The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia
46 07 N, 14 49 E
Europe
total: 20,273 sq km ; land: 20,151 sq km ; water: 122 sq km
slightly smaller than New Jersey
total: 1,382 km ; border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 280 km
46.6 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east
a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m ; highest point: Triglav 2,864 m
lignite coal, lead, zinc, building stone, hydropower, forests
arable land: 8.53% ; permanent crops: 1.43% ; other: 90.04% (2005)
30 sq km (2003)
32.1 cu km (2005)
Total: 0.9 ; Per capita: 457 cu m/yr (2002)
flooding and earthquakes
Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes
2,009,245 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 13.7% (male 141,670/female 133,720) ; 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 712,409/female 700,844) ; 65 years and over: 16% (male 124,264/female 196,338) (2007 est.)
total: 41 years ; male: 39.4 years ; female: 42.6 years (2007 est.)
-0.065% (2007 est.)
9 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
10.41 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.059 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.017 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.633 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.949 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 76.53 years ; male: 72.84 years ; female: 80.47 years (2007 est.)
1.26 children born/woman (2007 est.)
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
280 (2001 est.)
less than 100 (2003 est.)
noun: Slovene(s) ; adjective: Slovenian
Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census)
Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census)
Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)
definition: NA ; total population: 99.7% ; male: 99.7% ; female: 99.6%


conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia ; conventional short form: Slovenia ; local long form: Republika Slovenija ; local short form: Slovenija ; former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia
parliamentary republic
name: Ljubljana ; geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ; daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
182 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 11 urban municipalities* (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina ) Ajdovscina, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke, Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica, Cankova, Celje*, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno, Cerkvenjak, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca, Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Horjul-Polhov Gradec, Dobrovnik-Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale, Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gornja Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina, Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos-Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina, Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola-Isola, Jesenice, Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje, Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Koper-Capodistria*, Kostel, Kozje, Kranj*, Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Krsko, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart, Lendava-Lendva, Litija, Ljubljana*, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Logatec, Loska Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk, Maribor*, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Moravce, Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Murska Sobota*, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje, Nova Gorica*, Novo Mesto*, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica, Pesnica, Piran-Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka, Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Ptuj*, Puconci, Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na Koroskem, Razkrizje, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogasovci, Rogaska Slatina, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic, Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur pri Celju, Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenj Gradec*, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smartno ob Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Starse, Store, Sveta Ana, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij, Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic, Trzin, Turnisce, Velenje*, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej, Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica, Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica, Zuzemberk, Zrece ; note: there may be 45 more municipalities

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
adopted 23 December 1991
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
chief of state: President Danilo TURK (since 22 December 2007) ; head of government: Prime Minister Janez JANSA (since 9 November 2004) ; cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly ; elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 21 October and 11 November 2007 (next to be held in the fall of 2012); following National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become prime minister by the president and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 November 2004 (next National Assembly elections to be held in October 2008) ; election results: Danilo TURK elected president; percent of vote - Danilo TURK 68.2%, Lajze PETERLE 31.8%; Janez JANSA elected prime minister by National Assembly vote - 57 to 27 in 2004
bicameral Parliament consists of a National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 members are directly elected and 50 are elected on a proportional basis; note - the number of directly elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election; the constitution mandates 1 seat each for Slovenia's Hungarian and Italian minorities; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Drzavni Svet (40 seats; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve five-year terms; note - this is primarily an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decision, and call national referenda) ; elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2008) ; election results: percent of vote by party - SDS 29.1%, LDS 22.8%, ZLSD 10.2%, NSi 9%, SLS 6.8%, SNS 6.3%, DeSUS 4.1%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SDS 29, LDS 23, ZLSD 10, NSi 9, SLS 7, SNS 6, DeSUS 4, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court (judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and nominated by the president)
Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Jelko KACIN]; New Slovenia or NSi [Andrej BAJUK]; Slovenian Democratic Party or SDS [Janez JANSA]; Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia or DeSUS [Karl ERJAVEC]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC]; Slovene People's Party or SLS [Janez PODOBNIK]; Slovene Youth Party or SMS [Darko KRANJC]; Social Democrats or SD [Borut PAHOR] (formerly ZLSD); ZARES [Gregor Golobic]
NA
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries); the seal is in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ZBOGAR ; chancery: 2410 California Street N.W., Washington, DC 20008 ; telephone: [1] (202) 386-6601 ; FAX: [1] (202) 386-6633 ; consulate(s) general: Cleveland, New York
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Maryruth COLEMAN ; embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana ; mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140 ; telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500 ; FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555





Slovenia, which on 1 January 2007 became the first 2004 European Union entrant to adopt the euro, is a model of economic success and stability for the region. With the highest per capita GDP in Central Europe, Slovenia has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and a stategic location between the Balkans and Western Europe. Privatization has lagged since 2002, and the economy has one of highest levels of state control in the EU. Structural reforms to improve the business environment have allowed for somewhat greater foreign participation in Slovenia's economy and have helped to lower unemployment. In March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank. Despite its economic success, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia has lagged behind the region average, and taxes remain relatively high. Furthermore, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere.
$54.79 billion (2007 est.)
$41.19 billion (2007 est.)
5.6% (2007 est.)
$27,300 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 2.2% ; industry: 33.5% ; services: 64.4% (2007 est.)
920,000 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 4.8% ; industry: 39.1% ; services: 56.1% (2004)
7.8% (2007 est.)
12.9% (2004)
lowest 10%: 3.6% ; highest 10%: 21.4% (1998)
24 (2005)
3.2% (2007 est.)
27.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $19.17 billion ; expenditures: $19.41 billion (2007 est.)
25.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry
ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
6% (2007 est.)
14.9 billion kWh (2006)
fossil fuel: 35.2% ; hydro: 27.3% ; nuclear: 36.8% ; other: 0.7% (2001)
13.71 billion kWh (2006)
4.8 billion kWh (2006)
4.07 billion kWh (2006)
5 bbl/day (2005 est.)
54,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
2,276 bbl/day (2004)
55,880 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
4.795 million cu m (2005 est.)
1.078 billion cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
1.073 billion cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$1.429 billion (2007 est.)
$28.18 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Germany 20.1%, Italy 13%, Croatia 9.1%, Austria 8.8%, France 6.5%, Russia 4.4% (2006)
$30.22 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Germany 19.7%, Italy 18.1%, Austria 11.9%, France 6%, Croatia 4.7% (2006)

$8.971 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$40.42 billion (30 June 2007)
$7.459 billion (2006 est.)
$4.259 billion (2006 est.)
$15.18 billion (2006)
euro (EUR) ; note: on 1 January 2007, the euro became Slovenia's currency; both the tolar and the euro were in circulation from 1 January until 15 January 2007
SIT
tolars per US dollar - 0.73 (2007), 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003) ; note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007
calendar year
ODA, $484 million (2004-06) ; note: in March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank (2004-06)
837,500 (2006)
1.82 million (2006)
general assessment: well-developed telecommunications infrastructure ; domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons ; international: country code - 386
AM 10, FM 230, shortwave 0 (2006)
805,000 (1997)
31 (2006)
710,000 (1997)
.si
134,266 (2007)
11 (2000)
1.251 million (2006)

14 (2007)
total: 6 ; over 3,047 m: 1 ; 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 2 ; under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 8 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 2 ; under 914 m: 4 (2007)

gas 2,526 km; oil 11 km (2006)
total: 1,229 km ; standard gauge: 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2006)
total: 38,451 km ; paved: 38,451 km (includes 483 km of expressways) (2004)

registered in other countries: 26 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Georgia 2, Liberia 1, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 3, Singapore 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 5) (2007)
Koper

Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces)
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2007)
males age 17-49: 496,929 ; females age 17-49: 483,959 (2005 est.)
males age 17-49: 405,593 ; females age 17-49: 397,167 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 12,816 ; females age 17-49: 12,178 (2005 est.)
1.7% (2005 est.)

the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovenia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia

minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals

