Croats of Montenegro
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 6,021[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Bay of Kotor | 4,519 [2] |
| Languages | |
| Croatian | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| South Slavs | |
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The Croats have a minority in Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor), a coastal region in Montenegro, the largest of their kind in Tivat. The three municipalities making up the Bay of Kotor (Tivat, Kotor and Herceg-Novi) include 4,519 Croats or 6,70%.[2] They are also known as Bokelji, a common name for all inhabitants for of Boka Kotorska. Tivat is home to the minority political party Croatian Civic Initiative, and to the National Council of Croats in Montenegro. Kotor is home to Croatian Civic Society of Montenegro.
Religion
Many Croats in this region are followers of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor in Kotor is part of the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska in Croatia and its faithful are mostly the Croats in Boka.
- Places of worship
- Crkva Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of the Rocks Church)
- Katedrala Svetog Tripuna (Cathedral of Saint Tryphon)
Demographics
Settlements in Montenegro with significant Croatian minority (10 percent or more) include (2011):[3]
- Bogdašići (27 or 47,37%)
- Donja Lastva (315 or 41,94%)
- Lepetani (53 or 28,80%)
- Krašići (27 or 20,77%)
- Muo (115 or 18,58%)
- Bogišići (33 or 17,93%)
- Tivat (1,622 or 17,31%)
- Donji Stoliv (58 or 16,67%)
- Prčanj (170 or 15,04%)
- Kavač (93 or 13,86%)
- Kotor (113 or 11,76%)
- Škaljari (415 or 10,90%)
| Census Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| District | Number of Croats | Percentage |
| 1948 | ||
| Herceg-Novi | 8.39% | |
| Kotor | 25.94% | |
| 1953 | ||
| Boka kotorska | 22.26% | |
| Census Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Municipality | Number of Croats | Percentage |
| 1961 | ||
| Herceg-Novi | 1,544 | 10.18% |
| Kotor | 3,483 | 20.92% |
| Tivat | 3,423 | 57.29% |
| 1971 | ||
| Herceg-Novi | 1,195 | 6.5% |
| Kotor | 2,612 | 13.8% |
| Tivat | 3,375 | 48.73% |
| 1981 | ||
| Herceg-Novi | 702 | 3.01% |
| Kotor | 1,644 | 8.03% |
| Tivat | 2,876 | 30.87% |
| 1991 | ||
| Herceg-Novi | 630 | 2.28% |
| Kotor | 1,617 | 7.2% |
| Tivat | 2,663 | 23.35% |
| 2003 | ||
| Herceg-Novi | 831 | 2.45% |
| Kotor | 1,842 | 7.84% |
| Tivat | 2,761 | 19.73% |
Notable people
- Tihomil Beritić, physician
- Leopold Mandić
- Nikola Modruški, Bishop of Modruš in Lika, Croatia, also known as Nicolaus Machinensis and Nicolo di Cattaro.
- Božo Nikolić, sea captain and politician, one of the founders of HGI
- Josip Pečarić, mathematician
