MAP OF SLOVENIA
FLAG OF SLOVENIA
The national flag of Slovenia features three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian coat of arms located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands. The coat of arms is a shield with the image of Mount Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the centre; beneath it are two wavy blue lines representing the Adriatic Sea and local rivers, and above it are three six-pointed golden stars arranged in an inverted triangle which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovenian dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
The flag's colours are considered to be Pan-Slavic, but they actually come from the medieval coat of arms of the Duchy of Carniola, consisting of a blue eagle on a white background with a red-and-gold crescent. The colors of the flag were considered national colours before they were first arranged on a flag during the rise of nationalism in Europe. The existing tricolour was created during the Spring of Nations in 1848, when a group of students from Ljubljana took the colours from the Carniolan coat of arms, arranging them in such a way that it resembled the Russian national flag.
The civil and state ensign for ships has the same design as the national flag, but a different shape (2:3 instead of 1:2).
Zdravljica (A Toast) or Zdravica, written in 1844, is the best-known poem of the Slovenian national poet France Prešeren. Since 27 September 1989, its 7th stanza has been the national anthem of Slovenia.
Zdravljica is a drinking song. In it, the poet declares his belief in a free-thinking Slovene and Slavic political awareness, promoting the idea of a unified Slovenia, which the March Revolution in 1848 elevated into a national political programme.
PROFILE OF SLOVENIA
Republika Slovenija
short form: Slovenija
int'l short form: Slovenia
int'l long form: Republic of Slovenia
ISO Country Code: si
Capital City: Ljubljana (pop. 267 000)
Other Cities:
Maribor (110 668), Kranj (51 225), Celje (48 081), Koper (47 539).
Government:
Type: Parliamentary democratic republic.
Independence: 25 June 1991, Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia.
Constitution: 23 December 1991.
Geography:
Location: Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia.
Area: 20 273 square kilometers (7 906 sq. mi.).
Terrain: Alps mountains rising to more than 2 800 meters (8 200 ft.) in the north, wide plateaus over 1000 meters (3 280 ft.) high in the southeast, Karst limestone region of caves in the south-southwest, hills in the east, and approximately 50 kilometers (39 mi.) of coastline on the Adriatic Sea.
Climate: Mixture of continental, Alpine and Mediterranean climate, with cold winters and warm summers.
People:
Nationality: Noun--Slovene(s). Adjective--Slovenian.
Population: 2 million.
Ethnic groups: Slovenes 83.06%, Croats 1.81%, Serbs 1.98%, Bosniaks 1.10%, Hungarians 0.32%, Montenegrins 0.14%, Macedonians 0.20%, Albanians 0.31%, Italians 0.11%, Roma 0.17%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 57.8%, refused to reply 15.7%, atheist 10.1%, Orthodox Christian 2.3%, Muslim 2.4%.
Languages: Slovene (official). Hungarian, Italian are spoken in the border regions, and German fluency is common near the Austrian border. Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian are spoken by a minority (6%). English is widely understood by business people and students.
Literacy: 99%
Natural resources: Coal, mercury, timber.
Agriculture products: Potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry.
Industries: Ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting, electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools.
Exports partners: Germany 23.2%, Italy 13.2%, Croatia 9%, Austria 7.3%, France 5.7%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.2% (2003)
Imports partners: Germany 19.3%, Italy 18.3%, France 10%, Austria 8.6% (2003)
Currency: Euro since 1.1.2007.
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