Slovenia

Location

• south Central Europe, Julian Alps between Austria and Croatia
• despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Ljubljana	272,220	Capital
Maribor	96,209
Celje	38,059
Kranj	37,966
Koper	25,753
Novo Mesto	24,446
Velenje	24,327
Ptuj	17,984
Trbovlje	15,163

Size

• 7,827 square miles
• 20,273 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than New Jersey

History

The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, Slovenia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia joined Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia as one of the constituent republics in the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). In 1990, Slovenia held its first multiparty elections, as well as a referendum on independence. Serbia responded with an economic blockade and military action, but after a short 10-day war, Slovenia declared independence in 1991. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the euro zone and the Schengen Area in 2007.

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 southwestern coastal strip of Karst topography on the Adriatic; an alpine mountain region lies adjacent to Italy and Austria in the north; mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east

Languages

Slovene (official) 87.7%, Croatian 2.8%, Serbo-Croatian 1.8%, Bosnian 1.6%, Serbian 1.6%, Hungarian 0.4% (official, only in municipalities where Hungarian nationals reside), Italian 0.2% (official, only in municipalities where Italian nationals reside), other or unspecified 3.9% (2002 est.)major-language sample(s): Svetovni informativni zvezek - neobhoden vir osnovnih informacij. (Slovene)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Catholic 69%, Orthodox 4%, Muslim 3%, Christian 1%, other 3%, atheist 14%, non-believer/agnostic 4%, refused to answer 2% (2019 est.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: previous 1974 (pre-independence); latest passed by Parliament 23 December 1991amendment process: proposed by at least 20 National Assembly members, by the government, or by petition of at least 30,000 voters; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; referendum required if agreed upon by at least 30 Assembly members; passage in a referendum requires participation of a majority of eligible voters and a simple majority of votes cast
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Natasa PIRC MUSAR (since 23 December 2022)head of government: Prime Minister Robert GOLOB (since 1 June 2022)cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assemblyelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); following National Assembly elections, the president usually nominates the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister, and the National Assembly elects the nomineemost recent election date: 23 October 2022, with a runoff on 13 November 2022election results: 2022: Natasa PIRC MUSAR elected president in second round: percent of vote in first round - Anze LOGAR (SDS) 34%, Natasa PIRC MUSAR (independent) 26.9%, Milan BRGLEZ (SD) 15.5%, Vladimir PREBILIC (independent) 10.6%, Sabina SENCAR (Resni.ca) 5.9%, Janez CIGLER KRALJ (NSi) 4.4%, other 2.7%; percent of vote in second round - Natasa PIRC MUSAR 53.9%, Anze LOGAR 46.1%; Robert GOLOB (GS) elected prime minister on 25 May 2022, National Assembly vote - 54-302017: Borut PAHOR reelected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Borut PAHOR (independent) 47.1%, Marjan SAREC (Marjan Sarec List) 25%, Romana TOMC (SDS) 13.7%, Ljudmila NOVAK (NSi) 7.2%, other 7%; percent of vote in second round - Borut PAHOR 52.9%, Marjan SAREC 47.1%expected date of next election: 2027
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 37 judges organized into civil, criminal, commercial, labor and social security, administrative, and registry departments); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice president, and 7 judges)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and vice president appointed by the National Assembly on the proposal of the Minister of Justice, based on the opinions of the Judicial Council, an 11-member independent body elected by the National Assembly from proposals submitted by the president, attorneys, law universities, and sitting judges; other Supreme Court judges elected by the National Assembly from candidates proposed by the Judicial Council; Supreme Court judges serve for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly from nominations by the president of the republic; Constitutional Court president selected from among its own membership for a 3-year term; other judges elected for single 9-year termssubordinate courts: county, district, regional, and high courts; specialized labor-related and social courts; Court of Audit; Administrative Court
• Legislative Branch: legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income EU and eurozone economy; high per-capita income and low inequality; key exports in automotive and pharmaceuticals; tight labor market with low unemployment; growth supported by private consumption and public investment, with risks from tight labor market and trade conditions; narrowing fiscal deficit and declining public debt
• Budget: revenues: $28.874 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $30.714 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: lignite, lead, zinc, building stone, hydropower, forests
• Industries: ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
• Agricultural Products: milk, maize, wheat, barley, grapes, chicken, potatoes, beef, apples, pork (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 30.3% (2022 est.)arable land: 8.9% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.7% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 18.8% (2022 est.)forest: 61.3% (2022 est.)other: 8.4% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: nitrogen compounds, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, cars, vaccines (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Switzerland 17%, China 15%, Germany 11%, Italy 9%, Austria 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: packaged medicine, cars, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, plastic products (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Switzerland 22%, Germany 12%, Italy 10%, Croatia 8%, Austria 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports