Kotor Municipality ( Montenegrin and Serbian: Opština Kotor / Општина Котор) is one of the

municipalities of Montenegro The ''municipalities'' (Serbian: ''opštine'' / општине, singular: '' opština'' / општина) are the first level administrative subdivisions of Montenegro. The country is divided into 25 municipalities including the Old Royal Capit ...

. Its administrative center is

Kotor Kotor ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative ...

. This municipality is located in the southwest part of

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

, and includes 56 recognized settlements as well as the innermost portion of the

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...

Location and tourism

Kotor municipality is located on the

region on the Adriatic coast, surrounding the town of

in southwestern

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. Kotor is connected to the

Adriatic Highway The Adriatic Highway ( hr, Jadranska magistrala) is a road that stretches along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and is part of the European route E65. The road passes through Croatia, with smaller stretches through Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

and the rest of the coast and inland Montenegro by Vrmac Tunnel. Inland is reachable by detouring from Adriatic highway at

Budva Budva ( cnr, Будва, or ) is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea. It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, kn ...

or Sutomore (through Sozina tunnel). There is also a historic road connecting Kotor with Cetinje, which has views of Kotor bay. Since the early 2000s Kotor has seen an increase in tourists, many of them coming by

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

. Visitors are attracted by the natural environment of the Gulf of Kotor and by the old town of Kotor. Kotor is part of the

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

dubbed the

Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor The ''Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor'' is a World Heritage Site located in Montenegro that was inscribed in 1979. It encompasses the old town of Kotor (Italian Cattaro), the fortifications of Kotor, and the surrounding region of ...

. Municipality is home to numerous sights, such as the

Cathedral of Saint Tryphon The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Katedrala Svetog Tripuna, Катедрала Светог Трипуна) in Kotor, Montenegro is one of two Roman Catholic cathedrals in Montenegro. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic ...

in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for directly above the city. Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpijela islets off the coast of

Perast Perast ( cnr, Пераст) is an old town in the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. It is situated a few kilometres northwest of Kotor and is noted for its proximity to the islets of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks. History According to the pr ...

are also among the tourism destinations in the vicinity of Kotor. The best known settlements along the Kotor municipality are municipal seat Kotor,

Risan Risan ( Montenegrin: Рисан, ) is a town in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It traces its origins to the ancient settlement of Rhizon, the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor. Lying in the innermost portion of the bay, the settlement was pro ...

, Radanovići, Škaljari,

, Dobrota and

Prčanj Prčanj ( Montenegrin and Serbian: Прчањ, ) is a small town along the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1128 people. It is located 5 kilometres west of Kotor, opposite to Dobrota and betwe ...

Local administration

The municipal parliament consists of 33 deputies elected directly for a five-year term. Following the last local election held on 30 Avgust 2020, the ruling DPS lost its absolute majority, the new local government being formed by a coalition of opposition parties.

Demographics

The 2011 census recorded a total population of 22,601.http://www.monstat.org/userfiles/file/popis2011/saopstenje/saopstenje%281%29.pdf The inhabitants included

Montenegrins Montenegrins ( cnr, Црногорци, Crnogorci, or ; lit. "Black Mountain People") are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common Montenegrin culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Genetics Accordi ...

, numbering 11,047 (48.88%);

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

, numbering 6,910 (30.57%);

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

, numbering 1,553 (6.87%); with the rest belonging to other ethnic groups (1,145, 5.07%) or opting undeclared (1,946, 8.61%). By language, 38.46% spoke Montenegrin, while 42.37% spoke Serbian. Major religious affiliations included

Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

(78.02%) and Roman Catholicism (11.76%).

Gallery

File:20090719 Crkva Gospa od Zdravlja Kotor Bay Montenegro.jpg, Town of

File:Widok na Perast z zachodu 01.JPG, Town of

File:Risan, Bahía de Kotor, Montenegro, 2014-04-19, DD 05.JPG, Town of

File:Dobrota, Bahía de Kotor, Montenegro, 2014-04-19, DD 08.JPG, Town of Dobrota File:Orjen.jpg,

Orjen Orjen (Serbian Cyrillic: Орјен, ) is a transboundary Dinaric Mediterranean limestone mountain range, located between southernmost Bosnia and Herzegovina and southwestern Montenegro. Its highest peak is Veliki kabao, which stands at . ...

mountain File:Vrmac (1).jpg, Vrmac mountain File:St-Georges ND-du-Récif.JPG,

Our Lady of the Rocks Our Lady of the Rocks is one of the two islets off the coast of Perast in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro (the other being Sveti Đorđe island). It is an artificial island created by bulwark of rocks and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with ...

File:Pogled na Kotor.jpg, Old Town of Kotor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotor Municipality Municipalities of Montenegro