SLOVENIA AT A GLANCE

DID YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT SLOVENIA?

WATER

Water is an increasingly important natural asset and with the amount of fresh water per inhabitant at nearly four times the EU average Slovenia is amongst the richest nations in Europe in terms of the abundance of water resources.

FOREST

Slovenia is a heavily forested terrain that with 58% of its territory covered by forests ranks 3rd in Europe.

WINE

Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city, is home to the oldest vine in the world that, despite being over four hundred years old, its Žametna Črnina grapes still manage to produce 25 litres of wine every year.

HAYRACKS

Slovenian hayracks are one of the most prominent and recognisable elements of our cultural heritage. The hayrack is, by formal definition, an interdependently standing construction, fixed mainly of wood, open but covered with a roof, and designed for storage and drying hay.

SKIING

The skiing tradition is a very longstanding one, with Slovenia actually home to the oldest pair of skis in Central Europe. Slovenia is also the home of ski-jumping, as over 60 world records in ski jumping and ski flying have been set in Planica.

KARST

The Karst phenomena across the world are named after the Slovenian Kras plateau. The Kras plateau, which overlooks the surrounding area, has all the features of a karst landscape: caves, sinkholes, swallow holes, etc.

BEARS

Slovenia is the Bears’ country. Believed to be a figure of somewhere between 500 and 700 bears, Slovenia has one of the largest brown bear populations in Europe.

CHURCHES

At almost 3,000 churches, chapels and religious monuments spread across the country, Slovenia has one of the highest religious buildings per capita levels in Europe.

GEOGRAPHY

Position: Slovenia is in Central Europe
Area: 20,273 km2
Capital city: Ljubljana
Climate: Alpine, Pannonian, Mediterranean
Time: Central European Time (UTC +1), Central European Summer Time (UTC +2)
Average temperatures: July 21˚C, January 0˚C
Neighbouring countries and length of the borders: with Austria 330 km, with Italy 280 km, with Hungary 102 km, with Croatia 670 km
Length of coastline: 46,6 km
Highest peak: Triglav 2.864 m
Average height above sea level: 556,8 m

POPULATION

Population of Slovenia: 2,061,623; population of Ljubljana 277,554
Official language: Slovene (Slovenščina), with also Hungarian and Italian (spoken in their respective ethnically mixed areas).
Religion: majority Roman Catholic; Slovenia also has 30 other officially registered religious communities.

STATE

Slovenia has been a democratic parliamentary republic since 25 June 1991. Before that Slovenia was a part of the former Yugoslavia.
President of the Republic: Borut Pahor.
Membership of international organisations: a member of the EU since 1 May 2004, a member of NATO since 7 April 2004.

ECONOMY

Currency: euro (EUR)
GDP per capita: 17.550 EUR (2013)
Tourism is an increasingly important service sector.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Electricity supply: 230 V
Units of measurement: metric – meters, kilometres, grams, kilograms
Visas: citizens do not need a passport to enter Slovenia, only a valid identity card.
Drinking water: tap water is perfectly safe for drinking.

ACCESSIBILITY
By Plane

Slovenia is easily accessible from near and far-away markets with more than 20 direct flight connections to main hubs in Europe. Main airport is Jože Pučnik Ljubljana Airport. Further information is available at  https://www.lju-airport.si/.

Distance from the airport to major meetings destinations:
Ljubljana 25 km
Bled 35 km
Maribor 145 km
Portorož 140 km

Neighbouring airports:
– Graz airport (Austria)
with 60 km to Maribor or 187 km to Ljubljana
Klagenfurt airport (Austria) with 86 km to Bled, 60 km to Kranjska Gora or 85 km to Ljubljana
– Zagreb airport (Croatia) with 120 km to Maribor of 140 km to Ljubljana
Venice Marco Polo (Italy) with 188 km to Portorož, 130 km to Nova Gorica or 230 km to Ljubljana
– Trieste Ronchi airport (Italy) with 65 km to Portorož, 35 km to Nova Gorica or 230 km to Ljubljana

ACCESSIBILITY
By Car 

The fastest way to get around Slovenia by car is on the motorways, for which a vignette is required. The longest possible diagonal driving route across Slovenia can be covered within three and a half hours.

Distance from the capital to other locations:
– Ljubljana – Bled 50 km
– Ljubljana – Maribor 120 km
– Ljubljana – Portorož 120 km

ACCESSIBILITY
By Bus

The majority of towns and also the rural areas can be reached by bus. When taking routes along local roads, the driver can drop you off at a bus stop in any village or town. Bus tickets can be bought from the driver, while tickets for a specific date can be bought at major bus stations.

ACCESSIBILITY
By Train

Slovenian Railways is the sole rail operator in Slovenia and all of its timetables and price lists can be found on its website. Tickets can be bought at any railway station or on the train. Trains in Slovenia generally run on time.