Republic of Slovenia
( 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. Formerly a constitutent republic of the Yugoslavia, it declared independence in 1991 and became a member of European_Union on 1 May 2004. Republika Slovenija (In Detail) ''National motto: None'' Official_languagesSlovenian,Italian¹, Hungarian¹ Capital Ljubljana PresidentJanez Drnovšek Prime MinisterAnton_Rop Area - Total - % waterRanked 150th 20,273 km² 0.6% Population - Total (2002) - DensityRanked 142nd 1,964,036 98,3/km² Independence - Declared - Recognised From Yugoslavia 25_June 1991 1992 Currency Tolar Time_zone UTC +1 National_anthem Zdravljica Internet TLD.SI Calling Code386 ¹ in the residential municipalities of Italian or Hungarian national community.History
''Main article: History_of_Slovenia'' It is believed that the Slavic ancestors of the present-day Slovenians settled in the area in the 6th_century. In the 7th_century the Slavic Duchy of Carantania, the first Slovenian and first stable Slavic state, was formed. In 745, Karantania lost its independence and became to all intents and purposes a part of the Frankish empire. Many Slavs gradually became converted to Christianity. Around 1000, the Freising_manuscripts were written, representing the first written document in Slovenian and the first ever Slavic dialect written in Latin script. During the 14th_century, most of Slovenia's regions passed into ownership by the Habsburgs whose lands later formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Slovenians inhabiting all or most of the provinces of Carniola, Gorizia, and Gradisca, and parts of the provinces of Istria and Styria. In 1848 a strong programme for a United_Slovenia emerged as part of the "Spring of Nations2 movement within Austria-Hungary. With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, Slovenes joined the Kingdom_of_Serbs,_Croats_and_Slovenes, later renamed, in 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 the Yugoslavia. Slovenia joined NATO on 29_March 2004 and the European_Union on 1_May 2004. See also (a non-academic) Timeline_of_Slovenian_historyPolitics
''Main article: Politics_of_Slovenia'' The Slovenian head_of_state is the president, who is elected by popular vote every 5 years. In his task as head of the executive_branch, the president is aided by the prime_minister and the council of ministers or cabinet, which are elected by parliament. The bicameral Slovenian parliament consists of the National Assembly or Državni zbor, and the Državni svet or National Council. The National Assembly has 90 seats, which are partially filled with directly elected representatives, and partially with proportionally elected representatives. The National Council has 22 seats, and is made up of representatives of social, economic, professional and local interest groups. Parliamentary elections are held every four years.Regions
Municipalities
''Main article: Municipalities_of_Slovenia'' Slovenia is divided into 147 municipalities (''občine'', singular - ''občina''), of which 11 have urban status (marked withGeography
''Main article: Geography_of_Slovenia'' Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinaric area, the Pannonian_plain and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is Mt. Triglav (2864 m); the country's average height above the sea level is 557 m. Around one half of the country (10,124 km²) is covered by forests; this makes Slovenia the third most forested country in Europe, right after Finland and Sweden. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 5593 km² of the country and fields and gardens 2471 km². There are also 363 km² of orchards and 216 km² of vineyards. Its climate is Mediterranean 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 in January and 21°C in July. The average rainfall is 1000 mm for the coast, up to 3500 mm for the Alps, 800 mm for south east and 1400 mm for central Slovenia. See also: National parks of Slovenia.Economy
''Main article: Economy_of_Slovenia'' Slovenia continues to enjoy the highest GDP per capita of the transitioning economies of the region. The country is experiencing an increased, yet manageable, rate of inflation and anticipates increased GDP growth during the year 2000 as growth accelerates in the EU, Slovenia's leading export market. The country is on a sound economic footing. However, much work remains to be done in the areas of privatisation and capital market reform. 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 two years. Slovenia can be considered one of the economic front-runners of the countries that joined the European Union in 2004.Demographics
''Main article: Demographics_of_Slovenia'' Slovenia's ethnic groups represent Slovenians (89%), Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and other nationalities of the former Yugoslavia (10%) and the ethnic Hungarian and Italian minorities (0.5%). Life expectancy in 2000 was 71.80 years for men and 79.50 years for women. With 95 inhabitants per km², Slovenia ranks low among the European countries (compare with 320/km² for the Netherlands or 195/km² for Italy). Approximately 50% of the total population lives in urban areas, the rest in rural. The official language is Slovenian, which is a member of the South Slavic language group. Hungarian and Italian enjoy the status of official language in the nationally mixed regions along the Hungarian and Italian border.Culture
''Main article: Culture_of_Slovenia'' Slovenia's learned men include physicist Jožef Stefan , linguist Franc Miklošič and mathematician Jurij_Vega. See List_of_Slovenians. Slovenia is a homeland of numerous musicians and composers, including Renaissance composer Jacobus_Gallus and more contemporary ones like Slavko_Avsenik and Laibach. See also: Music_of_SloveniaHolidays
There are two kinds of holidays in Slovenia - national holidays and work-free days. National holidays are those celebrated by the state - this includes official functions and flying of the national flag. The latter are actually Catholic religious holidays (Christmas, Easter and Assumption), which are equivalent to any Sunday - companies and schools stay closed, but there is no official celebration.List of holidays
DateEnglish NameSlovenian NameRemarks 1 and 2 JanuaryNew_Year ''Novo leto'' 8_FebruaryPrešeren's day, the Slovenian cultural holiday''Prešernov dan, slovenski kulturni praznik''aniversary of the death of Slovenian poet France Prešeren, established as the national cultural day in 1942 -Easter Sunday and Monday''Velika noč in velikonočni ponedeljek''work-free day, date varies 27_AprilDay of Uprising Against Occupation ''Dan upora proti okupatorju''Formerly Liberation_Front Day (''Dan Osvobodilne fronte''), marks the establishment, in 1941, of the Liberation Front to fight the German, Italian and Hungarian occupation of Slovenia 1 and 2 MayLabour_Day''Praznik dela'' -Pentecostal Sunday''Binkoštna nedelja''work-free day, date varies 25_JuneStatehood Day ''Dan državnosti''Commemorates the proclamation of independendce in 1991 15_AugustAssumption_Day''Marijino vnebovzetje'' (''veliki šmaren'')work-free day 31_OctoberReformation_Day''Dan reformacije''work-free day 1_NovemberRemembrance Day''Dan spomina na mrtve''Formerly called The Day of the Dead (''Dan mrtvih'') 25_DecemberChristmas''Božič''work-free day 26_DecemberIndependence Day''Dan neodvisnosti''Commemorates the proclamation of the independence plebiscite results in 1990 In addition to these, several other holidays are traditionally and popularly celebrated by the people of Slovenia. The most well known are Mardis_Gras (''pust'', date varies), St. George's Day (''jurjevanje'', the welcoming of spring; 23_April), St. Martin's day (''martinovanje'', changing of must into wine; 11_November) and St. Nicholas' day (''miklavž'', when children get presents; 6_December). The former Yugoslav Day of the Youth - ''Dan mladosti'' on 25_May is also widely celebrated by young people.See also
Geographical sights
Institutions
External links
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