Montenegro Geography - 2024

Location

Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Geographic coordinates

42 30 N, 19 18 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 13,812 sq km

land: 13,452 sq km

water: 360 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Connecticut; slightly larger than twice the size of Delaware

Area comparison map:

Land boundaries

total: 680 km

border countries (5): Albania 186 km; Bosnia and Herzegovina 242 km; Croatia 19 km; Kosovo 76 km; Serbia 157 km

Coastline

293.5 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: defined by treaty

Climate

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

Terrain

highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus

Elevation

highest point: Zia Kolata 2,534 m

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 1,086 m

Natural resources

bauxite, hydroelectricity

Land use

agricultural land: 38.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 12.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 24.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 40.4% (2018 est.)

other: 21.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

24 sq km (2012)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Lake Scutari (shared with Albania) - 400 sq km
note - largest lake in the Balkans

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

Population distribution

highest population density is concentrated in the south, southwest; the extreme eastern border is the least populated area

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes

Geography - note

strategic location along the Adriatic coast