NK Vojnik 
O nas | Slovenija | Èlani - Seniors | Rezultati - Results | Oldtimerji | Zanimivosti -News | On-line forum | E-mail page | Humor | Headline news | Clipart | National
teams
Slovenija
I. Introduction
Slovenia (Slovenian
Slovenija), republic in southeastern Europe, in the
Balkan Peninsula, bounded on the north by Austria, on the
northeast by Hungary, on the southeast and south by
Croatia, and on the west by Italy and the Adriatic Sea.
Formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia
proclaimed its independence in June 1991. It joined the
United Nations (UN) in May 1992. The republic has an area
of 20,253 sq km (7,820 sq mi). Ljubljana is the capital
and largest city.
II. Land
and Resources
Slovenia is
mountainous, much like Austria to the north and northern
Italy to the west, and has heavily forested regions. The
eastern third of the republic lies within the Karst, a
barren limestone plateau broken by depressions and
ridges. The highest point in the country, Mount Triglav,
rises 2,863 m (9,393 ft) and forms part of the Julian
Alps in the northwestern region of the republic. The
Mura, Drava, and Sava rivers flow through the forested
northeastern region of the republic. Southwestern
Slovenia has a small stretch of coastline, extending 32
km (20 mi) along the Gulf of Venice (an arm of the
Adriatic Sea). Towns along the coastline enjoy a warm
Mediterranean climate, while those in the mountains to
the north often have harsh winters and rainy summers. The
plateaus to the east, where Ljubljana is situated, have a
more moderate continental climate with warm to hot
summers and cold winters. Two national symbols, the
linden tree and the chamois (a shy, antelopelike animal),
thrive throughout the republic. Coal is the most abundant
natural resource in Slovenia; other resources include
lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, and silver, as well as
natural gas and petroleum.
III.
Population
The
population of Slovenia at the 1991 census was 1,962,606.
In 2000 the country had an estimated population of 1,970,056,
giving it an overall population density of 97 persons per
sq km (252 per sq mi). Slovenes, a Slavic ethnic group,
constitute about 88 percent of the republic's population.
Slovenes speak Slovenian, the republic's official
language (see Slovenian Language). Unlike other Slavic
cultures, Slovenes have been heavily influenced by
German and Austrian cultures for nearly a millennium.
Despite more than 70 years of affiliation with
Yugoslavia, Slovene culture exhibits many similarities to
Germanic cultures. Slovenian is written in the Latin
alphabet—unlike Serbian and many other Slavic
languages, which are written in the Cyrillic alphabet—and
has many dialects. In addition, most people in Slovenia
are Roman Catholic. Ethnic Serbs (about 2 percent),
Croats (about 3 percent), and various other ethnic groups
(about 7 percent) constitute the remainder of Slovenia's
population. In addition, in the mid-1990s Slovenia was
home to some 20,000 refugees from the war in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (see Yugoslav Succession, Wars of). Some 52
percent of all Slovenes live in urban areas, particularly
in Ljubljana (population, 1995 estimate, 269,972) and
Maribor (103,113), the republic's two largest cities.
Many of the remainder live in rural areas throughout the
republic, particularly in alpine villages, where skiing
is one of the most popular forms of recreation. In the
cities Slovenes enjoy concerts, operas, and art galleries.
The Slovene
government requires that all children attend school
between the ages of 7 and 15. Almost all Slovenes over
the age of ten can read and write, and 36 percent of
students receive postsecondary or higher levels of
education. There are 30 institutions of higher education
in Slovenia; among them is the University of Ljubljana,
which was founded in 1595.
IV.
Economy
Prior to
independence Slovenia was the most prosperous of the six
Yugoslav republics. However, the wars that took place in
the region during the early and mid-1990s seriously
affected Slovenia's economy. The gross domestic product (GDP)
per capita was $6,052 in 1992, a sharp decline from the
pre-independence figure of $8,658 in 1990. Trade with
other countries and tourism were also limited by the
war, and the large population of war refugees was a
further drain on the economy. In recent years, economic
leaders have made efforts to turn the economy around,
implementing market and bank reforms and promoting
privatization. The presence of a non-Communist government
since 1990, along with the republic's sound
infrastructure and skilled workforce, helped reverse the
downward trend. The GDP began to grow in 1993, and by
1995 was increasing at 5 percent a year. Inflation
slowed, and unemployment decreased to a rate lower than
many countries of Western Europe. In 1998 the GDP had
increased to $19.5 billion, or $9,850 per person.
Industry constituted 39 percent of GDP in Slovenia in
1998. The republic's chief industries produce electrical
equipment, processed food, textiles, paper and paper
products, chemicals, and wood products. Agriculture
accounts for 4 percent of GDP, with dairy farming and
livestock dominating this sector. Major crops include
cereals such as corn and wheat, potatoes, sugar beets,
and fruits (particularly grapes). Germany is by far
Slovenia's most important trading partner in both exports
and imports. The other leading countries buying Slovenian
goods are Croatia, Italy, France, and Austria. Exports
include electrical machinery, road vehicles, chemicals
and chemical products, footwear, and furniture. Tourism
is also a major source of revenue, with popular resorts
at Lake Bled and in the mountains. Revenues from
tourism rebounded in 1994 to increase by 8 percent over
prewar levels. The largest number of visitors are from
Italy, Germany, and Austria. Slovenia has an excellent
transportation network. It contained 19,586 km (12,170 mi)
of roads in 1998, and its largest cities are connected by
railroads. There are also three major airports and a port
at Koper on the Adriatic Sea. In October 1991 the
republic released its own currency, the tolar, to replace
the Yugoslav dinar (166 tolars equal U.S.$1; 1998 average).
