Serbia and Montenegro is a territory of southeastern Europe, which included two republics united in one nation – Serbia and Montenegro (ex-Yugoslav Federation) – until June 2006, when they became independent.
Located on the Balkan peninsula, when together Serbia and Montenegro bordered Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the east, Macedonia and Albania to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, having a narrow coastal strip in the Adriatic Sea to the west. As a result of its geographical location, this Balkan territory has, over the centuries, been subject to the vicissitudes of fluctuating balances of power between powers such as Austria-Hungary and the Turkish and Ottoman empires, which now subjected it in whole or in part, now afforded the opportunity to assert itself as an independent political unit.
In the twentieth century, this was the name that took on three distinct political entities, a fact once again symptomatic of a troubled historical existence. Thus, after a conflict in the territory in 1912-1913 and the First World War in 1914-1918, a monarchical regime was instituted that would last until April 1941, when the Axis powers invaded the country and destroyed the structure until then adopted. Once the invading forces were expelled in 1945, Marshal Josip Broz Tito imposed other forms of socio-political organization, making Yugoslavia a federative state with a socialist orientation in which six republics (Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Bosnia) were distinguished. -Herzegovina) and that occupied substantially the same territory as in the previous phase.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the policy adopted by Tito was the affirmation of his own communist practice, autonomous from the Soviet influence, which, moreover, Tito would reject when he broke with Stalin as early as 1948. On the other hand, the Yugoslav position of neutrality, in a political scenario of opposition from large blocs struggling for world supremacy, has earned the country considerable international prestige. Tito’s Yugoslavia led, alongside Nasser’s Egypt and Nehru’s India, the Non-Aligned Movement, which was a stronghold of tolerance and the search for peace in this Cold War era.
After Tito’s death, verified in 1980, a set of disruptive forces and circumstances – the marked socio-economic asymmetries between the regions of the country, the fall of the various European communist regimes, the upsurge of ethnic tensions and nationalisms – began to manifest itself , intensifying over the 1980s and giving rise, already in the 1990s, to several independence, such as Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Serbia and Montenegro formed Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Federation). In 1992 a bloody war broke out in the territory, the outlines of which are still difficult to determine globally but which are believed to have caused more than 250 000 deaths.
In 1999, the massive expulsion and violence against ethnic Albanian citizens from the autonomous republic of Kosovo sparked an international response that included the bombing of Serbia and the establishment of NATO and Russian peacekeepers in Kosovo. President Slobodan Milosevic, accused in an international war crimes tribunal, ruled the country during this period under strong opposition from different sections of the population and under international accusation of being one of Europe’s last dictators.
The early elections of September 24, 2000 were won by the opposition, led by Vojislav Kostunica, but the electoral commission (controlled by Milosevic) marked a second round of the elections. Displeased, the opposition, which claimed victory on the first round, appealed to the population for a campaign of civil disobedience that would force Milosevic to accept defeat and corresponding renunciation of power. This campaign meant that Kostunica’s victory was officially recognized. For Serbia democracy and rights, please check intershippingrates.
The two republics – Serbia and Montenegro – agreed on March 14, 2002 to change the name of the Yugoslav Federation to the State of Serbia and Montenegro. In the same agreement, which entered into force in February 2003, it was established that after three years, if both republics so desired, they could become independent states. In May 2006, the Republic of Montenegro held a referendum, the result of which demonstrated the general desire for independence, which was declared on June 3 of the same year. Two days later, Serbia followed in the footsteps of Montenegro, declaring its independence and, consequently, recognizing that of Montenegro.
- Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Serbia and Montenegro, sorted by city location and acronyms.
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Serbia and Montenegro. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Serbia and Montenegro
Discover a set of images of the maps of this European nation. Includes Belgrade city map, Balkan region, former Yugoslavia, and Kosovo maps, as well as political maps.
Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/serbia-and-montenegro.htm
Kosovo – Perry-Casta eda Library Map Collection
Provides a collection of historical, topographical and political map images of this historically troubled region, from University of Texas.
Website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/Kosovo.htm
MSN Encarta Maps – Yugoslavia
Clear blue map shows the borders of Yugoslavia of it’s former incorporated republics. Click on the map to read facts and information.
Website: http://encarta.msn.com/maps/mapview.asp?mi=T629440A&ms=1
Serbia and Montenegro – University of Texas Library
Maps of this area were originally produced by the CIA. Look at war, refugee and city maps.
Website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/serbia.htm
Yugoslavia – Atlapedia Online
Access maps of this European country also known as Serbia-Montenegro. Includes historical summary and country facts.
Website: http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/yugoslav.htm
Yugoslavia – Road Map
Map shows the major roads in Yugoslavia and what cities and towns they are linked to throughout the country.
Website: http://www.theodora.com/maps/new/yugoslavia_road_map_i.gif
