NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Republic of Slovenia
Republika Slovenije
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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 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. In December 2002, Slovenia received an invitation to join NATO, and it is scheduled to accede to the EU along with nine other states on 1 May 2004. In a March 2003 referendum on NATO and EU membership, Slovenes voted 90% in favor of joining the EU and 66% in favor of joining NATO. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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46 07 N, 14 49 E |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total: 20,273 sq km
water: 122 sq km land: 20,151 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than New Jersey |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,334 km
border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Italy 232 km, Hungary 102 km |
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Coastline:
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46.6 km |
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Maritime claims:
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NA |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east |
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Terrain:
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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 |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Triglav 2,864 m |
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Natural resources:
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lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver, hydropower, forests |
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Land use:
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arable land: 11.48%
permanent crops: 2.68% other: 85.84% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding and earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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1,935,677 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15.3% (male 152,341; female 144,189)
15-64 years: 70% (male 687,939; female 666,194) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 105,837; female 179,177) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 38.6 years
male: 37.1 years female: 40.2 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.14% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 75.51 years
male: 71.65 years female: 79.58 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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280 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Slovene(s)
adjective: Slovenian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Slovene 88%, Croat 3%, Serb 2%, Bosniak 1%, Yugoslav 0.6%, Hungarian 0.4%, other 5% (1991) |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic (Uniate 2%) 70.8%, Lutheran 1%, Muslim 1%, atheist 4.3%, other 22.9% |
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Languages:
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Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 6%, other 3% |
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2003 est.) |