Tuzi
Tuzi (also known as Tuz) is the capital of the Malësi e Madhe district of the Podgorica municipality, Montenegro, only a few kilometers north of Lake Skadar on the Albanian border. Tuzi is located at 42°21′56″N, 19°19′53″E.
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History
The town dates back to the time of ancient Illyria. Tuzi was a part of the Ottoman Empire until the uprising of the Malësori people, led by Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj in 1911. This was the first Albanian revolt in Tuzi since the time of Gjergj Kastrioti in 1444.
The Malësi e Madhe district is populated primarily by the Hoti, Grudë, Triesh, Kojë, Luhari and Fundinë tribes. As a result of the London Conference of Ambassadors of 1913, some of the area occupied by these tribes was split away from Albania and given to Montenegro. The larger portion of Malësia e Madhe remains in Albania today, while the smaller part is in Montenegro.
During the 1994 economic sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (which at that point comprised only Serbia and Montenegro), Tuzi became an important oil smuggling hub due to its location on the Montenegrin-Albanian border.
Tuzi Today
- Today, Tuzi has a population almost entirely of Albanian origin.
- Tuzi is 60% Roman Catholic and 40% Muslim.
- Tuzi today has one Middle and High School.
- The Albanians of Tuzi have been appealing for a distinct and separate municipality that would protect the cultural, religious, linguistic, political, economic, and academic uniqueness of their people.
- People that are born or live in Tuzi are called Tuzjan.
See also
Balkan Wars 1908 - 1913
Wikitravel:Tuzi
