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Population
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Total population (millions): |
2
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| Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators |
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| Urban population:
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51%
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| Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators |
| Average annual population growth:
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0.0%
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| Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators |
| Surface area (km˛) : |
20,250
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Population origin
| Origin of the population | % Of the population | | Slovene | 90 | | Croat | 3 | | Serb | 2 | | Bosnian | 1 | | Other | 4 |
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| Main Cities |
Population |
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Ljubljana |
249 442 |
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Maribor |
106 258 |
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Kranj |
38 661 |
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Celje |
36 576 |
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Local time
| It is |
%T:%M %A |
in Ljubljana (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer).
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Summer time from March to October
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Languages
Official language: Slovenian
Business languages: English and German are commonly spoken.
Free translation tools
Tranexp
Free English-Slovene-English translator of texts and web pages
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Religion
Religious practises :
Catholics 96%
Muslims 1%
Others 3%.
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Political context
Slovenia is a republic state based on parliamentary democracy. Since its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia (official name: Republic of Slovenia) has enjoyed substantial economic and political stability. It also became a member of European Union (EU) in 2004.
President is the head of the state and is elected by a popular vote for a five-year term. President is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The role of the President is largely ceremonial. Following parliamentary (the lower house) elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become Prime Minister by the President and elected by the parliament to serve a four-year term. Prime Minister is the head of the government and enjoys the executive powers which include implementation of the law in the country and running the day-to-day affairs. The Council of Ministers (cabinet) is nominated by the Prime Minister and elected by the parliament.
The legislature is bicameral in Slovenia. The parliament consists of: National Assembly (the lower house) having 90 seats; out of which 88 are elected through proportional voting and 2 members elected by ethnic minorities to serve four-year terms, and the National Council (the upper house, more like an advisory body) having 40 seats; with its members elected indirectly (members representing social, economic, professional, and local interests) to serve five-year terms. National Assembly is the most important power centre in the country. The executive branch of government is directly or indirectly dependent on the support of the National Assembly, often expressed through a vote of confidence. Prime Minister cannot dissolve the parliament, only President can do so incase such circumstances exist. The people of Slovenia have considerable political rights.
Judiciary in Slovenia is largely independent, though it is overburdened with some criminal cases which are taking long time to close. The main source of the law is the constitution of 1991. The country’s legal system is based on civil law system. Being a member of the EU, the national law in Slovenia needs to comply with the conditions of the Community legislation. The judicial language used in the country is Slovenian; having an interpreter is possible.
Slovenia is ruled by law. Foreign nationals can normally expect a free trial from the country’s judicial system. Corruption is a major concern in the country. Though it is less than those East-Central European nations entering the EU, the most general forms of corruption in the country involve conflicts of interest among government officials, an intertwining of the public and private sectors, and relying on official connections to obtain lucrative government contracts for private businesses.
Major political parties
Slovenia has a multi-party system and generally no single party has a chance of gaining power alone. Thus parties work with each other to form coalition governments. The major parties in the country are:
- SDS (Slovenian Democratic Party) – a centre-right party promoting a democratic political order based on free market economy and human rights;
- LDS (Liberal Democracy of Slovenia ) – a centre-left liberal party;
- DeSUS (Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia) – a party of retired persons;
- NSi (New Slovenia – Christian People's Party ) – a right-of-centre political party;
- SNS (Slovenian National Party) – known for its Euroscepticism;
- SLS (Slovenian People's Party) – a centre-right political party;
- Social Democrats – a left-wing political party
Major political leaders
President: Danilo TURK (since December 2007)
Prime Minister: Janez JANSA (since November 2004) – SDS, heading a coalition with NSi, SLS & DeSUS
Next political election dates
Presidential: Fall of 2012
National Assembly: October 8, 2008
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| Number of visitors
in Slovenia
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2004
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2005
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2006
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World rank |
| Number of visitors (1000) |
1,499 |
1,555 |
.. |
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| Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005 |
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Tourist sites
-In the Alps, the main site is the romantic Bled, it surrounds a lake with warm waters.
-The national park of Triglav, peak of Slovenia, at a height of 2800 m.
-The most beautiful place of the Slovenian coast, (46 km long), is Piran, which is a nice set of churches, places and Venetian palaces.
- The Postojna cave (Postojinska Jama's), a real natural underground labyrinth.
-The alpine ski resorts, and notably Planica.
For more information about tourism
in Slovenia
, check out the following web site(s) :
Slovenian Tourism Board
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Food
Traditional dishes
Uzitni smrcek: Morels Soup
Baked oranges with sure cream
Goulash with mushrooms
In Slovenia, there are many beehives and numerous desserts and drinks are sweetened with honey. Mali kruher: gingerbreads sold outdoors on market places which are part of any celebration.
Food-related taboos
There are no culinary taboos in the Slovenian cooking.
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