Slovenia

About Slovenia

Background:

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.

PEOPLE

Population:
2,005,692 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

Nationality:
noun: Slovene(s)
adjective: Slovenian

Ethnic groups:
Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census)

Religions:
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)

Languages:
Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)

GOVERNMENT

Country Name:
conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia
conventional short form: Slovenia
local long form: Republika Slovenija
local short form: Slovenija
former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia

Government type:
parliamentary republic

Capital:
name: Ljubljana
geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Independence:
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, derive from the medieval coat of arms of the Duchy of Carniola; 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) appears in the upper hoist side of the flag centered on the white and blue bands.

ECONOMY

Economy - overview:
Slovenia, which, on 1 January 2007, became the first 2004 European Union entrant to adopt the euro, is a model of economic success and stability for the region. With the highest per capita GDP in Central Europe, Slovenia has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and a strategic location between the Balkans and Western Europe. Privatization has lagged since 2002, and the economy has one of highest levels of state control in the EU. Structural reforms to improve the business environment have allowed for somewhat 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. In December 2007, Slovenia was invited to begin the accession process for joining the OECD. Despite its economic success, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia has lagged behind the region average, and taxes remain relatively high. Furthermore, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere. In 2009 the world recession caused the economy to contract - through falling exports and industrial production - more than 6% and unemployment to rise above 9%.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$56.47 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87
$60.2 billion (2008 est.)
$58.16 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$28,200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
$30,000 (2008 est.)
$28,900 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

Budget:
revenues: $20.58 billion
expenditures: $23.54 billion (2009 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
5.7% (2008 est.)

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.

Exports:
$24.24 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
$33.49 billion (2008 est.)

Imports:
$46.47 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
$73.62 billion (2008 est.)

Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.73 (2009), 0.6827 (2008), 0.7345 (2007)
note: (2006), (2005)