Montenegro (ˌmɒntᵻˈniːɡroʊ,-ˈneɪɡroʊ,-ˈnɛɡroʊ ; Crna Gora, Црна Гора, Black Mountain) is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, Kosovo to the east, Albania to the southeast, and Croatia and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest with a coastline of 293.5 km. Podgorica (Cyrillic: Подгорица) is the country's capital and its largest city, it covers 10.4% of Montenegro's territory of , and is home to roughly 31% of its total population of 621,000. Cetinje (Cyrillic: Цетиње) is the former royal capital and cultural centre of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the President of Montenegro.
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. The Principality of Zeta emerged in the 14th and 15th centuries. From the late 14th century to the late 18th century, large parts of southern Montenegro were ruled by the Venetian Republic and incorporated into Venetian Albania. The name Montenegro was first used to refer to the country in the late 15th century. After falling under Ottoman Empire rule, Montenegro gained semi-autonomy in 1696 under the rule of the House of Petrović-Njegoš, first as a theocracy and later as a secular principality. Montenegro's independence was recognised by the Great Powers at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1910, the country became a kingdom. After World War I, the kingdom became part of Yugoslavia. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the republics of Serbia and Montenegro together proclaimed a federation. In June 2006 Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia and Montenegro following an independence referendum, creating Montenegro and Serbia as they exist today. Montenegro is therefore one of the newest internationally-recognised countries in the world.