I | INTRODUCTION |
Slovenia (Slovenija in Slovenian), country in
south central Europe, 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 and
became a full member of the European Union (EU) in 2004. Slovenia 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
western third of the country lies within the Karst, a barren limestone plateau
broken by depressions and ridges. The highest point, Mount Triglav, rises 2,863
m (9,393 ft) and forms part of the Julian Alps in the northwest. The Mura,
Drava, and Sava rivers flow through the forested northeastern part of the
country. In the southwest there is a small stretch of coastline, extending 47 km
(29 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, antelope-like animal), thrive throughout the country. 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 2008 the country had an estimated population of 2,007,711,
giving it an overall population density of 100 persons per sq km (258 per sq
mi). Slovenes, a Slavic ethnic group, constitute about 88 percent of the
country’s population. Slovenes speak Slovenian, the country’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 51 percent of all Slovenes live in urban
areas, particularly in Ljubljana (population, 2005 estimate, 266,845) and
Maribor (111,673), the country’s two largest cities. Many of the remainder live
in rural areas throughout the country, 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 6 and 14. Almost all Slovenes over
the age of ten can read and write, and 68 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 country’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 2006 the GDP had
increased to $37.3 billion, or $18,588.50 per person.
Industry constituted 35 percent of GDP in
Slovenia in 2006. The country’s chief industries produce electrical equipment,
processed food, textiles, paper and paper products, chemicals, and wood
products. Agriculture accounts for 2 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 38,451 km (23,892 mi) of roads in 2004, 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 Slovenia released its own
currency, the tolar, to replace the Yugoslav dinar. On the first
day of 2007 the euro, the monetary unit of the European Union
(EU), became the official currency of Slovenia.
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). In June 1996 Slovenia became an associate member of the EU,
and in May 2004 it formally joined the organization as a full member.
V | GOVERNMENT |
An emerging democracy, Slovenia has adopted
many elements of democratic government. In December 1991 the Slovenian
government adopted a constitution that guarantees a number of civil rights,
including universal suffrage for all Slovenes age 18 and older (Slovenes age 16
and older may vote if they are employed), freedom of religion, and freedom of
the press. Slovenia’s parliament consists of a 90-member State Assembly, which
makes the country’s laws, and a 40-member State Council, which can only propose
laws or request reconsideration of a vote in the assembly. Assembly members
serve four-year terms, and council members serve five-year terms. The parliament
is headed by the prime minister, Slovenia’s true head of government, who is
elected to a four-year term by the assembly. The country also has a president,
who is elected to a five-year term by popular vote.
Slovenia has a multiparty system of
government. The country’s leading parties include the Liberal Democracy of
Slovenia (LDS), the Slovenian People’s Party, the Social Democratic Party of
Slovenia, the Christian Democratic Party, United List, the Slovenian National
Party, the Democratic Party of Slovenia, and Greens of Slovenia.
Slovenia has eight trial courts, four
appellate courts, and a Supreme Court. The Assembly appoints all judges,
including the justices of the Supreme Court. Slovenia has an extensive network
of social service programs sponsored by the government, including low-cost
medical coverage and retirement pensions.
Slovenia had an army of 6,550 active-duty
soldiers in 2004, with a large reserve force. Conscription begins at age 18 and
lasts seven months. Slovenia is a member of the Council of Europe(CE), the
Central European Initiative (CEI), and the United Nations (UN). In 2002 the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) offered membership to Slovenia, which
formally joined NATO in 2004. Slovenia also has signed defense accords with
Austria and Hungary.
VI | 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
the countries’ independence in April.
Independent Slovenia’s first presidential
and parliamentary elections were held in December 1992. Milan Kučan, 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
Drnovšek, won a plurality of seats in parliament, and Drnovšek 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 Krško, 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.
It finally joined the EU as a full member in 2004.
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, leading to a period of
political deadlock. In January 1997 the LDS and its partners succeeded in
forming a coalition government. That month the State Assembly reelected Drnovšek
as prime minister by a narrow margin. In November 1997 President Kučan won
election to a third and final term.
Drnovšek’s government collapsed in April
2000 after the State Assembly refused to support his attempt to assemble a new
cabinet. The collapse touched off a month-long political crisis as deputies
divided over calling early elections or installing an interim government. The
crisis subsided in May when the parliament voted to replace Drnovšek with Andrej
Bajuk, an economist and candidate of a newly formed coalition of conservative
parties. Bajuk led an interim government until October, when the LDS swept
national elections, and Drnovšek reclaimed the post of prime minister.
In December 2002 Drnovšek was elected
president of Slovenia. Drnovšek resigned as prime minister and leader of the LDS
to assume the presidency. The parliament elected Anton Rop, a finance minister
in the previous government, to succeed Drnovšek as prime minister.
After 13 years of LDS dominance in Slovenia,
the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) captured the most votes in the 2004
parliamentary elections. The party formed a center-right coalition government
and SDS leader Janez Janša became prime minister.
No comments:
Post a Comment