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Montenegro (; ) is a small, mountainous country in Southeast Europe. It borders Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. While being a small country at , it is very diverse regarding the terrain configuration. Montenegro has 50 peaks of over in altitude.
Terrain
thumb|[[Durmitor, northern region of Montenegro]]
thumb|[[Lovćen, southern region of Montenegro]]
Terrain in Montenegro ranges from high mountains in the northern part of the country, through karst segment in central and western part, to almost of a narrow coastal plain. The coastal plain disappears completely in the north, where Mount Lovćen and other mountain ranges plunge abruptly into the inlet of the Gulf of Kotor. The coastal region is noted for active seismicity.
Montenegro's section of the karst lies generally at elevations of above sea level-although some areas rise to . The lowest segment is in the valley of the Zeta River, which flows at an elevation ranging from to . The river occupies the centre of Nikšić field, a flat-floored, elongated depression typical of karstic regions. The underlying rock is predominantly limestone, which dissolves to form sinkholes and caves. The longest cave in Montenegro is Vražji firovi – 10,5 km long cave north-east from Berane, and the deepest sinkhole is Željezna jama −1027 m on mount Maganik.
The Zeta River Valley, or Bjelopavlići plain, merges in the southeast with the second significant flat lowland in Montenegro, the Zeta plain. Zeta plain stretches north of the Lake Scutari at elevation of . The two plains are today the most densely populated areas of Montenegro, housing the two biggest Montenegrin cities, Podgorica and Nikšić.
The high mountains of Montenegro include some of the most rugged terrain in Europe. They average more than in elevation. Among notable peaks is Bobotov Kuk in the Durmitor mountain, which reaches . The Montenegrin mountains were the most ice-eroded section of the Balkan Peninsula during the last glacial period.
Hydrology
thumb|[[Lake Skadar in Montenegro]]
Montenegro's surface runoff in the north is carried away by the Ibar, Lim and Tara river systems, which enter the Danube via the Drina River of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In southern Montenegro, streams flow toward the Adriatic Sea. Much of the drainage of the karstic region is not on the surface but travels in underground channels.
The largest lake in Montenegro and the Balkans is Lake Scutari. Known in Montenegro as Skadarsko Jezero, it lies near the coast and extends across the international border into northern Albania. It is long and wide, with a total surface area of . Some 60 percent lies within Montenegrin territory. The water body occupies a karstic polje depression that has a floor lying below sea level.
Statistics
Geographic coordinates:
Area – comparative: similar in size to The Bahamas 653,474 (2013 estimate [https://web.archive.org/web/20260116122206/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/montenegro/])
Length of the coast (coastline): 293.5 km (182 mi)
- With Bosnia and Herzegovina: 225 km (139 mi)
See also
- Geology of Montenegro
- Geography of Europe