Slovenia

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Slovenia (Slovenian: Slovenija), officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a coastal Alpine country in southern Central Europe bordering 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 of Slovenia is Ljubljana.

At various points in Slovenia's history, the country has been part of the Roman Empire, the Duchy of Carantania (only modern Slovenia's northern part), the Holy Roman Empire, Austria-Hungary, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) between the World Wars, and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 until gaining independence in 1991. Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO.

History[edit]

Slavic ancestors of the present-day Slovenians settled in the area in the 6th century. The Slavic Duchy of Karantania was formed in the 7th century. In 745, Carantania lost its independence, being largely subsumed into the Frankish empire. Many Slavs converted to Christianity.

The Freising manuscripts, the earliest surviving written documents in a Slovenian dialect and the first ever Slavic document in Latin script, were written around 1000. During the 14th century, most of Slovenia's regions passed into ownership of the Habsburgs whose lands later formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Slovenians inhabiting all or most of the provinces of Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, and parts of the provinces of Istria, Carinthia and Styria.

In 1848, a strong programme for a United Slovenia (Zedinjena Slovenija) emerged as part of the Spring of Nations movement within Austria.

During World War I several fronts were opened between the belligerent countries in Europe. After the Italian attack on Austro-Hungary the south-west front was opened, part of which was also The Isonzo Front. The name indicates that it ran along the river of Isonzo (Italian name for the Soča), with the greatest part on the present territory of Slovenia.

With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, Slovenians initially formed part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which shortly joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later (in 1929) renamed to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the re-establishment of Yugoslavia at the end of the World War II, Slovenia became a part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, officially declared on 29 November 1945. Present-day Slovenia was formed on 25 June 1991 upon its independence from Yugoslavia, gained in the Ten-Day War. Slovenia joined NATO on 29th of March 2004 and the European Union on the 1st of May 2004. Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2008.

See also[edit]

• Municipalities of Slovenia

External links[edit]

General information

• Government Communication Office - About Slovenia
• Official tourist guide to Slovenia
• The Slovenia Times - the only general newspaper on Slovenian affairs in English
• Moja Slovenija - a site featuring 3D photos of various spots in the country
• Guide to virtual Slovenia at Matkurja.com
• Weather forecast for Slovenia
• Slovenia Life - A Guide to Travel, Culture, and the Good Life in Slovenia
• Slovenia Welcomes - Guide and Travelogues about Slovenia
• Slovenia-Guide.com - a complete guide to travelling and living in Slovenia
• GeaBios - interactive maps and aerial orthophotos of Slovenia, scale from 1:2.500.000 to 1:2.500

Culture

• Slovenia Cultural Profile - national cultural portal on Slovenia created by the Ministry of Culture and Visiting Arts

Institutions

• Bank of Slovenia
• Public Libraries
• Jožef Stefan Institute - the official site of the leading Slovenian research organization and links to resources on Slovenia
• The Republic of Slovenia - government links
• Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
• University of Ljubljana
• University of Maribor
• University of Primorska
• University of Nova Gorica
• Pošta Slovenije - Post of Slovenia

Slovenian web search engines and directories

• Mat'kurja - the first Slovenian Web directory
• Najdi.si - the first Slovenian search engine
• Raziskovalec.com - a Slovenian local Web directory
• Slowwwenia.com - a Slovenian Web directory