13th July: Montenegro National Day

Montenegro National day - Anniversary of the day in 1878 on which the Berlin Congress recognized Montenegro as an independent state.

1. The name of the country means "Black Mountain" and comes from the dark mountain forests there. The name in other languages is a direct translation of "Black Mountain" in those languages. There are a lot of mountains. About 60% of the country is more than 1000 meters high, the highest peak being Bobotov Kuk at 2,522 meters.
2. It's a small place. In area it's about the size of the US state of Connecticut and its population is smaller than that of the city of Leeds in the UK. Despite its small size it has 117 beaches and five airports.
3. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast, and Albania to the south-east.
4. The capital city is Podgorica, which means "under the small hill", since it is overlooked by a hill of Olive groves.
5. Its national dish is a a type of smoked carp from Skadar Lake with dried plums, apples and quince, which has the rather unfortunate name of "krap".
6. The Grand Canyon of the Tara River is 1300m deep, making it the deepest canyon in Europe and second largest in the world after the Grand Canyon in the USA.
7. It is traditional for couples in Montenegro to plant an olive tree on their wedding day as a symbol of their marriage.
8. Montenegro has inspired writers and film makers. Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes was once imprisoned in the ancient town of Ulcinj, and it's believed he got the inspiration for Don Quijote while he was there. The 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale is partially set (though not filmed) in Montenegro; and it was the location for a film called Dark Side Of The Sun, the first film in which Brad Pitt had a leading role.
9. Tourist attractions include the highest mausoleum in the world, built to honour Milena, the Princess of Montenegro on the the Lovcen mountain; the Montenegrin Alcatraz, a tiny rocky island called Grmožur which was once used as a prison; and Ostrog Monastery, which is built into the side of a cliff. Not to mention the scenery: Lord Byron described the country thus: ‘At the birth of the planet the most beautiful encounter between land and sea must have been on the Montenegrin coast’.
10. Montenegro has won just one Olympic medal, at the London 2012 Olympic Games when the Montenegrin women's team won the silver in handball.