Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje (Montenegrin Cyrillic and Serbian Cyrillic: Бијело Поље, pronounced [bîjɛlɔː pɔ̂ʎɛ]) is a town in northeastern Montenegro on the Lim River. It has an urban population of 15,400 (2011 census). It is the administrative, economic, cultural and educational centre of northern Montenegro.
Bijelo Polje Бијело Поље | |
|---|---|
Town and municipality | |
.jpg) Bijelo Polje town center. | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Bijelo Polje Location of Bijelo Polje in Montenegro | |
| Coordinates: 43.04°N 19.75°E | |
| Country |  |
| Municipality | Bijelo Polje Municipality |
| Settlements | 98 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Petar Smolović (DPS) |
| • Ruling party | DPS - SD |
| Area | |
| • Town and municipality | 924 km2 (357 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 578 m (1,896 ft) |
| Population (2011 census) | |
| • Urban | 12,900 |
| • Rural | 30,651 |
| • Municipality | 46,051 |
| Demonym(s) | Bjelopoljci |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 84000 |
| Area code | +382 50 |
| ISO 3166-2 code | ME-04 |
| Car plates | BP |
| Climate | Cfb |
| Website | www |
Bijelo Polje is the center of Bijelo Polje Municipality (population of 46,051). It is the unofficial center of the north-eastern region of Montenegro. Bijelo Polje means "White Field" in Montenegrin and all related South Slavic languages like Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian.
History
Bijelo Polje's Church of Saint Peter and Paul is the place where the famous UNESCO Miroslav's Gospel of Miroslav, brother of Serb ruler Stefan Nemanja was written.
During World War II, Bijelo Pole was a prominent location for the anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia, Montenegro in particular.[1]
Population
Bijelo Polje is the administrative centre of the Bijelo Polje municipality, which in 2011 had a population of 46,251. The town of Bijelo Polje itself has 15,400 citizens.
Population of Bijelo Polje (town):
- 1981 - 11,927
- 1991 - 16,464
- 2003 - 15,883
- 2011 - 15,400
Population of Bijelo Polje (municipality):
- 1948 - 36,795
- 1953 - 41,432
- 1961 - 46,651
- 1971 - 52,598
- 1981 - 55,634
- 1991 - 55,268
- 2003 - 50,284
- 2011 - 46,051
Religion (2011 census):
- Orthodox (53.25%)
- Islam (46.18%)
- Catholic (0.17%)
- Atheist (0.17%)
- Christians (0.17%)
Ethnic composition in 2011
| Ethnicity | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Serbs | 15,562 | 33.8% |
| Bosniaks | 14,592 | 31.7% |
| Montenegrins | 7,808 | 16.95% |
| Muslims | 5,985 | 12.99% |
| Romani | 334 | 0.72% |
| Albanians | 57 | 0.12% |
| Croats | 41 | 0.09% |
| Yugoslavs | 27 | 0.06% |
| Other | 454 | 0.98% |
| undeclared | 952 | 2.07% |
| no data | 269 | 0.58% |
| Total | 46,081 | 100% |
Culture and sights
Bijelo Polje was the birthplace of the oral poet Avdo Međedović and of many prominent writers such as Ćamil Sijarić, Miodrag Bulatović, Risto Ratković and Dragomir Brajković as well as basketball player Nikola Peković and Swedish footballing brothers Ajsel Kujović and Emir Kujović.
Transport
Bijelo Polje is connected to the rest of Montenegro by two major roads. It is situated on the main road connecting Montenegro's coast and Podgorica with northern Montenegro and Serbia (E65, E80).
Bijelo Polje is also a station on Belgrade–Bar railway, the last station in Montenegro for trains leaving for Belgrade, and it serves as a regional train station. Podgorica Airport is 130 km (81 mi) away, and has regular flights to major European destinations.
Climate
Bijelo Polje has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) with warm summers, cold winters, and abundant precipitation year round.
| Climate data for Bijelo Polje | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
6.4 (43.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
23.7 (74.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
22.7 (72.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
9.7 (49.5) |
3.3 (37.9) |
15.5 (59.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.9 (28.6) |
0.9 (33.6) |
4.7 (40.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.3 (63.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
9.3 (48.7) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
8.7 (47.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5.3 (22.5) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
3.1 (37.6) |
7.1 (44.8) |
10.2 (50.4) |
11.5 (52.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
8.6 (47.5) |
4.5 (40.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 79.6 (3.13) |
63.8 (2.51) |
60.8 (2.39) |
79.8 (3.14) |
74.5 (2.93) |
77.5 (3.05) |
68.3 (2.69) |
61.3 (2.41) |
72.7 (2.86) |
73.3 (2.89) |
107.9 (4.25) |
90.8 (3.57) |
910.3 (35.82) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 139 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 82 | 76 | 71 | 69 | 72 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 78 | 79 | 82 | 85 | 76 |
| Source: Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro[2] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
.jpg)
- Miodrag Bulatović, writer
- Ćamil Sijarić, writer
- Dragomir Brajković, writer
- Risto Ratković, writer
- Milutin Karadžić, actor
- Ajsel Kujović, footballer
- Emir Kujović, footballer
- Duško Ivanović, basketball coach
- Nikola Peković, basketball player
- Predrag Drobnjak, basketball player
- Suad Šehović, basketball player
- Sead Šehović, basketball player
References
- Morrison, Kenneth (2008). Montenegro: A Modern History. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 0857714872.
- "Climate: Bijelo Polje". Hydrological and Meteorological Service of Montenegro. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bijelo Polje. |
- Visit-Montenegro.com
- Census info, njegos.org; accessed 12 August 2015.