Slovenia

Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to its west, Austria to its north, Hungary to its northeast, and Croatia to its south and southeast; its southwestern boundary consists of a 46.6-kilometre (29.0 mi) coastline on the Adriatic Sea. The country is mostly mountainous and forested, covering 20,271 square kilometres (7,827 sq mi). Its population is approximately 2.1 million people. Slovene is the official language. Slovenia has a predominantly temperate continental climate, with the exception of the Slovene Littoral and the Julian Alps. Ljubljana, the capital and largest city, is geographically situated near the centre of the country. Other urban centers include Maribor, Ptuj, Kranj, Celje, Koper, Novo Mesto, Velenje, Nova Gorica, Sežana, Murska Sobota, and Jesenice. The region has a long history of settlement. Proto-Illyrian tribes settled the area during the Early Bronze Age, stretching from present-day Albania to the city of Trieste, while the Slavic tribes (the ancestors of modern Slovenes) arrived in the 5th century AD. The present territory has been part of many different states, including the Roman Empire, the Western Roman Empire, the Carolingian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Republic of Venice, the Habsburg Empire, Napoleonic France, the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in December 1918; in 1929, the Kingdom became known as Yugoslavia. In 1941, during World War II, Slovenia's territory was partitioned by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Horthyist Hungary and the Independent State of Croatia. Following World War II, in 1945 Slovenia was established as one of six constituent republics that made up the Socialist Federation of Yugoslavia. Modern Slovenia emerged in June 1991, when the country declared independence from Yugoslavia. After the brief Ten-Day War it became a sovereign...