Montenegro - About the Country


The name Montenegro is of Latin origin and means Black Mountain. It is probably a result of the limestone, which is white but soon becomes black or dark gey from a lichen which grows on its surface.

The country, located at the Adriatic Sea, is one of three former Yugoslav republics, which have settled the war, are open for democracy, and are safe for tourists. Together with Slovenia and Croatia, Montenegro is a member of the United Nations. Montenegro is also a potential candidate for membership in the European Union. The currency used in the country is the EUR, although it is not a member of the EU.

Montenegro has a narrow coastal plain which is only two to six kilometers wide. The hinterland is karst, mostly mountainous terrain with numerous caves and other karst features. The mountains are around 2,000 m asl high.

It is rather astonishing, that there is so far only one single show cave, despite the huge amount of caves which exist. We guess the reason is the cultural and political history of the country. The country never had sufficient tourism to make such venues profitable. Like in other parts of the Dinaric karst numerous caves were used as show cave since the late 19th century but not very successful. Also, the country is actually better known for deep caves than for long, most of them explored during the 1980s by Polish cavers, hence th Polish cave names.