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Slovenia – General Information

Capital: Ljubljana

Largest city: Ljubljana

Population: 2,054,199 (2009 estimate); 99.6/km² (density)

GDP: $49.217 billion (total, 2009 estimate), $28,118 (per capita)

Currency: Euro

Official languages: Slovene (Hungarian and Italian recognized as regional languages)

President: Dr Danilo Türk

Prime Minister: Mr Borut Pahor

Area: 20,273 km²

Time zone: CET (UTC +1)

Phone code: +386

Hotels in Ljubljana: http://www.booking.com/city/si/ljubljana.en.html

Location of Slovenia in the Central Europe

Flag of Slovenia

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The Republic of Slovenia is a country in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. 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 capital and largest city of Slovenia is Ljubljana.

Slovenia covers an area of 20,273 square kilometres and has a population of 2.06 million. Around 40% of Slovenia's land mass is elevated land - mostly in the form of mountains and plateaus - which is located in the interior regions of the country. The highest point of Slovenia is the 2,864 metre (9,396 ft) high Mount Triglav. The majority of the population speaks Slovene, which is also the country's official language. Other local official languages are Hungarian and Italian.

Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen area, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, NATO, UNESCO, WTO, OECD and UN. Per capita, it is the richest Slavic nation-state, and is 85.5% of the EU27 average GDP (PPP) per capita.

History

The history of Slovenia chronicles the period from the 5th Century BC to the present times. In the Early Bronze Age, Proto-Illyrian tribes settled an area stretching from present-day Albania to the city of Trieste. The first phase of Slavic settlement in the territory of modern Slovenia is dated around the year 550. The Holy Roman Empire controlled the land for nearly 1,000 years. From 1918-1941, Slovenia was a part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Modern-day Slovenia gained its independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991, and is today a modern state and a member of the European Union and NATO.

Religion

In 1997: 24 % of the Slovene population believed in the existence of God without any doubts; 29 % of adult citizens believed in "the Resurrection"; 37.5 % of Slovenes believed in Heaven and 24 % in Hell. The predominant religion in Slovenia is Catholicism (58% of the population in 2002).

Weather

The climate of the Slovenia can be described as typical European continental influenced climate with warm, dry summers and fairly cold winters, while the coastal areas and the lowlands in the south have a Mediterranean influenced climate. January is the coldest month with daytime temperatures usually around zero in the north, but in some cases winter months can be very cold with temperatures far below zero and strong, cold north-easterly winds, called Bora, especially in the mountainous regions, where the weather is strongly influenced by the nearby Alps. Heavy snowfall or even snowstorms are also possible on some days there; the yearly average number of days with snow is less than 40 in the low-land regions and up to 120 days in the mountainous regions of Slovenia. In the coastal areas long-lasting frost periods and snow are quite seldom because of the influence of the warm water temperatures of the Mediterranean sea.

In summer daytime temperatures reach 20-25°C, but sometimes quite higher, 30°C or more. In most of the time is dry weather with sunny spells, although sometimes heavy Thunderstorms can occur at the end of the day, especially in the mountainous regions. July is the warmest month with an average Temperature of 22°C.