Geography of Montenegro

The length of land borders is 625 km. Montenegro borders with Croatia (25 km) in the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina (225 km) in the northwest, with Serbia (124 km) in the northeast, Kosovo (79 km) in the east, and southeast in the east - with Albania (172 km). ^[2]

The coast of Montenegro is 293.5 km long, with territorial waters 12 nautical miles . ^[2] Montenegro has 14 sea islands, the total length of the coastline of which is 15.6 km. In the north-west of the country is the large Boka Kotorska Gulf, with a water surface area of ​​87.3 km² and 29.6 km crashing into land. To the south of it are the small bays of Trashte and Zhukovats-Luka, as well as the bays of Trsteno Luka, Jazi Luka and Mala Luka in the area of Budva . The main beach resorts are located on the Budva Riviera .

The territory of the country can be divided into three regions: the mountain systems of the north-east of the country, the Adriatic coast , as well as the relatively flat basin of Skadar Lake and the valleys of the rivers flowing into it, where the two largest cities of the country are located: Podgorica and Niksic . ^[3]

Most of Montenegro is located on the Dinar Highlands , the highest point of which in Montenegro is Mount Bobotov Kuk (2522 m) in the Durmitor massif. The highest peak of Montenegro is Evil-Kolata (2534 m asl ) in the mountains of Prokletie . Along the border with Albania and Kosovo are the North Albanian Alps (Prokletie). The Montenegrin mountains suffered the greatest impact of ice erosion over the last ice age among the mountains of the peninsula. In the southwestern part of the country is the Montenegrin karst plateau - part of the karst region of the west of the Balkan Peninsula. The average height of the plateau is 900 m above sea level, although some parts rise by 1,800 m. The lowest part of the highlands is the Zeta river valley (450 m), located in the middle of a flat field in the Niksic region. ^[one]

The edge ridges of the highlands abruptly break off to a narrow (2-6 km wide) coastal strip, which disappears in the northern part of the coast, where the waters of the Bay of Kotor come close to the slopes of Lovchen . In coastal areas, increased seismic activity is noted. ^{[4] [1]}

Minerals: bauxite , copper , lead , salt . ^[five]

In northern Montenegro - moderate continental , on the Adriatic coast - Mediterranean . In the coastal region, summers are usually long, hot (23-25 ​​° C) and rather dry, winters are short, mild (+ 3-7 ° C) and rainy. In mountainous regions, moderately warm summers (19-25 ° C) and relatively cold winters (from −10 to +5 ° C) are precipitated mainly in the form of snow.

The mountainous regions of Montenegro are one of the areas with the highest rainfall in Europe. Like most areas of the Mediterranean, maximum rainfall occurs in winter, but in the mountains there is a second summer maximum. Precipitation falls from 500 to 1500 mm per year, mainly in the form of rain, in the mountains near the sea coast in some places more than 3000 mm falls. In the town of Tsrkvice , located in karst areas above the Bay of Kotor, the average annual rainfall reaches 5,100 mm. ^[1] In the northern regions of Montenegro, snow lies up to 5 months a year. Number of hours of sunshine per year: in Igalo - 2386, in Ulcinj - 2700.

The temperature of sea water for seven months ranges from 12 to 26 ° C, the transparency of sea water in places exceeds 35 m.

The surface runoff of Montenegro is divided into two main river systems, flowing in different directions. The rivers Piva , Tara (144 km), Cheotin (125 km) and Lim (123 km) flow to the northwest and are tributaries of the Drina River ( Danube basin). The rivers of the south of the country belong to the Adriatic Sea basin. The largest of them are Moraca (99 km) and its tributary Zeta (65 km) (Lake Skadar basin). The Buna River, flowing from Skadar Lake, was previously the only navigable river in Montenegro, but at present it is not navigable. Three Montenegrin rivers (Moraca, Zeta and Piva) flow throughout their entire territory along the territory of Montenegro.

Most Montenegrin rivers are mountainous and form deep canyons . The Tara River Canyon, with a depth of about 1200 m, is the deepest in Europe and the second deepest in the world. The rivers of Montenegro have an energy potential of 115 kW per 1 km² of territory, which is a very high indicator. There are hydroelectric power stations on the Piva and Zeta rivers ^[5] , however, the full hydropower potential has not been realized for various reasons, including environmental ones.

Most of the runoff of the karst region passes through underground channels. ^[one]

The largest lake in Montenegro and the entire Balkan Peninsula is Skadar (40x16 km). The total area of ​​its water surface varies from 390 to 530 km²; two thirds of the lake (by area) are located on the territory of Montenegro, one third - on the territory of Albania. The lake is located in a vast karst basin, the bottom of which is below sea level.

In addition to Skadarsky, in Montenegro there is also an artificial Lake of Piva (on the Piva River), Lake Shasskoye (3.64 km²), located near Ulcinj, Lake Krupach and Slanskoye near Niksic, as well as quite a few small mountain lakes of glacial origin ( Lake Biogradskoe , Plavskoe Lake , Crno Jezero and others).

A distinctive feature of Montenegro is the accumulation of red earth in the coastal region. This type of soil, obtained by weathering dolomite and limestone rocks, is also common in the hollows of the karst region; bare rocks of the southern part of the karst soil practically do not have. The soils of the mountains are represented by ordinary brown forest and podzolic soils . The eastern regions are more fertile and covered with forests and grass. ^[one]

Arable land - 13.7%, land occupied by permanent crops - 1% (2005). No irrigated land. (2003). ^[2]

The flora of Montenegro is diverse: in total, 2833 plant species are recorded in the country, of which 212 are endemic to the Balkan Peninsula, and 22 are endemic to Montenegro. About 1/3 ^{[5] of} the country’s area is covered by forests ( coniferous and mixed), 39.58% - pastures. In antiquity, mainly oaks and cypresses grew on the Adriatic coast, but their deforestation led to soil erosion and the replacement of forests with Mediterranean shrub vegetation ( maquis ). ^[one]

Montenegro's population density is low, so large mammals can be found on its territory: bears , deer , marten , and wild boars . There are also wolves , foxes and forest cats . The country is also rich in various species of birds, reptiles and fish. ^[one]

In areas of intensive tourism , for example in Kotor , pollution of coastal areas by sewage is observed . ^[2]

According to the constitution of Montenegro , the republic is an "environmentally friendly state", 8.1% of the territory (including the national parks Durmitor , Lovcen , Biogradska Gora and Skadar Lake ) are under various environmental regimes.