is a country in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy on the west, the Adriatic Sea on the southwest, Croatia on the south and east, Hungary on the northeast, and Austria on the north. The capital and largest city of Slovenia is Ljubljana. Slovenia covers an area of 20,273 square kilometres and has a population of 2.06 million. Around 40% of Slovenia's land mass is elevated land - mostly in the form of mountains and plateaus - which is located in the interior regions of the country. The highest point of Slovenia is the 2,864 metres (9,396 ft) high Mount Triglav, the lowest point is the Adriatic Sea at sea level. The majority of the population speaks Slovene which is also the country's official language. Other local official languages are Hungarian and Italian. Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen area, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, NATO, UNESCO, WTO, and UN (As of 2010, Slovenia and Slovakia are the only former Communist nations to be part of all of these institutions simultaneously). Per capita, it is the richest Slavic nation-state, and is 88.3% of the EU27 average GDP (PPP) per capita. History Please go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Slovenia Geography Slovenia is situated in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. The Alps — including the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Karavanke chain, as well as the Pohorje massif — dominate Northern Slovenia along its long border to Austria. Slovenia's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately 43 km (27 mi) from Italy to Croatia. The term "Karst" originated in southwestern Slovenia's Karst Plateau (Slovene: Kras), a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges, and caves, between Ljubljana and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the East and Northeast, toward the Croatian and Hungarian borders, the landscape is essentially flat. However, the majority of Slovenian terrain is hilly or mountainous, with around 90% of the surface 200 meters or more above sea level. Other Info Oficial name: Republika Slovenija Independence: Declared June 25, 1991, Recognized-1992 Area: 20.273 km2 Inhabitants: 2.500.000 Languages: Slovenščina (Esloveno) Hungarian [hun] 9,240 in Slovenia (1991 census). Eastern Slovenia. Alternate names: Magyar. Classification: Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Ugric, Hungarian More information. Italian [ita] 4,009 in Slovenia (1991 census). Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Italo-Dalmatian More information. Slovenian [slv] 1,727,360 in Slovenia (1991 census). Population total all countries: 1,984,775. Carniola and southern parts of Styria and Carinthia; Lower Carniola in Dolenjsko, Upper Carniola in Gorenjska, Primorski in West Slovenia, Stajerski in Styria. Also spoken in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro, USA. Alternate names: Slovenscina, Slovene. Dialects: Lower Carniola, Upper Carniola, Stajerski, Primorski, Prekmurski. The literary dialect is between the two main dialects, based on Dolenjsko. Dialects are diverse. Classification: Indo-European, Slavic, South, Western More information. Yugoslavian Sign Language [ysl] Dialects: Slovenian Sign Language. Classification: Deaf sign language Capital city: Ljublijana Meaning country name: The origin of the word Slav remains controversial. Excluding the ambiguous mention by Ptolemy of tribes Stavanoi and Soubenoi, the earliest references of "Slavs" under this name are from the 6th century. The word is written variously as Sklabenoi, Sklauenoi, or Sklabinoi in Byzantine Greek, and as Sclaueni, Sclauini, or Sthlaueni in Latin. The oldest documents written in Old Church Slavonic and dating from the 9th century attest slověne to describe the Slavs around Thessalonica. Other early attestations include Old Russian slověně "an East Slavic group near Novgorod", Slovutich "Dnieper river", and Serbo-Croatian Slavonica, a river. There are two alternative scholarly theories as to the origin of the Slavs ethnonym, both very tentative: according to the first theory[1], it derives from a hypothetically reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *(s)lawos, cognate to Greek laós "population, people", which itself has no commonly accepted etymology. The second theory (forwarded by e.g. Max Vasmer) suggests that the word originated as a river name (compare the etymology of the Volcae), comparing it with such cognates as Latin cluere "to cleanse, purge", a root not known to have been continued in Slavic, however, and it appears in other languages with similar meanings (cf. Greek klyzein "to wash", Old