Slovenia is a nation state in southern Central Europe at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Croatia to the south and southeast, and Hungary to the northeast. It covers 20,273 square kilometers (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.05 million. It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the European Union and NATO. Its capital and largest city is Ljubljana.4 major European geographic units meet on the territory of Slovenia:- the Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean, with a small portion of coastline along the Adriatic Sea. The territory has a mosaic structure and an exceptionally high landscape and biological diversity, which are a result of natural attributes and the long-term presence of humans. Although the climate in the mainly hilly territory is influenced by the continental climate, the Slovene Littoral has the sub-Mediterranean climate, while the Alpine climate is found in the north-western part of the country. The country is one of the most water-rich in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karstic underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest.
Slovenia was part of many different state formations, including the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, followed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In October 1918, the Slovenes exercised self-determination for the first time by co-founding the internationally unrecognized State of Slovens, Croats and Serbs, which merged that December with the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .During World War 2 Slovenia was occupied and annexed by Germany, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary.Afterward, it was a founding member of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, later renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In June 1991, after the introduction of multi-party representative democracy, Slovenia split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country. In 2004, it entered NATO and the European Union; in 2007 became the first former Communist country to join the Eurozone and in 2010 joined the OECD, a global association of high-income developed countries.
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Capital
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Ljubljana
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Area:
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20,273
square km
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National
Bird:
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Protea
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National
Animal:
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Springbok
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National
Flower:
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Jasmine
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National
Language:
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Slovenian
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National
Sport:
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Football
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National
Dance:
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Folk
Dance
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Prime
Minister:
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Alenka
Bratusek
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Major
Occupation:
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Service
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Time
Zone:
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(UTC+01:00)
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