Montenegro is one of the prettiest countries I have ever traveled to. The name, Montenegro, means back mountain. It gets its name from the dense pine forest that covers its mountains. Besides being very mountainous, the country also has some beautiful ancient towns and cities that line its Adriatic Coast. I traveled to Montenegro twice in the same month, July of 2012, first traveling to Budva from Croatia, than later traveling to Kolasin, Cetinje, and Kotor from Kosovo.
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First
inhabited by the Celts, Montenegro became part of the Roman Empire, and
was
known as the province of Duklja, in the 1st Century CE. When the
Roman Empire collapsed in the 500's,
the area became part of the Byzantine Empire. In the 7th Century, the
Slavs
settled in the area. It was at this time that many of the people
converted to
Christianity. In 1040, the area gained its independence and was given
the name
Zeta. In the mid-1100's, the Byzantines re-conquered the area. It
regained its
independence in the 14th Century becoming a feudal state that expanded
against
some its stronger neighbors. In 1496, after a long sedge, the Ottoman
Turks
finally conquered the area. However, unlike Albania, the area retained
a large
degree of autonomy under Ottoman rule. In 1645, it again became an
independent
state. Montenegro would remain independent, being ruled jointly by both
Kings
and Bishops of the Catholic Church until the end of World War I. After
the war,
Montenegro became part of Yugoslavia. At the end of World War II,
Yugoslavia
became communist under General Tito. When Tito died in 1980, Yugoslavia
slowly
began to come apart. However, Montenegro decided to throw its lot in
with
Serbia. As a result, the area suffered when sanctions were placed on
Serbia
after they were linked to massacres in Bosnia and Kosovo. Finally
in 2006, its citizens voted for
independence and Montenegro once again became an independent state.
Currently,
the country is doing quite well and has asked for membership into the
European
Union. The country is expected to became a member of the EU before
2020. |
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