It is bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, Albania to the southeast, Croatia to the west, and has a coastline along the Adriatic Sea to the southwest.

During the Early Medieval period, three principalities were located on the territory of modern-day Montenegro: Duklja, roughly corresponding to the southern half; Travunia, the west; and Rascia proper, the north.

[20] Montenegro's (/ˌmɒntɪˈniːɡroʊ, -ˈneɪɡroʊ, -ˈnɛɡroʊ/ ⓘ MON-tin-E(E)G-roh, -⁠AY-groh;[21] Montenegrin: Crna Gora[b] / Црна Гора;[c] Albanian: Mali i Zi)[22][23] English name derives from a Venetian calque of the Montenegrin phrase "Crna Gora", meaning literally "Black Mountain", deriving from the appearance of Mount Lovćen which was covered in dense evergreen forests.

[24] Crna Gora was mentioned for the first time in edicts issued by Stefan Uroš I to the Serbian Orthodox Zeta Episcopate seat at Vranjina island in Lake Skadar.

[27] Originally, it had referred to only a small strip of land under the rule of the Paštrovići tribe, but the name eventually came to be used for the wider mountainous region after the Crnojević noble family took power in Upper Zeta.

Montenegro further increased its size several times by the 20th century, as the result of wars against the Ottoman Empire, which saw the annexation of Old Herzegovina and parts of Metohija and southern Raška.

In 1963, it was renamed to the Socialist Republic of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Социјалистичка Република Црна Гора / Socijalistička Republika Crna Gora).

In the 16th century, Montenegro developed a unique form of autonomy within the Ottoman Empire that permitted Montenegrin clans freedom from certain restrictions.

Grand Duke Mirko Petrović, elder brother of Knjaz Danilo, led an army of 7,500 and defeated the numerically superior Ottomans with 15,000 troops at Grahovac on 1 May 1858.

[citation needed] In the Battle of Vučji Do Montenegrins inflicted a major defeat on the Ottoman Army under Grand Vizier Ahmed Muhtar Pasha.

[citation needed] Minor border skirmishes excepted, diplomacy ushered in about 30 years of peace between the two states until the deposition of Abdul Hamid II in 1909.

[citation needed] In 1922, Montenegro formally became the Oblast of Cetinje in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, with the addition of the coastal areas around Budva and Bay of Kotor.

[54] In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro came to a new agreement for continued cooperation and entered into negotiations regarding the future status of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Serbia, the member-states of the European Union, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council all recognised Montenegro's independence.

[57] Montenegro has been dominated since the breakup of Yugoslavia by Milo Đukanović (four-time prime minister and also twice president), accused of having established an authoritarianism and clientelist regime, while maintaining close relations with organized crime.

In 2015, the investigative journalists' network OCCRP named Montenegro's long-time President and Prime Minister Milo Đukanović "Person of the Year in Organized Crime".

In April 2018, Milo Djukanovic, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), won Montenegro's presidential election.

[71] Anti-corruption protests began in February 2019 against Đukanović and the Prime Minister Duško Marković-led government of the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), which had been in power since 1991.

[90][91] On 31 October 2023, Milojko Spajic of the Europe Now Movement became Montenegro's new prime minister, leading a coalition of both pro-European and pro-Serb parties.

[92] The Parliament of Montenegro in June 2024 adopted a resolution acknowledging the atrocities committed at the Jasenovac concentration camp during World War II.

[96] Owing to the hyperhumid climate on their western sides, the Montenegrin mountain ranges were among the most ice-eroded parts of the Balkan Peninsula during the last glacial period.

The President also ceremonially proposes the calling of a referendum to Parliament, grants amnesty for criminal offences proscribed by the national law, confers decoration and awards and performs other constitutional duties and is a member of the Supreme Defence Council.

In 2019, Montenegro was described as a hybrid regime (a political system which combines democratic and authoritarian features) according to the United States–based Freedom House.

The organisation cited state capture, abuse of power, and strongman tactics by Prime Minister Milo Đukanović (2008–2010 and 2012–2016) as explanations for its description as such.

Since Montenegro had been unable to find a government which could command the confidence of the Parliament,[107] Abazović remained in his post until the Spajić Cabinet had been formed after the Parliamentary election which took place on 11 June 2023, where the Europe Now!

The Constitution defines Montenegro as a civic, democratic and environmentally friendly country with social justice, established by the sovereign rights of its government.

The Municipal Police assist with local law enforcement tasks, primarily focusing on traffic regulation and minor public order issues.

The Armed Forces are charged with protecting Montenegro, promoting the global security interests and supporting international peacekeeping efforts.

The Montenegrin coastal region is known for its religious monuments, including the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in Kotor[148] (Cattaro under the Venetians), the basilica of St. Luke (over 800 years), Our Lady of the Rocks (Škrpjela), the Savina Monastery and others.

The first major influences to Montenegrin cuisine came from the Levant and Turkey: sarma, musaka, pilav, pita, gibanica, burek, ćevapi, kebab, đuveč, and Turkish sweets such as baklava and tulumba.