]! ^! The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named 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 by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. 
]" ^" Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia ^# 46 07 N, 14 49 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 20,273 sq km `" 20,151 sq km `# 122 sq km ^& slightly smaller than New Jersey ^' `! 1,382 km `Y Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 280 km ^( 46.6 km ^) `$ 12 nm ^* Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east ^+ 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 ^, `% Adriatic Sea 0 m `& Triglav 2,864 m ^- lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver, hydropower, forests ^. `' 8.53% `( 1.43% `) 90.04% (2005) ^/ 30 sq km (2003) ^0 flooding and earthquakes ^1 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 _P `P 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 `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes 
]# ^3 2,009,245 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 13.7% (male 141,670/female 133,720) `, 70.3% (male 712,409/female 700,844) `- 16% (male 124,264/female 196,338) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 41 years `. 39.4 years `/ 42.6 years (2007 est.) ^6 -0.065% (2007 est.) ^7 9 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 10.41 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.07 male(s)/female `1 1.059 male(s)/female `, 1.017 male(s)/female `- 0.633 male(s)/female `2 0.949 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births `. 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 76.53 years `. 72.84 years `/ 80.47 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.26 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 280 (2001 est.) ^@ less than 100 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Slovene(s) `4 Slovenian ^B Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census) ^C 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) ^D Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census) ^E `5 NA `2 99.7% `. 99.7% `/ 99.6% 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Slovenia `7 Slovenia `Z Republika Slovenija `[ Slovenija `\ People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia ^H parliamentary republic ^I `8 Ljubljana `9 46 03 N, 14 31 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 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 `* there may be 45 more municipalities ^K 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) ^L Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) ^M adopted 23 December 1991 ^N based on civil law system ^O 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed) ^P `; President Janez DRNOVSEK (since 22 December 2002) `< Prime Minister Janez JANSA (since 9 November 2004) `= Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly `> 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) `? 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 ^Q bicameral Parliament consisting of a National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 are directly elected and 50 are selected on a proportional basis; note - the number of directly elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election; the constitution mandates one 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; this is primarily an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decisions, and call national referenda; members - representing social, economic, professional, and local interests - are indirectly elected to five-year terms by an electoral college) `> National Assembly - last held 3 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2008) `? 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 ^R 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) ^S 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) ^T NA ^U ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Samuel ZBOGAR `S 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 `T [1] (202) 667-5363 `U [1] (202) 667-4563 `V Cleveland, New York ^W `R Ambassador Thomas B. ROBERTSON `_ Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana `` American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140 `T [386] (1) 200-5500 `U [386] (1) 200-5555 ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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. ^Z $47.12 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $37.64 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 4.4% (2006 est.) ^] $23,400 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 2.3% `A 34.1% `B 63.6% (2006 est.) ^_ 1.026 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 4.8% `A 39.1% `B 56.1% (2004) ^a 9.6% (2006 est.) _! 12.9% (2004) _" `C 3.6% `D 21.4% (1998) _d 28.4 (1998) _# 2.4% (2006 est.) _V 25.6% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $15.9 billion `F $16.35 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 29% of GDP (2006 est.) _& potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry _' ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools _( 5.6% (2006) _) 14.9 billion kWh (2006) _* 13.71 billion kWh (2006) _+ 4.8 billion kWh (2006) _, 4.07 billion kWh (2006) _- 8 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 53,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 1.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 1.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-789.2 million (2006 est.) _3 $21.85 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food _5 Germany 19.8%, Italy 12.7%, Croatia 9.3%, France 8.1%, Austria 8.1% (2005) _6 $23.59 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food _8 Germany 19.5%, Italy 18.6%, Austria 12%, France 7.1%, Croatia 4.2% (2005) _[ $8.631 billion (2006 est.) _9 $29.09 billion (30 October 2006) _: ODA, $484 million (2004-06) `* in March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank _; euro (EUR) `* 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 _< tolars per US dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003), 240.25 (2002) `* Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007 _= calendar year 
]& _> 816,400 (2005) _? 1.759 million (2005) _@ `G NA `H 100% digital (2000) `I country code - 386 _A AM 10, FM 230, shortwave 0 (2006) _B 31 (2006) _C .si _D 61,735 (2006) _E 1.09 million (2005) 
]' _F 14 (2006) _G `! 6 `a 1 `J 1 `b 1 `c 2 `W 1 (2006) _R `! 8 `b 2 `c 2 `W 4 (2006) _^ gas 2,526 km; oil 11 km (2006) _e `! 1,229 km `m 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2005) _H `! 38,451 km `K 38,451 km (includes 483 km of expressways) (2004) _S `d 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) _I Koper 
]( _J Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces) _T 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2004) _K 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.) _L males age 18-49: 12,816 females age 17-49: 12,178 (2005 est.) _U 1.7% (2005 est.) 
]) _N 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 _O minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals 