Name: Republic of Slovenia. The country declared independence from Yugoslavia on June 25th 1991.

Capital: Ljubljana

Official Symbol: The official symbol of Ljubljana is the dragon which was said to have been slayed by Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts)

Location: Slovenia is located in Central Europe and bordered by four countries; Austria, Italy, Croatia and Hungary with the eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea.

Population: 2 million (UN, 2005)

Area: 20,273 sq km (7,827 sq miles). Of that it has almost 10,000 km2 of forest. Its Adriatic coastline is 46.6 kilometres long. 216 square kilometres is covered in vineyards.

Major language: Slovene

Major religion: Christianity

Life expectancy: 73 years (men), 80 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 tolar = 100 stotin

Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, household goods

GNI per capita: US $14,810 (World Bank, 2005)

Internet domain: .si

International dialling code: +386

Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1

Electricity: 220V 50HzHz

Electric Plug Details: European plug with two circular metal pins

Climate: Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east.

Did you know:

- Over 400 brown bears make their home in Slovenia.

- Triglav National Park is one of the oldest parks in Europe, with the first efforts to protect the area dating back to 1906

- The Lipizzaner horse stud, Lipica, was established in 1580 by the Austrian Archduke Karl II
 
- Mount Triglav (2,864m) is the highest mountain in Slovenia and is more than twice the height of Ben Nevis (1,344m)

- Old Vine in Maribor is over 400 years old and the oldest vine in the world. It still bears between 35 and 55 kilos of red grapes annually from which wine is produced

- Postojna Cave, part of Slovenia’s Karst region, is the most-visited cave in Europe. It has a network of 20 km of passages, galleries and chambers
 
- Couples can still get married in the church on Bled Island. Tradition says that the groom must carry his bride up the 99 steps to ensure a long and happy marriage

17 June 2009