Europe's Little Hidden Jewel
Slovenia makes a great tourist destination.
Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe, but contains within its borders Alpine mountains, thick forests, historic cities, and a short Adriatic coastline.
Slovenia is a country of endless variety, a magical landscape of white limestone mountains, spectacular underground curiosities, sweeping vineyards, and a craggy coastline punctuated by historic coastal resorts.
The Republic of Slovenia lies at the heart of Europe.
The Alps, the Dinaric Alps, the Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean, with a small portion of coastline along the Adriatic Sea, meet on the territory of Slovenia.
In Slovenia, the sun shines approximately 2,000 hours per year. And there is plenty of snow in winter.
You can ski in the morning and surrender yourself to the luxury of the Adriatic Sea in the afternoon.
The average temperatures are -2°C in January and 21°C in July. Green is the dominant color. There are many woods and forests in Slovenia – covering more than half of the country – and numerous preserved and protected plant and animal species.
The country is one of the most water-rich in Europe, with a dense river network, and significant karstic underground watercourses.
Over half of the territory is covered by forest.
Slovene is the only official language throughout the country, whereas Italian and Hungarian are regional minority languages.
Slovenia largely is a secularized country, but its culture and identity have been significantly influenced by Roman Catholicism as well as Lutheranism.
The economy of Slovenia is small, open and export-oriented.
The main economic field is services, followed by industry and construction.
Many Slovenians reach top sport successes, particularly in winter sports, water sports, mountaineering, and endurance sports.
Historically, the current territory of Slovenia was part of many different state formations, including the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, followed by the Austria-Hungary Empire.
In 1918, the Slovenes exercised self-determination for the first time by co-founding the internationally unrecognized State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs, which merged into Yugoslavia.
During World War II, Slovenia was occupied and annexed by Germany, Italy, Croatia, and Hungary.
Afterward, it was a founding member of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In June 1991 Slovenia split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country.
In 2004 Slovenia entered the European Union. In 2010 Slovenia joined the OECD, a global association of high-income developed countries.
Slovenia is a safe country. Wherever you are, even late at night in the cities, you can have no cause for concern.
Electricity in Slovenia is a 230 Volts 50 Hz system. Slovenia uses the standard European two-pin round plugs.