Bihor (region)


Bihor is a geographical region in northeastern Montenegro. The region is within three municipalities: Berane, Bijelo Polje and Petnjica. It was named after Bihor, a former medieval town that was near Bijelo Polje. The region mainly consists of ethnic Bosniaks.

Upper Bihor

Upper Bihor is located in southwestern Sandžak in northeastern Montenegro. It has an area of about 143 km². The entire region is under 600 metres sea level. Today, the population is predominantly Bosniak.

Geology

Upper Bihor has a variety of types of terrain. There are high mountains, river valleys, glacial and karst relief and volcanic mountains.

History

In 1878, Bihor became part of Montenegro. After the Balkan Wars and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, heavy pressure leads to the Muslims from Bihor moving to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Turkey. In 1914, a few thousand people from Bihor moved to Turkey, while the Eastern Orthodoxy followers begin moving in from various parts of Montenegro. In the late 1940s, people from Bihor began moving to Vojvodina as colonists. Because of hard life in their new home, some people came back to Bihor. The migration of Muslims from this area to Turkey was intensive between 1956-1958. Today, the population is predominantly made up of Muslim Bosniaks with a minority of Serbian Orthodox followers.

Families

There are 73 surnames of villagers found in Upper Bihor: