Facts about Slovenia
Slovenia has four universities: the universities of Ljubljana, Maribor, Primorska, and Nova Gorica.
Slovenia was the homeland of Renaissance composer Jacobus Gallus (1550-1591), who greatly influenced Central European classical music.
Contemporary film directors Janez Burger, Jan Cvitkovi?, Damjan Kozole, Janez Lapajne and Maja Weiss are most notable representatives of the so-called "Renaissance of Slovenian cinema."
Slovenia's main ethnic group is the Slovenes, who make up 84 percent of the population.
Just a few weeks earlier - in March 2004 - Slovenia became a member of NATO.
Slovenia has taken a cautious, deliberate approach to economic management and reform, with emphasis on achieving consensus before proceeding.
Slovenia also produces a variety of wines, an activity dating back to the days when the country was a part of the Roman Empire.
The official language is Slovenian, which is a member of the south Slavic language group.
The Slavic Duchy of Karantania mainly occupied the territory of today's Austrian Carinthia and Slovenian Carinthia.
The commander-in-chief is the president, while operational command is in the domain of the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces (Albin Gutman).
Slovenia has become a refuge for those escaping violence and poor economic conditions in other regions of the former Yugoslavia.
Avant-garde classical music arose in Slovenia in the 1960s, largely due to the work of Uroљ Krek, Dane Skerl,Primoz Ramovs among others.
Slovenia continued to form Yugoslavia's most prosperous and advanced republic throughout the communist era.
Slovenia is 7827 square miles (20,273 square kilometers), or slightly smaller than New Jersey in the United States.
Modern Slovenia's territory was split among the Roman provinces of Dalmatia, Italia, Noricum, and Pannonia.
Slovenia borders Italy on the west, the Adriatic Sea on the southwest, Croatia on the south and east, Hungary on the northeast, and Austria on the north.
The steep Slovenian topography creates fast run-off, producing abundant water and hydroelectric resources.
Four European geographic and landscape regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Pannonian plain, and the Mediterranean.
The capital and largest city of Slovenia is Ljubljana, the cultural, scientific, economic, political and administrative center of Slovenia.
The lime/linden tree, also common in Slovenian forests, is a national symbol.
Slovenia has a multi-party system, with numerous political parties, none of which has a chance of gaining power alone, requiring coalition governments.
The bicameral parliament of Slovenia consists of the National Assembly (Drћavni zbor), and the National Council (Drћavni svet).
Slovenia has a rich tradition of folk art, as well as outstanding impressionist, expressionist and realist painters.
The Slovenian head of state is the president, who is elected by popular vote every five years, and is eligible for a second term.
The Slovenian delegation demanded democratic changes and a looser federation, while the Serbian delegation opposed this.
Slovenia formed a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
On December 23, 1990, 88 percent of Slovenia's population voted for independence, and on June 25, 1991, the Republic of Slovenia declared its independence.
Slovenia was at the forefront of Yugoslavia's unique version of communism.
Prekmurska gibanica, a layered pastry, originating in the region of Prekmurje, was the sweet chosen to represent Slovenia in the Cafй Europe initiative on Europe Day 2006.
Much of southwestern Slovenia is characterized by Kras, often unexplored, underground habitat containing diverse flora and fauna.
The Slovenian tolar became part of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in 2004.
The politics of Slovenia take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the prime minister is the head of government.
Slobodan Miloљevi?'s rise to power in Serbia, and his drive to unite all Serbs, clashed with nationalist movements, at first in Croatia and Slovenia.
The Freising manuscripts, the earliest surviving documents in a Slovenian dialect and the first-ever Slavic document in Latin script, were written around 1000.
The boundaries of Slovenia today are as they were as a Socialist Republic prior to independence, but a series of border disputes arose between Slovenia and its neighbor Croatia.
Socialist realism and the struggles of the war period influenced Slovenian literature immediately before and after World War II, while symbolism and existentialism have influenced Slovene writers since the 1960s.
Before the communist era, as much as 88 percent of the Slovenian population was Roman Catholic, while by 2002 this had dropped to 57.8 percent.
Slovenia joined the European Monetary Union and adopted the Euro as its currency on the January 1, 2007, as the first of the new member countries.
Slovenia's location between Italy, Austria, and Hungary makes it an ideal location for international money-laundering schemes.
Historical ties to Western Europe made Slovenia a strong candidate for accession to the European Union, which occurred on May 1, 2004, while the other Yugoslav Republics had to remain outside the union.
A distinctively Slovenian classical music sound based on Romanticism appeared in the nineteenth century.
After 1993, the Slovenian Armed Forces had relied on mandatory military service, with conscripts receiving six to seven months of training.
Slovenia is a founding member of the World Trade Organization, joined the Central European Free Trade Agreement in 1996, and joined the European Union in May 2004.
Slovenia benefits from a central location, a well-educated and productive work force, has a good infrastructure, and its political and economic institutions are stable and effective.
Slovenia's first book was published in 1550 in Tьbingen, Germany, by the Protestant reformer Primoћ Trubar (1508-1586).
Primoћ Trubar published the first printed books in the Slovenian language (Katekizem and Abecedarium, 1550, in Tьbingen, Germany).
Initially demanding Slovene autonomy within the Austria-Hungary Monarchy, Slovenia gained an administrative autonomy in the province of Carinthia, and other provinces settled with Slovenians had some cultural and educational concessions.
The small Jewish community of Slovenia is estimated at 400 to 600 members, with most living in the capital, Ljubljana.
Edelweiss (the symbol of Slovenian mountaineering), (Snakes's head), and Pulsatilla grandis are found.
Much of Slovenia's population belongs to a well-educated, urban-dwelling middle class.
Slovenia also participates in Southeast European Cooperation Initiative, as well as in the Central European Initiative, the Royaumont Process, and the Black Sea Economic Council.
The most important Slovenian painters are realist painter Ivana Kobilca and impressionist Rihard Jakopi?.
The crime rate is low but organized and economic crime has increased since Slovenia's independence and change to privatization.
The history of modern Slovenian music can be traced back to the fifth century, when Christianity spread in the Duchy of Carantania.
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a coastal Alpine country bordering Italy and the Adriatic Sea.
Slovenia boasts 400,000 registered members of almost 3000 sports societies and clubs, according to government statistics.
Slovenian Army consists of two brigades composed primarily of infantry, but it also contains a small air force and navy unit which are subordinate to it.
Inheritance by the oldest son determined land distribution in Slovenia, which enabled land and property to be passed down through families intact, limiting land fragmentation.
In 1848, a massive political and popular movement for a United Slovenia (Zedinjena Slovenija) emerged as part of the Spring of Nations movement within Austria.
Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, NATO, and has observer status in La Francophonie.
Slovenia's highest peak is Triglav at 9396 feet (2864 meters), and the country's average height above the sea level is 1827 feet (557 meters).
Around one half of the country is covered by forest, making Slovenia the third most-forested country in Europe.
Around 1200 B.C.E., the Danubian culture (inland), and the Terramare culture (along the coast) occupied lands that are now part of Slovenia.
Despite its economic success, much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign direct investment in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU on a per capita basis.
Slovenia's 12 statistical regions exist solely for legal and statistical purposes.