Montenegro (/ˌmɒntɪˈneɪɡroʊ, -ˈniːɡroʊ, -ˈnɛɡroʊ/ ( listen); Montenegrin: Црна Гора / Crna

Gora [tsr̩̂ ːnaː ɡɔ̌ra])[note 1] is a country in Southeast Europe on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Bosnia and
Herzegovina to the northwest; Serbia and Kosovo to the east, Albania to the south and Croatia to
the west. Montenegro has an area of 13,812 square kilometres and a population of 620,079 (2011
census). Its capital Podgorica is one of the twenty-three municipalities in the country. Cetinje is
designated as the Old Royal Capital.
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.[9][10][11] In 1042, archon Stefan Vojislav led a revolt that resulted in the
independence of Duklja from the Byzantine Empire and the establishment of the Vojislavljević
dynasty. The independent Principality of Zeta emerged in the 14th and 15th centuries, ruled by
the House of Balšić between 1356 and 1421, and by the House of Crnojević between 1431 and
1498, when the name Montenegro started being used for the country. After falling under Ottoman
rule, Montenegro regained de facto independence in 1697 under the rule of the House of Petrović-
Njegoš, first under the theocratic rule of prince-bishops, before being transformed into a
secular principality in 1852. Montenegro's de jure independence was recognised by the Great
Powers at the Congress of Berlin in 1878, following the Montenegrin–Ottoman War. In 1905, the
country became a kingdom. After World War I, it became part of Yugoslavia. Following the breakup
of Yugoslavia, the republics of Serbia and Montenegro together established a federation known as
the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was renamed to the State Union of Serbia and
Montenegro in 2003. On the basis of an independence referendum held in May 2006, Montenegro
declared independence and the federation peacefully dissolved on 3 June of that year.
Since 1990, the sovereign state of Montenegro has been governed by the Democratic Party of
Socialists and its minor coalition partners. Classified by the World Bank as an upper middle-income
country, Montenegro is a member of the UN, NATO, the World Trade Organization, the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, and the Central European Free
Trade Agreement. It is a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean.