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SloveniaSlovenia<!-- begin quick bar --> <div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"> <table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border: 1px solid #9866FF; background-color: #f3f3ff" width="200"> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Flag</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 2px">Image:si-flag.png</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; border-top: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Quick Facts</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Capital'''</td><td>Ljubljana</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Government'''</td><td>parliamentary democratic republic<br/></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Currency'''</td><td>tolar (SIT)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Area'''</td><td>''total:'' 20,273 sq km <br>''water:'' 122 sq km <br>''land:'' 20,151 sq km</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Population'''</td><td>1,932,917 (July 2002 est.)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Language'''</td><td>Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 6%, other 3%</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Religion'''</td><td>Roman Catholic (Uniate 2%) 70.8%, Lutheran 1%, Muslim 1%, atheist 4.3%, other 22.9%</td></tr> </table> </div> <!-- end quick bar --> '''Slovenia''' (''Slovenija'') is a country in Central Europe|Central Europe that lies in the eastern Alps at the northeastern end of the Adriatic Sea. Despite its small size, with Austria to the north, Italy to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast and Croatia to the south, Slovenia has a surprising variety of terrain, ranging from the beaches of the Mediterranean to the triple peaks of Mt. Triglav. Image:si-map.png|thumb|300px|Map of Slovenia ==Regions== ==Cities== *Ljubljana - Picturesque capital ''Ports and harbors'' *Izola *Koper *Piran ''Urban municipalities (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina )'' *Celje *Koper-Capodistria *Kranj *Maribor *Murska Sobota *Nova Gorica *Novo Mesto *Ptuj *Slovenj Gradec *Velenje ==Other destinations== *Dovje-Mojstrana- The best starting point for hiking and climbing to Julian Alps *Bled - Impossibly romantic mountain lake complete with castle and island *Bohinj - Alpine lake *Skocjan & Postojna caves - Two of the world's largest cave systems *Triglav National Park - Home to national symbol Mt. Triglav and mythical chamois Zlatorog ==Understand== ===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 and Austria, mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east. To the south there is the classical karst region - in slovene named Kras (where the name Karst actually comes from). ; '''Natural hazards''' : flooding and earthquakes ; ''highest point:'' Triglav 2,864 m ===History=== 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. ; '''Independence''' : 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) ; '''National holiday''' : Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) ; '''Constitution''' : adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991 Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy make Slovenia a leading country among the new members of the EU and NATO. ==Get in== As Slovenia is a country of the European Union, citizens from these countries can enter Slovenia with a valid passport or a valid identity card. ===By plane=== Slovenia's main international airport Ljubljana Brnik is half an hour ride from Ljubljana (the capital). Slovene airline Adria Airways, Air France, EasyJet, JAT, Austrian Airlines, Malev... and other foreign companies and offer direct flights from most European cities. From the airport you can grab a taxi or an hourly bus to Ljubljana. ===By train=== Trains may be different from what you're used to in Western Europe. (In Bled, Ljubljana, and Jesenice...) The time of arrival for the next train is not displayed next to the tracks, nor is the train's destination. This information must be found out either from a chalkboard (may have incorrect times) or some other sign near the train station building. Otherwise, many speak English in Slovenia, and they will always help you get where you're going. Getting off the train can also be difficult. There is no loudspeaker announcement of the next station, and there is usually just one sign at the smaller stations, such as Lesce Bled. It may be helpful to ask the ticket checker for assistance in choosing the right station, or rely on the train's rough arrival time, if you have planned ahead. ===By car=== Slovenia has an excellent highway network connected to its neighboring countries. ===From Austria=== *Vienna → Graz → Sentilj → Maribor *Villach → Krawanke Tunnel Jesenice *Villach → Wurzenpass Podkoren Kranjska Gora *Klagenfurt → Loiblpass Ljubelj Kranj ===From Italy=== *Venice → Trieste → Koper *Venice → Gorizia → Nova Gorica *Tarvisio → Ratece Kranjska Gora → Jesenice ===By bus=== ===By boat=== ==Get around== ===By train=== Slovenia's internal train network will get you to most destinations in the country. ===By bus=== Buses fill in the gaps, and may be a better options for some towns not directly served from Ljubljana by train (eg. Bled). ===By car=== Slovenia's roads are for the most part well maintained and well signposted, and you won't have a problem if you drive or hire a car. Having a car certainly does add a level of mobility and self direction that you won't get by train or bus. ==Talk== Slovenian phrasebook|Slovenian, the national language, is spoken as mother tongue by 91% of the population, but there are also significant Italian phrasebook|Italian and Hungarian phrasebook|Hungarian minorities. Most people you come into contact with as a tourist will speak English, and if not they'll almost certainly speak either Italian or German or both. ==Buy== The local currency is the '''Slovenian tolar''' (SIT), which trades at around 240 to the euro (Januar 2005). Prices are high compared to eastern neighbors, but cheap compared to Italy or Austria. ==Eat== The oldest Slovenian food are dishes made from flour and groats. The best known are the breads made for holiday occasions which today appear in the form of braided loaves or wreathes, dumplings known as ''štruklji'' which Slovenians prepare in 70 different ways stuffed with sweet fillings, meat or vegetables, and ''žganci'' (a type of polenta). A real Slovenian speciality is ''potica'', a dessert for holiday occasions also prepared with the widest variety of fillings. A major event in the countryside still today is the slaughtering of a pig from which many various products are made: groat and white ''klobasa'', blood sausage, roasts, stuffed tripe, smoked sausage, salami, ham, bacon, and, of course, the highest quality and most prized ''Kraški pršut'', the Slovenian version of the Italian ''prosciutto'' or air-dried ham. Recipes for the preparation of poultry, especially goose, duck, and capon, have been preserved for many centuries. And it is obvious that in a country beside the sea there is a large choice of the fish and sea fruits which we find most often on Primorska menus. Hungry travelers may also try inexpensive (if greasy) snack or meal, at one of many small snack bars selling the Bosnian speciality ''burek'', a large, flaky pastry stuffed with meat (''mesni burek''), cheese (''sirni'') or apple (''jabolcni''). ==Drink== Slovenian '''wine''' can be quite good. The best stuff is not exported! Also '''beers Lasko & Union''' are good. An inside tip would be '''Adam Ravbar''' beer, which is usually hard to find anywhere except in their small brewery. ==Sleep== ==Learn== Slovenia has three universities ([http://www.uni-lj.si Ljubljana], [http://www.uni-mb.si Maribor], [http://www.upr.si Koper]) and several independent colleges (BSA Kranj, [http://www.iedc.si/ IEDC Bled], [http://www.p-ng.si Politehnika Nova Gorica],...). University of Ljubljana contains also 3 art academies: Theater and Film, Music, Fine Arts. ==Work== ==Stay safe == '''Phone Nr.: POLICE 113''' ==Stay healthy == '''Phone Nr.: EMERGENCY 112''' ==Respect== ==Contact== ==External links== * [http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/ Slovenian Tourist Organisation] de:Slowenien fr:Slovénie ro:Slovenia {{stub}} First page | Prev | Next | Last page |
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