Slovenia

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Republika Slovenija Republic of Slovenia
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Žive naj vsi narodi" (unofficial) "God's blessing on all nations"
Anthem: Zdravljica
Capital (and largest city)	Ljubljana 46°03′N 14°30′E
Official languages	Slovenian, Italian1, Hungarian1
Government	Parliamentary republic
- President	Janez Drnovšek
- Prime Minister	Janez Janša
Independence	from Yugoslavia
- Declared	June 25, 1991
- Recognized	1992
Accession to EU	May 1, 2004
and  outlying territories by area">Area
- Total	20,273 km² ( and  outlying territories by area">153rd) 7,827 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.6
Population
- June 2006 estimate	2,008,5162 (145th)
- 2002 census	1,964,036
- Density	97/km² (101st) 251/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$43.69 billion (81st)
- Per capita	$21,911 (31st)
HDI  (2004)	0.910 (high) (27th)
Currency	Tolar3 (SIT)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD	.si4
Calling code	+386
1 In the residential municipalities of the Italian or  Hungarian national community. 2 Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia: Population, Slovenia, 30 June 2006 3 To be replaced by the euro (EUR) on 1 January 2007. 4 Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.

Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenian: Republika Slovenija, listen (help·info)), is  a coastal Alpine country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and  east, Hungary to the northeast, and  Austria to the north. The capital of Slovenia is  Ljubljana.

At various points in Slovenia's history, the country has been part of the Roman Empire, the Duchy of Carantania (only Slovenia's modern northern part), the Holy Roman Empire, Austria-Hungary, the  and  Serbs">State of Slovenes, Croats and  Serbs, the  and  Slovenes">Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and  Slovenes (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) between the World Wars, and  the SFR of Yugoslavia from 1945 until gaining independence in 1991. Slovenia is  a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, NATO, and  has observer status in La Francophonie.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Slovenia

See also: Timeline of Slovenian history

Slavic ancestors of the present-day Slovenians settled in the area in the sixth century. The Slavic Duchy of Carantania was formed in the seventh century. In 745, Carantania lost its independence, being largely subsumed into the Frankish empire. Many Slavs converted to Christianity.

The Freising manuscripts, the earliest surviving written documents in a Slovenian dialect and  the first ever Slavic document in Latin script, were written around 1000 AD. During the fourteenth century, most of Slovenia's regions passed into ownership of the Habsburgs whose lands later formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Slovenians inhabiting all or  most of the provinces of Carniola, Gorizia and  Gradisca, and  parts of the provinces of Istria, Carinthia and  Styria.

In 1848, a strong programme for a United Slovenia (Zedinjena Slovenija) emerged as part of the Spring of Nations movement within Austria.

With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, Slovenians initially formed part of the  and  Serbs">State of Slovenes, Croats and  Serbs, which shortly joined the  and  Slovenes">Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and  Slovenes, later renamed (1929) the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the re-establishment of Yugoslavia at the end of World War II, Slovenia became a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, officially declared on 29 November 1945. Present-day Slovenia was formed on 25 June 1991 upon its independence from Yugoslavia, defeating the Yugoslav Army in the Ten-Day War. Slovenia joined NATO on 29 March 2004 and  the European Union on 1 May 2004. Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2008, being the first "new" member state to do so.

[edit] Politics

Main articles on politics and  government of Slovenia can be found at the Politics and  government of Slovenia series.

The Slovenian head of state is  the president, who is  elected by popular vote every five years. The executive branch is  headed by the prime minister and  the council of ministers or  cabinet, which are  elected by the parliament.

The bicameral Parliament of Slovenia consists of the National Assembly (Državni zbor), and  the National Council (Državni svet). The National Assembly has ninety seats, which are  partially filled with directly elected representatives, and  partially with proportionally elected representatives (two seats reserved for autochthonous Hungarian and  Italian minorities). The National Council has forty seats, and  is made up of representatives of social, economic, professional and  local interest groups. Parliamentary elections are  held every four years.

[edit] Administrative divisions

[edit] Traditional regions

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Slovenia is  traditionally divided into eight regions.

As given by Enciklopedija Slovenije (Encyclopedia of Slovenia), traditional Slovenian regions, based on the former division of Slovenia into four Habsburg crown lands (Carniola, Carinthia, Styria, and  the Littoral) and  their parts, are:

Goriška and  Slovenian Istria together are  known as the Littoral region (Primorska). White Carniola (Bela krajina), otherwise part of Lower Carniola, is  usually considered a separate region, as are  Zasavje and  Posavje, the former being a part of Upper and  Lower Carniola and  Styria; and  the latter part of Lower Carniola and  Styria.

[edit] Natural regions

Landscape types in Slovenia. ██ Alpine landscape ██ Panonnian landscape ██ Dinaric landscape ██ Mediterranean landscape

The first regionalizations of Slovenia were made by geographers Anton Melik (1935-1936) and  Svetozar Ilešič (1968). The newer regionalization by Ivan Gams divides Slovenia in the following macroregions:

• the Alps (visokogorske Alpe)
• the Prealpine Hills (predalpsko hribovje)
• the Ljubljana basin (Ljubljanska kotlina)
• Submediterranean (Littoral) Slovenia (submediteranska - primorska Slovenija)
• the dinaric Karst of inner Slovenia (dinarski kras notranje Slovenije)
• Subpannonian Slovenia (subpanononska Slovenija)

According to a newer natural geographic regionalization, the country consists of four macroregions. These are  the Alpine world, the Mediterranean world, the Dinaric world and  the Pannonian world. Macroregions are  defined according to major relief units (the Alps, the Pannonian plain, the Dinaric mountains) and  climate types (continental, alpine, mediterranean). These are  often quite interwoven.

Macroregions consist of multiple and  very diverse mesoregions. The main factor that defines them is  the relief together with the geologic composition. Mesoregions in turn consist of numerous microregions.

[edit] Statistical regions

Slovenia's statistical regions exist solely for legal and  statistical purposes. As of May 2005, twelve have  been defined:

Slovenia's twelve statistical regions.

The government, however, is  preparing a plan for new administrative regions. The number of these regions is  not yet defined, but is  said to be between twelve and  fourteen. After being unveiled publicly, the plan will undergo parliamentary debate. Constitutional changes allowing the creation of regions have  already been approved by the National Assembly. If, however, twelve administrative regions are  favored, they will most likely be the same as those already in place.

[edit] Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Slovenia

Slovenia is  divided into 210 municipalities (občine, singular občina), of which eleven have  urban status.

[edit] Geography

Map of Slovenia

Triglav

Main article: Geography of Slovenia

See also: National parks of Slovenia

Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian plain, and  the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is  Triglav (2,864 m; 9,396 ft); the country's average height above the sea level is  557 metres (1,827 ft). Around one half of the country (10,124 km²; 3,909 sq mi) is  covered by forests; this makes Slovenia the third most forested country in Europe, after Finland and  Sweden. Remnants of primeval forests are  still to be found, the largest in the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 5,593 square kilometres (2,159 sq mi) of the country and  fields and  gardens 2,471 square kilometres (838 sq mi). There are  also 363 square kilometres (140 sq mi) of orchards and  216 square kilometres (83 sq mi) of vineyards.

Its climate is  Submediterranean on the coast, Alpine in the mountains and  continental with mild to hot summers and  cold winters in the plateaus and  valleys to the east. The average temperatures are  -2°C (28°F) in January and  21°C (70°F) in July. The average rainfall is  1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) for the coast, up to 3,500 millimetres (138 in) for the Alps, 800 millimetres (31.5 in) for south east and  1,400 millimetres (55 in)for central Slovenia.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Slovenia

Slovenia is  a high-income economy which enjoys the highest GDP per capita ($23,250 in 2006^[1]) of the newly joined EU countries. The country's relatively high rate of inflation (3.6% in 2004) declined to 2.5% in 2005 and  is now comparable to the average in the European Union. Slovenia's economy has started to grow more  strongly in the last few years (5.2% in first 9 months of 2006, 4.0% in 2005, 4.4% in 2004), after relatively slow growth in 2003 (2.7%). Overall, the country is  on a sound economic footing.

During 2000, privatisations were seen in the banking, telecommunications, and  public utility sectors. Restrictions on foreign investment are  slowly being dismantled, and  foreign direct investment (FDI) is  expected to increase over the next few years. Slovenia is  the economic front-runner of the countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and  is the first new member to adopt the euro as the country's only currency on 1 January 2007. Moreover, Slovenia will also be the first new member state to hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2008.

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Slovenia

See also: Roman Catholicism in Slovenia and History of the Jews in Slovenia

Slovenia's main ethnic group is  Slovenians (83%). Nationalities from the former Yugoslavia (Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks & Muslims by nationality) form 6.3% and  the Hungarian, Italian and  Roma minorities 0.6% of the population. Ethnic affiliation of 8.9% was either undeclared or  unknown. Life expectancy in 2003 was 72.2 years for men and  80 years for women.

With 99 inhabitants per square kilometre (256/sq mi), Slovenia ranks low among the European countries in population density (compare with 320/km² (829/sq mi) for the Netherlands or  195/km² (505/sq mi) for Italy). The Notranjsko-kraška region has the lowest population density while the Osrednjeslovenska region has the highest. Approximately 51% of the population lives in urban areas and  49% in rural areas.

The official language is  Slovenian, which is  a member of the South Slavic language group. Hungarian and  Italian enjoy the status of official languages in the ethnically mixed regions along the Hungarian and  Italian border.

By religion, Slovenians have  traditionally been largely Roman Catholic. Before socialism, as much as 88% of Slovenians were Roman Catholic, while by 1991 this had already dropped to 71.6%, and  the number of followers is  still falling (57.8% in 2002).

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Slovenia

See also: List of Slovenians, Holidays in Slovenia, Slovenian architecture, Slovene literature, and Music of Slovenia

Slovenia's first book was printed by the Protestant reformer Primož Trubar (1508-1586). it  was actually two books, Catechismus (a catechism) and  Abecedarium, which was published in 1550 in Tübingen, Germany.

The central part of the country, namely Carniola (which existed as a part of Austria-Hungary until the early twentieth century) was ethnographically and  historically well-described in the book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (German: Die Ehre deß Herzogthums Crain, Slovenian: Slava vojvodine Kranjske), published in 1689 by Baron Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641-1693).

Slovenia's two greatest writers were the poet France Prešeren (1800-1849) and  writer Ivan Cankar (1876-1918). The most important Slovenian painters are  Ivana Kobilca and  impressionist Rihard Jakopič. The most famed Slovenian architect is  Jože Plečnik who worked in Vienna as well as in Prague.

Slovenia is  a homeland of numerous musicians and  composers, including Renaissance composer Jacobus Gallus (1550-1591), who greatly influenced Central European classical music. In the twentieth century, Bojan Adamič was a renowned film music composer.

Contemporary popular musicians have  been Slavko Avsenik, Laibach, Vlado Kreslin, Zoran Predin, Pero Lovšin, New Swing Quartet, DJ Umek, Siddharta, Magnifico and  others.

Slovenian cinema has more  than a century-long tradition with Karol Grossmann, Janko Ravnik, Ferdo Delak, France Štiglic, Mirko Grobler, Igor Pretnar, France Kosmač, Jože Pogačnik, Matjaž Klopčič, Jane Kavčič, Jože Gale, Boštjan Hladnik and  Karpo Godina as its most established filmmakers. Contemporary film directors Janez Burger, Jan Cvitkovič, Damjan Kozole, Janez Lapajne and  Maja Weiss are  most notable representatives of the so-called "Renaissance of Slovenian cinema".

Slovenia's learned men include chemist and  Nobel prize laureate Friderik Pregl, physicist Jožef Stefan, philosopher Slavoj Žižek, linguist Franc Miklošič, physician Anton Marko Plenčič, mathematician Jurij Vega.

[edit] Biodiversity

Lipizzaner (Slovenian: Lipicanec)

Although Slovenia is  a small country, there is  an exceptionally wide variety of habitats. In the north of Slovenia are  the Alps (namely, Julian Alps, Karavanke, Kamnik Alps), and  in the south stand the Dinarides. There is  also a small area of the Pannonian plain and  a Littoral Region. Slovenia also contains a Karst, a very rich, often unexplored underground habitat containing diverse flora and  fauna. The word karst itself derives from the Slovenian region of Kras.

Half of the country (about 53%) is  covered by forests. These forests are  an important natural resource, but they are  also valuable for the preservation of natural diversity. an  ecological asset like all forests, they enrich the soil and  cleanse the water and  air. Slovenians find the social benefits of tourism and  recreation. The forests also lend their natural beauty to the Slovenian landscape. In the interior of the country there are  typical Central European forests. The predominant trees are  oaks and  beeches. In the mountains, spruce, fir, and  pine are  more common. The tree-line is  at 1,700 to 1,800 metres (or 5,575 to 5,900 feet).

Pinetrees also grow on the Karst plateau. Only one third of Kras (Karst) is  now covered by pine forest. it  is said that most of the forest was chopped down long ago to provide the wooden pylons on which the city of Venice now stands. The Karst and  White Carniola are  well known for the mysterious proteus. The lime/linden tree, also common in Slovenian forests, is  a national symbol.

In the Alps, flowers such as Daphne blagayana, various gentians (Gentiana clusii, Gentiana froelichi), Primula auricula, Edelweiss (the symbol of Slovenian mountaineering), Cypripedium calceolus, Fritillaria meleagris (Snakes's head), and  Pulsatilla grandis are  found.

Fauna includes marmots (introduced), steinbocks, and  chamois. There are  numerous deer, roe deer, boars, and  hares. The loir or  fat dormouse is  often found in the Slovenian beech forests. Hunting these animals is  a long tradition and  is well described in the book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (Slava vojvodine Kranjske) (1689), written by Janez Vajkard Valvasor (1641-1693). Some important carnivores include the Eurasian lynx (reintroduced to the Kočevje area in 1973), European wild cats, foxes (especially the red fox), and  the rare jackal ^[2]. There also exist hedgehogs, martens, and  snakes such as vipers and  grass snakes. As of March 2005, Slovenia also has a limited population of wolves and  around four hundred brown bears.

There is  a wide variety of birds, such as the tawny owl, the long-eared owl, the Eagle Owl, hawks, and  Short-toed Eagles. Various other birds of prey have  been recorded, as well as a growing number of ravens, crows and  magpies migrating into Ljubljana and  Maribor where they thrive. Other birds include (both black and  green) woodpeckers and  the white stork which nests in Prekmurje.

The indigenous Slovenian fish is  the Marmorata. Extensive breeding programs have  been introduced to repopulate the Marmorata into lakes and  streams invaded by non-indigenous species of trout. The only regular species of cetaceans found in the northern Adriatic sea is  the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)^[3].

Domestic animals originating in Slovenia include the Carniolan honeybee, the indigenous Karst Sheepdog and  the Lipizzan horse. The exploration of various cave systems has yielded discoveries of many cave-dwelling insects and  other organisms.

Slovenia is  a veritable cornucopia of forest, cavern and  mountain-dwelling wildlife. Many species that are  endangered or  can no longer be found in other parts of Europe can still be found here.

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in Slovenia

The Slovenian education system consists of:

• pre-school education
• basic education (single structure of primary and  lower secondary education)
• (upper) secondary education: vocational and  technical education, secondary general education
• higher vocational education
• higher education

Specific parts of the system:

• adult education
• music and  dance education
• special needs education
• programmes in ethnically and  linguistically mixed areas

[edit] See also

Slovenia Portal

Geography

• Geometric center of Slovenia (Geoss)
• Klopotec
• Kozolec

Institutions

• Anton Melik Geographical Institute
• ARNES
• Jožef Stefan Institute

[edit] References

[edit] External links

General information

• Official tourist guide to Slovenia
• The Slovenia Times - the only general newspaper on Slovenian affairs in English
• Moja Slovenija - a site featuring 3D photos of various spots in the country
• Guide to virtual Slovenia at Matkurja.com - the first Slovenian search engine
• (Slovenian) Weather forecast for Slovenia
• Slovenia Life - A Guide to Travel, Culture, and  the Good Life in Slovenia
• Slovenia Welcomes - Guide and  Travelogues about Slovenia
• Slovenia-Guide.com - a complete guide to travelling and  living in Slovenia
• GeaBios - interactive maps and  aerial orthophotos of Slovenia, scale from 1:2.500.000 to 1:2.500 (see also GeaBios)

Institutions

• Bank of Slovenia
• Public Libraries
• Jožef Stefan Institute - the official site of the leading Slovenian research organization and  links to resources on Slovenia
• The Republic of Slovenia - government links
• Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
• University of Ljubljana
• University of Maribor
• University of Primorska
• University of Nova Gorica
• (Slovenian) Pošta Slovenije - Post of Slovenia

Slovenian web search engines

• (Slovenian) Najdi.si - a Slovenian search engine
• Mat'kurja - the first Slovenian web directory
• (Slovenian) Slowwwenia.com - a Slovenian internet directory
• (Slovenian) Raziskovalec.com - a Slovenian local web directory

Currency

• Tolar Banknotes
• Tolar Coins

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