English hlūtor "clean, pure", Old Norse hlér "sea", Welsh clir "clear, clean", Lithuanian šlúoti "to sweep"). Folk etymologies and scholars such as Roman Jacobson traditionally link the name either with the word sláva "glory", "fame" or slovo "word, talk" (both akin to OSl slusati "to hear" from the IE root *kleu-). Thus slověne would mean "people who speak (the same language)", i.e. people who understand each other, as opposed to the Slavic word for foreign nations, nemtsi, meaning "speechless people" (from Slavic němi - mute, silent, dumb), as for example in Polish: Niemcy is Germany. Description Flag: 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 (Slovenian Grofje Celjski), the great Slovenian dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries. The flag's colours are considered 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. It was first expoosed on April 7, 1848 on a building in the proximity of Prešeren Square in Ljubljana. Despite opposition from the local Ethnic Germans, it was subequentely recognized by the austrian Government as the official flag of Carniola. This formal recognition was unique, since the Austrian Government otherwise tended to persecute national symbols of the single nations composing the Empire. In addition, Austrian authorities saw all tricolours as basically nationalist and potentially revolutionary symbols, so Austrian provinces (as the Empire itself) were only allowed to use bicolours (the only exception being the flag of the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, since it was interpreted to be a combination of the Croatian and Slavonian bicolours). So the official recognition of the Carniolan white-blue-red tricolour instead of the traditional white-blue bicolour was seen as a major achievement by the Slovenians and it quickly became the symbol representing the idea of United Slovenia. In the second half of the 19th century, the Slovenian national tricolur became the only truly all-Slovenian symbol, representing all Slovenians, regardless of their province of origin. The flag continued to be associated with Slovenia during the country's incorporation into Yugoslavia; it was also used by the Slovenians of the Julian March that were annexed to Italy, where it was prohibited and persecuted by the fascist regime. During World War II it was used by both the Resistance Movement and the anticommunist militia. In 1945 a red star was placed on the flag, which was used by the Socialist Republic of Slovenia. Following Slovenian independence from Yugoslavia, the red star was removed and the new coat of arms was added. The flag was officially adopted on June 27, 1991, following a long and controversial dispute about the coat of arms of the new Republic. 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). (Boats up to 24 meters use the national flag as an ensign.) The naval jack is a white, blue, and yellow horizontal tricolor. Coat of arms: The Slovenian coat of arms consists of a red bordered blue shield on which there is a stylised white mount Triglav. Under Triglav there are two bending lines that represent the sea and rivers, and above Triglav there are three golden, six-pointed stars forming a triangle. The stars are taken from the coat of arms of the counts of Celje. National Anthem: slovenščina Spet trte so rodile, prijat'li, vince nam sladkó, And here sweet wine makes, once again, ki nam oživlja žile, Sad eyes and hearts recover srce razjásni in oko, Puts fire into every vein. ki utopi Drowns dull care vse skrbi, Everywhere v potrtih prsih up budi! And summons hope out of despair. Komú narpred veselo To whom with acclamation zdravljico, bratje! čmo zapét'? And song shall we our first toast give? Bog našo nam deželo, God save our land and nation Bog živi ves slovenski svet, And all Slovenes where'er they live, brate vse, Who own the same kar nas je Blood and name, sinov sloveče matere! And who one glorious Mother claim. V sovražnike 'z oblakov Let thunder out of heaven rodú naj naš'ga trešči gróm, Strike down and smite our wanton foe! prost, ko je bil očakov, Now, as it once had thriven, naprej naj bo Slovencov dom; May our dear realm in freedom grow. naj zdrobé May fall the last njih roké Chains of the past si spone, ki jim še težé! Which bind us still and hold us fast! Edinost, sreča, sprava Let peace, glad conciliation, k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo; Come back to us throughout the land! otrók, kar ima Slava, Towards their destination vsi naj si v róke sežejo, Let Slavs henceforth go hand-in-hand! de oblast Thus again in z njo čast, Will honour reign ko préd, spet naša bode last! To justice pledged in our