to Parliament in spring 2007 | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Montenegro
conventional short form: Montenegro local long form: Republika Crna Gora local short form: Crna Gora former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro |
conventional long form: Department of Reunion
conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form: Ile de la Reunion former: Bourbon Island |
Currency | - | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 8.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | NA |
Dependency status | - | overseas department of France |
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 |
none (overseas department of France) |
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 |
none (overseas department of France) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | The republic of Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank, used the euro instead of 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 as well as negotiating a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. 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 economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. |
Electricity - consumption | 18.6 million kWh (2005) | 1.005 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.) | 1.08 billion kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m |
Environment - current issues | pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution | - |
Ethnic groups | Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, other (Muslims, Croats, Roma (Gypsy)) 12% | French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8089 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) | euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Zeljko STURANOVIC (since 13 November 2006) cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2003 (next to be held in 2008); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly election results: Filip VUJANOVIC elected on the third round; Filip VUJANOVIC 63.3%, Miodrag ZIVKOVIC 30.8% |
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 16 August 2004)
head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils |
Exports | $171.3 million (2003) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | - | sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) |
Exports - partners | Switzerland 83.9%, Italy 6.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3% (2006) | France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered | the flag of France is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $4.348 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 8%
industry: 19% services: 73% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 2.5% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 42 30 N, 19 18 E | 21 06 S, 55 36 E |
Geography - note | strategic location along the Adriatic coast | this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean |
Heliports | 1 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total: 2,724 km
paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road) unpaved: 1,424 km (1994) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | $601.7 million (2003) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | - | manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products |
Imports - partners | Greece 10.2%, Italy 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.2% (2006) | France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) |
Independence | 3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro) | none (overseas department of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA |
Industries | steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism | sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.4% (2004) | NA |
International organization participation | CE, CEI, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICCt, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) | InOC, UPU, WFTU |
Irrigated land | NA | 120 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme Court (judges have life tenure) | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel |
Labor force | 259,100 (2004) | 309,900 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 2%
industry: 30% services: 68% (2004 est.) |
agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) |
Land boundaries | total: 625 km
border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km, Croatia 25 km, Serbia 203 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 13.7%
permanent crops: 1% other: 85.3% |
arable land: 13.6%
permanent crops: 1.2% other: 85.2% (2001) |
Languages | Serbian (official; Ijekavian dialect), Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian | French (official), Creole widely used |
Legal system | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | French law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats in 2006)
elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 40.6%, Serbian List 15.3%, Coalition SNP-NS-DSS 14.8%, PZP 13.9%, Liberals and Bosniaks 3.8%, other (including Albanian minority parties) 11.6%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 39, Serbian List 12, Coalition SNP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11, Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Albanian minority parties 5 |
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7 note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 73.69 years
male: 70.29 years female: 77.26 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9% male: 87% female: 90.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia | Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar |
Map references | Europe | World |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: defined by treaty |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 9,458 GRT/10,172 DWT
by type: cargo 4 registered in other countries: 3 (Bahamas 2, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007) |
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: Sweden 1 registered in other countries: 1 |
Military - note | Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully professional armed forces | defense is the responsibility of France |
Military branches | - | no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 202,385 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 103,073 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 7,070 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | National Day, 13 July (1878) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | noun: Montenegrin(s)
adjective: Montenegrin |
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)
adjective: Reunionese |
Natural hazards | destructive earthquakes | periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano |
Natural resources | bauxite, hydroelectricity | fish, arable land, hydropower |
Net migration rate | - | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]; Coalition for European Montenegro or DPS-SDP (bloc) [Milo DUKANOVIC] (includes DPS and SDP); Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc) (includes SNP, NS, and DSS); Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARHDI]; Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]; Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC]; Liberals and the Bosniak Party (bloc) [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] (includes LP and BS); Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; Party of Serb Radicals or SSR [Dusko SEKULIC]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC]; People's Socialist Party or NSS [Emilo LABUDOVIC]; Serbian List (bloc) [Andrija MANDIC] (includes SSR, NSS, and SNS); Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]; Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC] | Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | 684,736 (July 2007 est.) | 766,153 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 12.2% (2003) | NA |
Population growth rate | -1% (2007 est.) | 1.42% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Le Port, Pointe des Galets |
Radio broadcast stations | 31 (station types NA) (2004) | AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Railways | total: 250 km
standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2006) |
- |
Religions | Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic | Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites
domestic: GSM wireless service, available through 2 providers with national coverage, is growing rapidly international: country code - 382 (the old code of 381 used by Serbia and Montenegro will also remain in use until Feb 2007); 2 international switches connect the national system |
general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis
domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
Telephones - main lines in use | 353,300 (2006) | 300,000 est (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 821,800 (2006) | 489,800 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 13 (2004) | 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) |
Terrain | highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus | mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast |
Total fertility rate | - | 2.5 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 27.7% (2005) | 36% (1999 est.) |