Map of Slovenia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: In 1918 the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new nation renamed 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 of the majority Serbs the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991. Historical ties to Western Europe make Slovenia a candidate for future membership in the EU.


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Location: Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 20,296 km²
Land: 20,296 km²

Land boundaries: total 1,045 km, Austria 262 km, Croatia 501 km, Italy 199 km, Hungary 83 km

Coastline: 32 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
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, mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east

Elevation

Natural resources: lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver

Land use
Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 2%
Meadows and pastures: 20%
Forest and woodland: 45%
Other: 23%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: subject to flooding and earthquakes

Geography


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Population: 1,972,227 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 0.23% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Slovene(s)

Ethnic groups: Slovene 91%, Croat 3%, Serb 2%, Muslim 1%, other 3%

Languages: Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 7%, other 2%

Religions: Roman Catholic 96% (including 2% Uniate), Muslim 1%, other 3%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.23% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 11.81 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 9.5 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; heavy metals and toxic chemicals along coastal waters; forest damage near Koper from air pollution originating at metallurgical and chemical plants

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 8.1 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.36 years
Male: 70.49 years
Female: 78.44 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.67 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia
Conventional short form:

Government type: emerging democracy

Capital: Ljubljana

Administrative divisions: 60 provinces (pokajine, singular - pokajina) Ajdovscina, Brezice, Celje, Cerknica, Crnomelj, Dravograd, Gornja Radgona, Grosuplje, Hrastnik Lasko, Idrija, Ilirska Bistrica, Izola, Jesenice, Kamnik, Kocevje, Koper, Kranj, Krsko, Lenart, Lendava, Litija, Ljubljana-Bezigrad, Ljubljana-Center, Ljubljana-Moste-Polje, Ljubljana-Siska, Ljubljana-Vic-Rudnik, Ljutomer, Logatec, Maribor, Metlika, Mozirje, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo Mesto, Ormoz, Pesnica, Piran, Postojna, Ptuj, Radlje Ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne Na Koroskem, Ribnica, Ruse, Sentjur Pri Celju, Sevnica, Sezana, Skofja Loka, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje Pri Jelsah, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trzic, Velenje, Vrhnika, Zagorje Ob Savi, Zalec

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday: Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)

Constitution: adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991

Legal system: based on civil law system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Milan KUCAN (since 22 April 1990); election last held 6 December 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Milan KUCAN reelected by direct popular vote
Head of government: Prime Minister Janez DRNOVSEK (since 14 May 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Lojze PETERLE (since NA)

Legislative branch: Slovene Defense Forces
State Assembly: elections last held 6 December 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (total 90) LDS 22, SKD 15, United List (former Communists and allies) 14, Slovene National Party 12, SLS 10, Democratic Party 6, ZS 5, SDSS 4, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1
State Council: will become operational after next election in 1996; in the election of 6 December 1992 40 members were elected to represent local and socioeconomic interests

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CCC, CE, CEI, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador E. Allan WENDT
From the us chancery: 1525 New Hampshir Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20,036
From the us telephone: [386] (61) 301-427/472/485
From the us consulates general: New York
From the us embassy: P.O. Box 254, Prazakova 4, 61,000 Ljubljana
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us FAX: [386] (61) 301-401

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav in white against a blue background at the center, beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and around it, there are three six-sided stars arranged in an inverted triangle; the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Slovenia was by far the most prosperous of the former Yugoslav republics, with a per capita income more than twice the Yugoslav average, indeed not far below the levels in neighboring Austria and Italy. Because of its strong ties to Western Europe and the small scale of damage during its brief fight for independence from Yugoslavia, Slovenia has the brightest prospects among the former Yugoslav republics for economic recovery over the next few years. The dissolution of Yugoslavia, however, has led to severe short-term dislocations in production, employment, and trade ties. For example, overall industrial production has fallen 26% since 1990; particularly hard hit have been the iron and steel, machine-building, chemical, and textile industries. Meanwhile, the continued fighting in other former Yugoslav republics has led to further destruction of long-established trade channels and to an influx of tens of thousands of Croatian and Bosnian refugees. The key program for breaking up and privatizing major industrial firms was established in late 1992. Despite slow progress in privatization Slovenia has reasonable prospects for an upturn in 1994. Bright spots for encouraging Western investors are Slovenia's comparatively well-educated work force, its developed infrastructure, and its Western business attitudes, but instability in Croatia is a deterrent. Slovenia in absolute terms is a small economy, and a little Western investment would go a long way.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $7,600 (1993 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 5% of GDP; dominated by stock breeding (sheep and cattle) and dairy farming; main crops - potatoes, hops, hemp, flax; an export surplus in these commodities; Slovenia must import many other agricultural products and has a negative overall trade balance in this sector

Industries: ferrous metallurgy and rolling mill products, aluminum reduction and rolled products, lead and zinc smelting, electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools

Industrial production growth rate: -2.8% (1993; accounts for 30% of GDP

Labor force: 786,036
By occupation agriculture: 2%
By occupation manufacturing and mining: 46%

Unemployment rate: 15.5% (1993)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$NA

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $5.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38%, other manufactured goods 44%, chemicals 9%, food and live animals 4.6%, raw materials 3%, beverages and tobacco less than 1% (1992)
Partners: Germany 27%, Croatia 14%, Italy 13%, France 9% (1992)

Imports: $5.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 35%, other manufactured goods 26.7%, chemicals 14.5%, raw materials 9.4%, fuels and lubricants 7%, food and live animals 6% (1992)
Partners: Germany 23%, Croatia 14%, Italy 14%, France 8%, Austria 8% (1992)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.9 billion

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: tolars (SIT) per US$1 - 112 (June 1993), 28 (January 1992)


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Electricity
Capacity: 2,900,000 kW
Production: 10 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 5,090 kWh (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: 13.5 billion tolars, 4.5% of GDP (1993; note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 14
Usable: 13
With permanentsurface runways: 6
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 2

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: NA

Merchant marine: 19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 309,502 GRT/521,997 DWT controlled by Slovenian owners, bulk 13, cargo 6
Note: most under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; no ships remain under the Slovenian flag

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: dispute with Croatia over fishing rights in the Adriatic and over some border areas; the border issue is currently under negotiation

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: NA