Map of Slovenia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The Slovene lands were part of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria until 1918 when 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 a strong economy and a stable democracy make Slovenia a leading candidate for future membership in the EU and NATO.


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Location: Central Europe eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea between Austria and Croatia

Geographic coordinates: 46 07 N 14 49 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 20,273 km²
Water: 122 km²
Land: 20,151 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1,334 km
Border countries: (4) Austria 330 km; , Croatia 670 km; , Italy 232 km; , Hungary 102 km

Coastline: 46.6 km

Maritime claims: NA

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 mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Triglav 2,864 m

Natural resources: lignite coal lead zinc mercury uranium silver hydropower forests

Land use
Arable land: 11.48%
Permanent crops: 2.68%
Other: 85.84% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 20 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flooding and earthquakes

Geography
Note: despite its small size this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes


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Population: 1,932,917 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 0.14% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Slovene
Adjective: Slovenian

Ethnic groups: Slovene 88% Croat 3% Serb 2% Bosniak 1% Yugoslav 0.6% Hungarian 0.4% other 5% (1991)

Languages: Slovenian 91% Serbo-Croatian 6% other 3%

Religions: Roman Catholic (Uniate 2%) 70.8% Lutheran 1% Muslim 1% atheist 4.3% other 22.9%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 155,989; female 147,707)
15-64 years: 69.8% (male 684,354; female 663,884)
65 years and over: 14.5% (male 103,790; female 177,193) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.14% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 9.27 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 10.07 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.24 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: 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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.47 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.29 years
Female: 79.37 years (2002 est.)
Male: 71.42 years

Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 200 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 99%
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: Slovenia
Local short form: Slovenija
Local long form: Republika Slovenija

Government type: parliamentary democratic republic

Capital: Ljubljana

Administrative divisions
Note: there may be 45 more municipalities

Dependent areas

Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday: Independence Day/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: 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 Anton ROP (since 11 December 2002)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly
Election results: Janez DRNOVSEK elected president; percent of vote - Janez DRNOVSEK 56.5%, Barbara BREZIGAR 43.5%; Anton ROP elected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 63 to 24
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year 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 6 December 2002 (next National Assembly elections to be held NA October 2004)

Legislative branch
Election results: percent of vote by party - LDS 36%, SDS 16%, ZLSD 12%, SLS/SKD 10%, NSi 9%, SMS 4%, SNS 4%, DeSUS 5%, other 4%; seats by party - LDS 34, SDS 14, ZLDS 11, SLS/SKD 9, NSi 8, SMS 4, SNS 4, DeSUS 4, other 2
Note: the National Council or Drzavni Svet is an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws and ask to review any National Assembly decisions; in the election of November 1997, 40 members were elected to represent local, professional, and socioeconomic interests (next election to be held in the fall of 2002)
Elections: National Assembly - last held 15 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2004)

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: Democratic Party of Retired (Persons) of Slovenia or DeSUS [Janko KUSAR]; Liberal Democratic or LDS [Janez DRNOVSEK chairman]; New Slovenia or NSi [Andrej BAJUK chairman]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC chairman]; Slovene People's Party or SLS (Slovenian People's Party or SLS and Slovenian Christian Democrats or SKD merged in April 2000) [Franc ZAGOZEN chairman]; Slovene Youth Party or SMS [Peter LEVIC]; Social Democratic Party of Slovenia or SDS [Janez JANSA chairman]; United List of Social Democrats (former Communists and allies) or ZLSD [Borut PAHOR chairman]

International organization participation: ABEDA ACCT (observer) BIS CCC CE CEI EAPC EBRD ECE EU (applicant) FAO IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU NAM (guest) NSG OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIK UNTSO UPU WEU (associate partner) WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Davorin KRACUN
In the us fax: [1] (202) 667-4,563
In the us consulates general: New York and Cleveland
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 667-5,363
In the us chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Johnny YOUNG
From the us embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 254, Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana; American Embassy Ljubljana, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-7,140
From the us telephone: [386] (1) 200-5,500
From the us fax: [386] (1) 200-5,555

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 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 with its historical ties to Western Europe enjoys a GDP per capita substantially higher than that of the other transitioning economies of Central Europe. Privatization of the economy proceded at an accelerated pace in 2002 and steps were taken to bring down the budget deficit from 2.9% of GDP in 2002 to 1.2% in 2003. Despite the economic slowdown in Europe in 2001-02 Slovenia maintained 3% growth. Internal structural reforms to improve the business environment encouragement of direct foreign investment and measures to curb inflation are needed to prepare the way for EU membership.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3%
Industry: 36%
Services: 61% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: potatoes hops wheat sugar beets corn grapes; cattle sheep poultry

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: 2.4% (2002)

Labor force: 857,400
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 11% (2002 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4%
Highest 10: 23% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 28 (1998)

Budget
Revenues: $8.11 billion
Expenditures: $8.32 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.4% (2002 est.)

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: $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: manufactured goods machinery and transport equipment chemicals food
Partners: Germany 26.0% Italy 12.4% Croatia 8.6% Austria 7.4% France 6.7% (2001)

Imports: $11.1 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods chemicals fuels and lubricants food
Partners: Germany 19.6% Italy 18.0% France 10.8% Austria 8.5% Croatia 4.0% (2001)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $7.9 billion (2001)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: tolars per US dollar - 251.40 (January 2002) 242.75 (2001) 222.66 (2000) 181.77 (1999) 166.13 (1998) 159.69 (1997)


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Electricity
Production: 12.816 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 35%
Production by source hydro: 29%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 35%
Consumption: 10.619 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 2 billion kWh (2000)
Imports: 700 million kWh (2000)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 722,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 1 million (2000)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: 100% digital (2000)
International: NA

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .si
Service providers isps: 11 (2000)
Users: 600,000 (2001)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $370 million (FY00)
Percent of gdp: 1.7% (FY00)

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 (2001)
With paved runways total: 6
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 8
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km

Railways
Total: 1,201 km
Standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (489 km electrified) (2001)

Roadways

Waterways: NA

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Slovenia and Croatia have not obtained parliamentary ratification of 2001 land and marine boundary treaty which cedes villages on the Dragonja River and Sveta Gera (Trdinov Peak) to Croatia and most of Pirin Bay to Slovenia but restricts Slovenian access to the open sea; Austria has minor dispute with Slovenia over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe and for precursor chemicals