In early 1993 Slovenia joined the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (since renamed the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE). The
republic also revived economic contacts with Austria and
Italy and established new relations with Iran, China,
Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. In June 1996
Slovenia became an associate member of the European Union
(EU). In December 1997 it was invited to begin the
process of joining the organization as a full member.
V.
History
Under the
Roman Empire (27 BC-AD 476), Slovenia was part of the provinces
of Pannonia and Noricum. During the 6th century AD, the
region was invaded by the Mongolian Avars and later by
Slavs who threw off Avar domination. A period of Bavarian
rule ensued, during which most of the people converted to
Roman Catholicism. In AD 623, chieftain Franko Samo
created the first independent Slovene state, which
stretched from Lake Balaton (now located within Hungary)
to the Mediterranean. It lasted until late in the 8th
century, when the region became part of the Frankish
Empire. In the 10th century it was reorganized as the
duchy of Carantania by Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. From
1335 until 1918, except for a brief interlude from 1809
to 1814, Slovenes were governed by the Habsburgs of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Austrian crown lands of
Kärnten (Carinthia), Carniola, and Steiermark (Styria),
except for a minority in the republic of Venice. During
the Napoleonic Wars, the region was taken from Austria
by France and reorganized as part of the Illyrian
Provinces from 1809 to 1814. This brief period of
liberal rule fostered Slovene and South Slav nationalism
that triumphed at the close of World War I in 1918, with
the formation of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and
Slovenes (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929). In
1941, during World War II, Germany, Hungary, and Italy
divided the territory among themselves. In spite of
forced transfers of populations during the war, since
1945 most Slovenes have lived in the Slovenian republic,
which in 1947 also acquired Slovenian-speaking districts
on the Adriatic Sea (in Istria) from Italy. Slovenia's
dissatisfaction with the Yugoslav federation grew during
the 1980s, with increased sentiment first for greater
autonomy and then for independence. As Communist power
crumbled throughout Eastern Europe, Slovenia held the
first multiparty elections in Yugoslavia since World
War II in April 1990. The winning coalition called for
independence, and nearly 90 percent of Slovenia's
population voted for independence in a referendum in
December 1990. In June 1991, following various political
upsets, including Serbian refusal to transfer the
country's rotating presidency to the Croatian
representative, Slovenia and Croatia each declared
independence from Yugoslavia. The Serb-dominated Yugoslav
People's Army (JNA) sent forces to both republics in an
attempt to secure Yugoslavia's borders. In Slovenia, a
ten-day war ensued, in which Slovene forces defeated
the JNA. The JNA's defeat, perhaps coupled with
fighting in Serbia's closer neighbor, Croatia, allowed
Slovenia quickly to secure true independence as well as
international recognition as a separate republic. In
January 1992 the European Community (now the European
Union, or EU), led by Germany, acknowledged the
independence of Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The United States acknowledged their
independence in April. Independent Slovenia's first
presidential and parliamentary elections were held in
December 1992. Milan Kucan, president of the republic
since 1990, was reelected to the office by 64 percent
of the vote. The center-left Liberal Democracy of Slovenia
(LDS), headed by Janez Drnovsek, won a plurality of seats
in parliament, and Drnovsek became the country's prime minister.
The Christian Democratic Party won the second largest number
of parliamentary seats. In 1992 Slovenia began
instituting economic reforms and joined various
international organizations. It also become a haven for
refugees of the surrounding war-torn republics, and by
mid-1993 about 60,000 people had sought refuge in
Slovenia. In 1994 and early 1995 Slovenia made progress
in resolving its disputes with Italy and Croatia—the
only lingering complications from the republic's quest
for sovereignty. In January 1994 Slovenia and Croatia
reached an agreement on decommissioning the shared
nuclear power facility at Krsko, near the Slovenia-Croatia
border. Slovenia and Italy worked successfully to
negotiate their dispute over the property rights of
ethnic Italians who fled Slovenia after World War II and
whose property was confiscated by the Yugoslav
government. Italy had threatened to block Slovenia's
entry into the EU until the issue was resolved, but the
Italian government backed off from this stance in early
1995. In June 1996 Slovenia signed an association
agreement with the EU; in December 1997 it was invited to
begin the process of becoming a full member. In
November 1996 Slovenia held elections to the State
Assembly.The LDS, which campaigned to integrate Slovenia
into both the EU and NATO, remained the country's
strongest party, winning 25 of 90 seats; however, it did
not receive an overall majority. The LDS formed an
alliance with several smaller parties, bringing its total
number of seats to 45; however, the center-right
opposition—an alliance comprising three parties—also
controlled 45 seats. The deadlock was broken in January
1997, when a deputy defected from the opposition, and the
LDS and its partners formed a coalition government. That
month the StateAssembly reelected Drnovsek as prime
minister by a narrow margin. In November 1997 President
Kucan won election to a third term. He drew 56 percent
the vote, easily defeating the nearest challenger, Janez
Podobnik of the Slovenian People's Party.