SLOVENIA
Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces
SLOVENIA
@Slovenia:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between
Croatia and Italy
Map references: Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLOVENIA - MAJOR CITIES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LJUBLJANA 305,000 46.04N, 14.30E 38-61 GMT+1
Maribor 186,000 46.33N, 15.39E 38-62 GMT+1
Koper 42,000 45.31N, 13.44E 38- GMT+1
Kranj 34,000 46.15N, 14.20E 38- GMT+1
Celje 33,000 46.15N, 15.16E 38- GMT+1
Trbovlje 20,000 46.10N, 15.02E 38- GMT+1
Jesenice 20,000 46.26N, 14.02E 38- GMT+1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Area:
total area: 20,296 sq km
land area: 20,296 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total 1,045 km, Austria 262 km, Croatia 501 km, Italy
199 km, Hungary 83 km
Coastline: 32 km
Maritime claims: NA
International disputes: dispute with Croatia over fishing rights in
the Adriatic and over some border areas; the border issue is currently
under negotiation
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
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 sq km
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
natural hazards: flooding and earthquakes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Biodiversity, Climate Change
@Slovenia:People
Population: 2,051,522 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (female 191,318; male 200,957)
15-64 years: 69% (female 701,082; male 708,482)
65 years and over: 12% (female 160,662; male 89,021) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.24% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 11.85 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.73 years
male: 70.91 years
female: 78.76 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.64 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Slovene(s)
adjective: Slovenian
Ethnic divisions: Slovene 91%, Croat 3%, Serb 2%, Muslim 1%, other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 96% (including 2% Uniate), Muslim 1%, other
3%
Languages: Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 7%, other 2%
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: 786,036
by occupation: agriculture 2%, manufacturing and mining 46%
@Slovenia:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia
conventional short form: Slovenia
local long form: Republika Slovenije
local short form: Slovenija
Digraph: SI
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
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
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)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly
State Assembly: elections last held 6 December 1992 (next to be held
NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (90 total)
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: Liberal Democratic (LDS), Janez
DRNOVSEK, chairman; Slovene Christian Democrats (SKD), Lozje PETERLE,
chairman; Social Democratic Party of Slovenia (SDSS), Janez JANSA,
chairman; Slovene People's National Party, Marjan PODOBNIK, chairman;
United List (former Communists and allies), Janez KOCJANCIC, chairman;
Slovene People's Party (SLS), Ivan OMAN, chairman; Democratic Party,
Igor BAVCAR, chairman; Greens of Slovenia (ZS), Dusan PLUT, chairman
note: parties have changed as of the December 1992 elections
Other political or pressure groups: none
Member of: CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,
IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ernest PETRIC
chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 667-5363
FAX: [1] (202) 667-4563
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador E. Allan WENDT
embassy: P.O. Box 254, Prazakova 4, 61000 Ljubljana
mailing address: American Embassy, Ljubljana, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7140
telephone: [386] (61) 301-427, 472, 485
FAX: [386] (61) 301-401
Flag: 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
Economy
Overview: Slovenia appears to be making a solid economic recovery,
fulfilling the promise it showed at the time of Yugoslavia's breakup.
It was by far the most prosperous of the former Yugoslav republics,
with a per capita income more than twice the national average. It also
benefited from strong ties to Western Europe and suffered
comparatively small physical damage in the dismemberment process. The
beginning was difficult, however. Real GDP fell 15% during 1991-92,
while inflation jumped to 247% in 1991 and unemployment topped 8% -
nearly three times the 1989 level. The turning point came in 1993 when
real GDP grew 1%, unemployment leveled off at about 9%, and inflation
slowed dramatically to 23%. In 1994, the rate of growth of GDP rose to
4%, unemployment remained stable, and inflation dropped to 20%. This
was accomplished, moreover, without balance-of-payments problems. The
government gets generally good economic marks from foreign observers,
particularly with regard to fiscal policy - the budget deficit in 1994
was only about 1% of GDP, following several years of small surpluses.
Prospects for 1995 appear good, with economic growth expected to
remain strong while unemployment and inflation may decline slightly.
Privatization, sluggish to date, is expected to pick up in 1995.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $16 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $8,110 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 9% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $9.9 billion
expenditures: $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1993)
Exports: $6.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment 27%, intermediate
manufactured goods 26%, chemicals 9%, food 4.8%, raw materials 3%,
consumer goods 26% (1993)
partners: Germany 29.5%, former Yugoslavia 15.8%, Italy 12.4%, France
8.7%, Austria 5.0% (1993)
Imports: $6.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment 30%, intermediate
manufactured goods 17.6%, chemicals 11.5%, raw materials 5.3%, fuels
and lubricants 10.8%, food 8.4% (1993)
partners: Germany 25.0%, Italy 16.1%, former Yugoslavia 10.7%, France
8.0%, Austria 8.5% (1993)
External debt: $2.1 billion (1994)
Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1994 est.); accounts for 37% of
GDP (1993)
Electricity:
capacity: 2,700,000 kW
production: 8.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 4,470 kWh (1993)
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
Agriculture: accounts for 4.8% of GDP (1993); 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
Illicit drugs: NA
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 tolar (SlT) = 100 stotins
Exchange rates: tolars (SIT) per US$1 - 127 (January 1995), 112 (June
1993), 28 (January 1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Slovenia:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 1,201 km
standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 499 km) (1994)
Highways:
total: 14,726 km
paved: 11,046 km (187 km expressways)
unpaved: gravel 3,680 km (1992)
Inland waterways: NA
Pipelines: crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km
Ports: Izola, Koper, Piran
Merchant marine:
total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 265,937 GRT/449,205 DWT
(controlled by Slovenian owners)
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 6
note: ships under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Singapore, Liberia; no ships remain under the Slovenian flag
Airports:
total: 14
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
with paved runways under 914 m: 5
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
@Slovenia:Communications
Telephone system: 130,000 telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: NA
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 0
radios: 370,000
Television:
broadcast stations: 7
televisions: 330,000
@Slovenia:Defense Forces
Branches: Slovene Defense Forces
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 542,815; males fit for military
service 434,302; males reach military age (19) annually 15,350 (1995
est.)
Defense expenditures: 13.5 billion tolars, 4.5% of GDP (1993 est.);
note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the
current exchange rate could produce misleading results
________________________________________________________________________