About Slovenia

Holidays:

New Year - January 1
Prešeren Day, Slovenian Cultural - February 8
Resistance Day - April 27
May Day Holiday - May 1 and 2
Statehood Day - June 25
Assumption Day - August 15
Reformation Day - October 31
All Saints' Day - November 1
Christmas - December 25
Independence Day - December 26
New Year's Eve - December 31



Geography:Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is Triglav (9,396 ft); the country's average height above sea level is 1,827 ft. Although on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, most of Slovenia is in the Black Sea drainage basin. The geographical centre of Slovenia is at the coordinates 46°07'11.8" N and 14°48'55.2" E. It lies in Spodnja Slivna near Vače in the municipality of Litija.

Around half of the country (4,514 sq mi) is covered by forests; the third most forested country in Europe, after Finland and Sweden. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 2,159 sq mi and fields and gardens 954 sq mi. There are 140 sq mi of orchards and 83 sq mi of vineyards.

Climate is sub-mediterranean on the coast, alpine in the mountains and continental with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaux and valleys to the east. Average temperatures are -2 °C (28 °F) in January and 21 °C (70 °F) in July. The average rainfall is 1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) for the coast, up to 3,500 millimetres (137.8 in) for the Alps, 800 millimetres (31.5 in) for south-east and 1,400 millimetres (55.1 in) for central Slovenia.

Population:Slovenia's main ethnic group is Slovene (83%). Nationalities from the former Yugoslavia (Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Montenegrin) form 5.3%, and the Hungarian, Albanian, Roma, Italian and other minorities form 2.8% of the population. Ethnic affiliation of 8.9% was either undeclared or unknown.

Life expectancy in 2003 was 72.2 years for men and 80 years for women. Slovenia ranks number 8 on the list of countries by suicide rate.

With 99 inhabitants per 256 sq mi, Slovenia ranks low among the European countries in population density (compared to 829 sq mi for the Netherlands or 505sq mi for Italy). The Notranjska-Kras statistical region has the lowest population density while the Central Slovenian statistical region has the highest. Approximately 51% of the population lives in urban areas and 49% in rural areas.

Language is Slovene, which is a member of the South Slavic language group. Hungarian and Italian enjoy the status of official languages in the ethnically mixed regions along the Hungarian and Italian borders.

Religion:Slovenes are traditionally largely Roman Catholic (57.8% according to the 2002 Census). According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 37% of Slovenian citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 46% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 16% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".
Christian: 92.00%
Atheist: 7.00%
Muslim: 1.00%

Currency: euro (EUR)



Exchange rates: Euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), tolars per US dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003)
note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007

Embassies:

Consulate of Ukraine
WTC, X. nadstropje, Dunajska cesta 156, p.p. 198
Ljubljana
Tel.: ++386 1 569 27 51
Fax: ++386 1 452 27 51
E-mail: consulate.ua@siol.net

Embassy of the Russian Federation
Tomšičeva 9
Ljubljana
Tel.: ++386 1 425 68 75
Fax: ++386 1 425 68 78



Customs :The following goods can be imported into Slovenia by passengers over 17 years of age without incurring customs duty:


• Tobacco.....200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco
• Liquor........1 liter of spirits; 2 liters of wine
• Perfume.....50ml perfume; 250ml of eau de toilette
• Gifts...........Up to the value of us$78 each
• Cameras....No restriction
• Film...........Reasonable for personal use


Note: An export license is required for articles of archaeological, ethnographic, artistic, scientific or cultural value; or for articles over 100 years old.

Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use only.

Transport: Slovenia’s Eastern Alpine location and easily accessible transit routes have been crucial since ancient days. Vestiges of the Roman road and settlement network are still visible. During the 1840s the Viennese government built the monumental Southern Railroad, which passed through Slovenia on its way from Vienna to Trieste. Austria-Hungary also constructed lateral lines that still link Slovenia to Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and southeastern Germany.

Four highway-rail corridors cross Slovenia: London-Istanbul-Tehrān, Amsterdam-Hamburg-Zagreb, Lyon-Milan-Trieste-Ljubljana (with a branch going to the Croatian port of Rijeka), and the north-south Trans-European Motorway running from the Baltic States in the north to the Mediterranean countries in the south. Tunnel-studded expressways are the nexus of road travel to Italy and Austria, while other, mainly secondary, routes lead into Croatia. Despite efforts to improve its highways, Slovenia suffers traffic congestion, particularly near Ljubljana and Maribor. These two cities also have small international airports.

Electricity: 220V, 50Hz

Shopping:Shopping hours:
Mon-Fri 0800-1900,
Sat 0800-1300. All shops, bar large malls, are closed Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.

Tips:In majority of restaurants 10% for service is included in a bill.