domain. Bog žívi vas Slovenke, To you, our pride past measure, prelepe, žlahtne rožice; Our girls! Your beauty, charm and grace! ni take je mladenke, There surely is no treasure ko naše je krvi dekle; To equal maidens of such race. naj sinóv Sons you'll bear, zarod nov Who will dare iz vas bo strah sovražnikov! Defy our foe no matter where. Mladenči, zdaj se pije Our hope now, our to-morrow - zdravljica vaša, vi naš up; The youths - we toast and toast with joy. ljubezni domačije No poisonous blight or sorrow noben naj vam ne usmŕti strup; Your love of homeland shall destroy. ker po nas With us indeed bode vas You're called to heed jo sŕčno bránit klical čas! Its summons in this hour of need. Živé naj vsi naródi, God's blessing on all nations, ki hrepené dočakat dan, Who long and work for that bright day, da, koder sonce hodi, When o'er earth's habitations prepir iz svéta bo pregnan, No war, no strife shall hold its sway; da rojak Who long to see prost bo vsak, That all men free, ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak! No more shall foes, but neighbours be. Nazadnje še, prijatlji, At last to our reunion - kozarce zase vzdignimo, To us the toast! Let it resound, ki smo zato se zbrat'li, Since in this great communion ker dobro v srcu mislimo; By thoughts of brotherhood we're bound dókaj dni May joyful cheer naj živí Ne'er disappear vsak, kar nas dobrih je ljudi! From all good hearts now gathered here. English 7th Stanza ENGLISH TRANSLATION God's blessing on all nations, Who long and work for that bright day, When o'er earth's habitations No war, no strife shall hold its sway; Who long to see That all men free No more shall foes, but neighbours be. Internet Page: www.ukom.gov.si www.slovenia.info www.slovenia-life.com www.sloveniawelcomes.com www.slovenia-guide.com Slovenia in diferent languages eng | bre | fao | fin | ina | ita | jav | kal | lat | lin | lld | nor | roh | ron | rup | scn | sme | swa: Slovenia ast | eus | glg | spa: Eslovenia crh | gag | kaa | uzb: Sloveniya / Словения deu | ltz | nds: Slowenien / Slowenien cat | oci: Eslovènia ces | slk: Slovinsko cor | hat: Sloveni dan | swe: Slovenien fra | jnf: Slovénie hrv | slv: Slovenija ind | msa: Slovenia / سلوۏينيا kin | run: Sloveniya lim | nld: Slovenië afr: Slowenië arg: Eslobenia aze: Sloveniya / Словенија bam: Silɔweni bos: Slovenija / Словенија csb: Slowenijô; Sloweńskô cym: Slofenia dsb: Słowjeńska epo: Slovenujo; Slovenio est: Sloveenia frp: Slovènie fry: Sloveenje fur: Slovenie gla: Sloibhìnia; An t-Slòbhain gle: An tSlóivéin / An tSlóivéin; An tSlovéin / An tSlovéin glv: Yn Clovean hsb: Słowjenska hun: Szlovénia ibo: Slọvinia isl: Slóvenía kmr: Slovênî / Словени / سلۆڤێنی kur: Slovenya / سلۆڤەنیا lav: Slovēnija lit: Slovėnija mlg: Slôvenia mlt: Slovenja mol: Slovenia / Словения mri: Horowinia nrm: Eslovénîn pol: Słowenia por: Eslovénia / Eslovênia que: Isluwinya rmy: Sloveniya / स्लोवेनिया slo: Slovenia / Словениа; Slovenzem / Словензем smg: Slovienėjė smo: Solovenia sqi: Sllovenia srd: Islovénia szl: Suowyńja tet: Eslovénia tuk: Sloweniýa / Словения tur: Slovenya; İslovenya vie: Xlô-ven-ni-a vol: Slovenän vor: Sloveeniä wln: Esloveneye wol: Esloweeni zza: Slowenya chu: Словѣнія (Slověnīja) alt | bul | kir | kjh | kom | krc | kum | rus | tyv | udm: Словения (Slovenija) che | chv | mon | oss: Словени (Sloveni) abq: Словения (Słovenija) bak: Словения / Sloveniya bel: Славенія / Słavienija; Славэнія / Słavenija chm: Словений (Slovenij) kaz: Словения / Slovenïya / سلوۆەنيا kbd: Словение (Slovenie) mkd: Словенија (Slovenija) srp: Словенија / Slovenija tat: Словения / Sloveniä tgk: Словения / سلاونیه / Slovenija ukr: Словенія (Slovenija) xal: Словень (Sloven') ara: سلوفينيا (Silūfīniyā); سلوفانيا (Silūfāniyā) fas: اسلوونی / Esloveni prs: سلووانیا (Slōvāniyā) pus: سلووانيا (Slowāniyā); سلووېنيا / سلوېنيا (Sloweniyā) uig: سلوۋېنىيە / Slowéniye / Словения urd: سلوینیا (Salaveniyā); سلووینیا (Saloveniyā) div: ސްލޮވީނިއާ (Slovīni'ā) syr: ܣܠܘܦܝܢܝܐ (Slōpēniyā); ܣܠܘܒܢܝܐ (Slōbeniyā) heb: סלובניה (Slôṿenyah) lad: איסלוב'יניה / Eslovenia yid: סלאָװעניע (Slovenye) amh: ስሎቬኒያ (Sloveniya) ell: Σλοβενία (Slovenía); Σλοβηνία (Slovīnía) hye: Սլովենիա (Slovenia) kat: სლოვენია (Slovenia) hin: स्लोवेनिया (Sloveniyā) nep: स्लोभेनिया (Slobʰeniyā) ben: স্লোভেনিয়া (Slobʰeniyā) pan: ਸਲੋਵੀਨੀਆ (Slovīnīā) kan: ಸ್ಲೊವೇನಿಯ (Slovēniya) mal: സ്ലോവേനിയ (Slōvēniya) tam: ஸ்லொவேனியா (Slovēṉiyā); ஸ்லோவேனியா (Slōvēṉiyā) tel: స్లొవేనియా (Slovēniyā) zho: 斯洛文尼亞/斯洛文尼亚 (Sīluòwénníyà) jpn: スロヴェニア (Surovenia); スロベニア (Surobenia) kor: 슬로베니아 (Seullobenia) dzo: སིལོ་བེ་ནི་ཡ་ (Silo.be.ni.ya.) mya: ဆလုိဗေးနီးယား (Sʰálobènìyà) tha: สโลวีเนีย (Salōwīniya) khm: ស្លូវ៉ានី (Slūvānī)