In total, approximately 650 thousand people live in this country. The population of Montenegro is mainly Slavs. Only 43% of the total number of residents of the state define their nationality as "Montenegrin". Serbs make up 32% of the country's population, and 8% (according to other sources, 13.7%) are Bosnians. Montenegro, whose ethnic composition is quite motley, is a place of residence for representatives of other nationalities. Russians, gypsies, Albanians, Croats, and others make up the remainder. The majority of the population of Montenegro (about 85% of the inhabitants) speaks Serbian.
The ancestors of modern Montenegrins
Turning to the history of this country, we learn that the main part of the inhabitants of this state is the descendants of the Serbs. During the Turkish invasion that took place in the 15th century, the Serbs left for the mountainous regions. The population of Montenegro over the centuries has replenished with representatives of other nationalities. Thus, a separate group was formed with its own customs and traditions. At the end of the 19th century, after the end of the Russo-Turkish war, the population of Montenegro was only about 150 thousand people. The inhabitants of this country are currently a separate nation, which has its own centuries-old history, culture and mentality.
Montenegrin character
For centuries, the struggle for independence and freedom has been a way of life for this people. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that the population of Montenegro is characterized by high growth and strong physique. Heroism, devotion and courage - these moral values are very important for the inhabitants of this country. They deeply entered the life philosophy of the people. Moreover, heroism in the local sense is the ability to protect oneself from another, while courage is to protect another person from oneself. So consider the inhabitants of such an interesting country as Montenegro.
The population, whose number has been growing steadily in recent years, highly values its history and customs, devoted to traditions. Montenegrins are sociable and hospitable. The distinctive features of this people are patriarchalism and collectivism. And today, clanism in the Montenegrin family is noticeable, as well as the willingness to come to the rescue at any time. Montenegro still retains these traditional features inherent in the people.
Population: Religion
The population of this country is mostly religious. Montenegrins profess mainly Orthodoxy (about 75% of all inhabitants). In this country, the activities of the Orthodox clergy extend not only to church affairs, but also to state ones. The Church and its representatives, therefore, are an integral part of the people of Montenegro. In this country, according to historical information, there were many examples when spiritual leaders or natives of the clergy became famous military leaders.
However, thanks to the tolerance for religions that has developed in this country, both Islam and Catholicism are coexisting peacefully next to Orthodoxy. The percentage of adherents of these religions is 18 and 4 percent, respectively. The spiritual sphere is officially separated from the state, but the Constitution states that it should support the clergy financially. This is carried out today in practice in Montenegro.
Official language
In Montenegro, the official language is Serbian. According to a census conducted in 2003, part of the population (about 21.5%) considers Montenegrin a native language. However, over the past 1.5 centuries it has become practically no different from the Serbian one. In addition, there are no clearly established modern norms of Montenegrin. The Serbian language, its ekava dialect, which differs from the traditional Serbian language mainly differs in the way in which the peculiarities of pronunciation of the sounds “e” and “e” are transmitted in the letter as the official Constitution. 2 types of letters are used on an equal footing - Cyrillic and Latin. In the coastal part of the state, Latin predominates. For centuries, it belonged to Austria-Hungary and Italy. However, as you move north from the coast, to the borders of Bosnia and Serbia, more and more Cyrillic is used in a state such as Montenegro.
Population: nationality and status of language
In recent years, work has been carried out to introduce the written and spoken Montenegrin language into the framework of traditional linguistics. Of course, finding a compromise between representatives of different points of view on the issue of officially replacing the concept of "Montenegrin language" with "Montenegrin speech" will be quite lengthy and difficult. The PEN Center Declaration on this issue says that all Slavic languages, with the exception of Montenegrin, have a national, ethnic name. From the point of view of the interests of the nation, as well as from the point of view of science, there are no - neither political nor scientific - reasons to refuse this language in its name. Bosnians living in a country like Montenegro (a population of about 13.7% of the country's total population) speak a language that is similar to Serbian, but with a significant occurrence of Turkic words. After Bosnia and Herzegovina gained independence in the mid-90s of the last century, this language became officially called Bosnian. Montenegrin Croats (1.1%) speak Croatian, which is similar in pronunciation to the Montenegrin, but has significant grammatical and lexical differences. Albanians (7.1% of the population), living mainly in southern Montenegro, speak Albanian. It is used in the Ulcinj community as a second official language. Thus, you see that many nationalities live in a country such as Montenegro. The population, whose nationality is Montenegrins, officially does not have their own language. Meanwhile, its share is about 43%.
Education in Montenegro
Almost half of the population of this country at the beginning of the 20th century remained illiterate. The introduction of compulsory education in schools has led to a decrease in this level. Today, the literacy rate of Montenegrin residents is one of the highest among the states of the Balkan Peninsula and amounts to approximately 98%. In almost every, even the most remote village, there are schools that have 2 levels of education. Secondary education is divided into lower and upper level. On the territory of the state today there are authoritative universities, among which there are 7 universities. Higher educational institutions of this country are located in the cities of Nis, Podgorica, Krauguevac, Novi Sad and Pristina.
Annual population growth
Demographically, the country of Montenegro is prosperous. The composition of the population is steadily replenished with new residents, while the growth is moderate. It is about 3.5% annually. Residents of this country honor family ties. They unquestioningly obey in our days unwritten laws that protect the unity and purity of the race.
Life span
In Montenegro, the female population lives on average up to 76 years, and the male population lives up to 72 years. In this country, the health system is very well developed, but in Montenegro, medical care is completely paid. The main cause of death in this state is smoking. About 32% is the number of smokers in Montenegro.
Customs and traditions of the inhabitants of Montenegro, interesting facts about the inhabitants of this country
The inhabitants of this country are hospitable, hospitable and friendly people. Despite the fact that they like to bargain, as a rule, Montenegrins do not cheat and do not weigh buyers. The basis of society is made up of clans that are related to both territorial and tribal affiliations. Clans are divided, in turn, into fraternities. In the last only blood relatives are united.
Montenegrins, like any other people, are not indifferent to the holidays. Residents of this country love to dance and sing. To this day, the tradition of Oro (Montenegrin round dance) is still alive in Montenegro. Its essence is as follows: a circle is going to be made up of men and women. One of the participants goes to the center of this circle and depicts a flying eagle, while the others are singing at this time. Dancers then have to change each other, and sometimes they form a second tier when they climb onto each other's shoulders (it all depends on the mood of the participants).
If you are going to Montenegro, you may be interested in other facts about the inhabitants of this country. For example, they should not be rushed, as the Montenegrins are accustomed to a measured and calm pace of life. Montenegro is a country whose population is slow, because most of its inhabitants live in villages and do not see any sense in a hurry. In this state, there is a ban on photographing certain objects (military, ports, energy facilities). Special characters that show the crossed-out camera indicate this. If someone from Montenegrins invites you to visit, you should certainly take some gift with you, since it is not customary to go empty-handed.