Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia
Geographic coordinates
46 07 N, 14 49 E
Map references
Europe
Area
total
20,273 sq km
land
20,151 sq km
water
122 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries
total
1,382 km
border countries
Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 280 km
Coastline
46.6 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate
Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east
Terrain
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
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
Environment - international agreements
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
Geography - note
despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes
Population
2,009,245 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
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.)
Median age
total
41 years
male
39.4 years
female
42.6 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.065% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
9 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
10.41 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
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.)
Infant mortality rate
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.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
76.53 years
male
72.84 years
female
80.47 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.26 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
280 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 100 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Slovene(s)
adjective
Slovenian
Ethnic groups
Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census)
Religions
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)
Languages
Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)
Literacy
definition
NA
total population
99.7%
male
99.7%
female
99.6%
Country name
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
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
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
Administrative divisions
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
Independence
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday
Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
Constitution
adopted 23 December 1991
Legal system
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch
chief of state
President Janez DRNOVSEK (since 22 December 2002)
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 10 November and 1 December 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2007); 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
Janez DRNOVSEK elected president; percent of vote - Janez DRNOVSEK 56.5%, Barbara BREZIGAR 43.5%; Janez JANSA elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 57 to 27
Legislative branch
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
Judicial branch
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)
Political parties and leaders
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)
1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone
[1] (202) 667-5363
FAX
[1] (202) 667-4563
consulate(s) general
Cleveland, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Thomas B. ROBERTSON
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
Flag description
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
Economy - overview
With a GDP per capita substantially greater than the other transitioning economies of Central Europe, Slovenia is a model of economic success and stability for its neighbors from the former Yugoslavia. The country, which joined the EU in May 2004 and joined the eurozone on 1 January 2007, has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and an excellent central location. Privatization of the economy proceeded at an accelerated pace in 2002-05. Despite lackluster economic performance in Europe in 2001-05, Slovenia maintained moderate growth. Structural reforms to improve the business environment have allowed for 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, Slovenia faces growing challenges. Much of the economy remains in state hands and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia is one of the lowest in the EU on a per capita basis. Although tax reforms were implemented in December 2006, taxes are still relatively high. The labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere. The current center-right government, elected in October 2004, has pledged to accelerate privatization of a number of large state holdings and is interested in increasing FDI in Slovenia. In late 2005, the government's new Committee for Economic Reforms was elevated to cabinet-level status. The Committee's program includes plans for lowering the tax burden, privatizing state-controlled firms, improving the flexibility of the labor market, and increasing the government's efficiency.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$47.01 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$37.92 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
5.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$23,400 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
2.3%
industry
34.1%
services
63.6% (2006 est.)
Labor force
1.026 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
4.8%
industry
39.1%
services
56.1% (2004)
Unemployment rate
9.6% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
12.9% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
3.6%
highest 10%
21.4% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
28.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.4% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
25.6% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$15.9 billion
expenditures
$16.35 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
Industrial production growth rate
5.6% (2006)
Electricity - production
14.9 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
35.2%
hydro
27.3%
nuclear
36.8%
other
0.7% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
13.71 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports
4.8 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - imports
4.07 billion kWh (2006)
Oil - production
8 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
53,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
1.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
1.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance
-$789.2 million (2006 est.)
Exports
$21.85 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Exports - partners
Germany 20.1%, Italy 13%, Croatia 9.1%, Austria 8.8%, France 6.5%, Russia 4.4% (2006)
Imports
$23.59 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food
Imports - partners
Germany 19.7%, Italy 18.1%, Austria 11.9%, France 6%, Croatia 4.7% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$8.631 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$29.09 billion (30 October 2006)
Economic aid - recipient
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
Currency (code)
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
Currency code
SIT
Exchange rates
tolars per US dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003), 240.25 (2002)
note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
816,400 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular
1.759 million (2005)
Telephone system
general assessment
NA
domestic
100% digital (2000)
international
country code - 386
Radio broadcast stations
AM 10, FM 230, shortwave 0 (2006)
Radios
805,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
31 (2006)
Televisions
710,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.si
Internet hosts
61,735 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
11 (2000)
Internet users
1.09 million (2005)
Airports
14 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
8
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
2
under 914 m
4 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 2,526 km; oil 11 km (2006)
Railways
total
1,229 km
standard gauge
1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways
total
38,451 km
paved
38,451 km (includes 483 km of expressways) (2004)
Merchant marine
registered in other countries: 26 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Georgia 1, Liberia 2, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Koper
Military branches
Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces)
Military service age and obligation
17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 17-49
496,929
females age 17-49
483,959 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 17-49
405,593
females age 17-49
397,167 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
12,816
females age 17-49
12,178 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.7% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international
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 must implement the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia
Illicit drugs
minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals
