1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east
Coastline
32 km
Comparative area
slightly larger than New Jersey
Contiguous zone
NA nm
Continental shelf
200 m or to depth of exploitation
Disputes
dispute with Croatia over fishing rights in the Adriatic; small vocal minority in northern Italy seeks the return of parts of southwestern Slovenia
Environment
Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; heavy metals and toxic chemicals along coastal waters; near Koper, forest damage from air pollutants originating at metallurgical and chemical plants; subject to flooding and earthquakes
Exclusive economic zone
NA nm
Exclusive fishing zone
NA nm
Land area
20,296 km2
Land boundaries
998 km total; Austria 262 km, Croatia 455 km, Italy 199 km, Hungary 83 km
Land use
arable land 10%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 45%; other 23%; includes irrigated 1%
Natural resources
lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver
Terrain
a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy, mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
20,296 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
NA births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
NA deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Slovene 91%, Croat 3%, Serb 2%, Muslim 1%, other 3%
Infant mortality rate
NA deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
786,036; 2% agriculture, manufacturing and mining 46%
Languages
Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 7%, other 2%
Life expectancy at birth
70 years male, 78 years female (1992)
Literacy
99.2% (male 99.3%, female 99.1%) age 10 and over can read and write
Nationality
noun - Slovene(s); adjective - Slovenia
Net migration rate
NA migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
NA
Population
1,963,000 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic 94%, Orthodox Catholic 2%, Muslim 1%, other 3%
Total fertility rate
NA children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
62 provinces (pokajine, singular - pokajina)
Capital
Ljubljana
Chief of State
President Milan KUCAN (since 22 April 1990); Vice President Matjaz KMECL (since 11 April 1990); Vice President Ivan OMAN (since 11 April 1990); Vice President Dusan PLUT (since 11 April 1990); Vice President Ciril ZLOBEC (since 11 April 1990)
Communists
NA
Constitution
adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991
Diplomatic representation
Representative Ernest PETRIC; Chancery at 1300 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone (202) 828-1650 US: Ambassador Ignac GOLOB, Embassy at NA (mailing address is APO AE 09862); telephone NA
Executive branch
president, 4 vice presidents
Flag
a three color flag, white (hoist side), blue, and red of equal width with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers; around it, there are three six-sided stars arranged in an inverted triangle); the seal is located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue band
Head of Government
Prime Minister Janez DRNOVSEK (since 14 May 1992)
Independence
25 June 1991; 15 January 1992 from Yugoslavia
Judicial branch
NA
Legal system
based on civil law system
Legislative branch
bicameral; consists of the State Assembly and the State Council; note - will take effect after next election
Long-form name
Republic of Slovenia
Member of
CSCE, IMF, UN
National holiday
NA
Other political or pressure groups
NA
Political parties and leaders
Christian Democratic, Lozje PETERLE, chairman; Liberal Democratic, Janez DRNOVSEK, chairman; Social Democratic, Joze PUNIK, chairman; Socialist, Viktor ZAKELJ, chairman; Greens, Dusan PLUT, chairman; National Democratic, Rajko PIRNAT, chairman; Democratic Peoples Party, Marjan PODOBNIK, chairman; Reformed Socialists (former Communist Party), Ciril RIBICIC, chairman
President
last held NA (next to be held NA)
State Assembly
last held NA (next to be held NA);
State Council
last held NA (next to be held NA)
Suffrage
at age 16 if employed, universal at age 18
Type
emerging democracy
Economy
Agriculture
dominated by stock breeding (sheep and cattle) and dairy farming; main crops are potatoes, hops, hemp, and flax; although self-sufficient and having an export surplus in these commodities, Slovenia must import many other agricultural products and has a negative overall trade balance in this sector
Budget
revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Currency
Slovene Tolar (plural - Tolars); 1 Tolar (SLT) = 100 NA
Economic aid
NA
Electricity
2,900,000 kW capacity; 12,250 million kWh produced, 6,447 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Tolars (SLT) per US$1 - 28 (January 1992)
Exports
$4,120 million (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38%, other manufactured goods 44%, chemicals 9%, food and live animals 4.6%, raw materials 3%, beverages and tobacco less than 1% partners: principally the other former Yugoslav republics, Austria, and Italy
External debt
$2.5 billion
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$21 billion, per capita $10,700; real growth rate -10% (1991 est.)
Illicit drugs
NA
Imports
$4,679 million (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: machinery and transport equipment 35%, other manufactured goods 26.7%, chemicals 14.5%, raw materials 9.4%, fuels and lubricants 7%, food and live animals 6% partners: principally the other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, former USSR, US, Hungary, Italy, and Austria
Industrial production
industrial production has been declining at a rate of about 1% per month (1991-92), mostly because of lost markets in the other former Yugoslav republics
Industries
ferrous metallurgy and rolling mill products, aluminum reduction and rolled products, lead and zinc smelting, electronics (including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
15-20% (1991 est.)
Overview
Slovenia was by far the most prosperous of the old Yugoslav republics, with a per capita income more than twice the Yugoslav average, indeed not far below the levels in neighboring Austria and Italy. Because of its strong ties to Western Europe and the small scale of damage during internecine fighting in Yugoslavia, Slovenia has the brightest prospects among the former Yugoslav republics for economic reform and recovery over the next few years. The political and economic disintegration of Yugoslavia, however, has led to severe short-term dislocations in production, employment, and trade ties. For example, overall industrial production fell 10% in 1991; particularly hard hit were the iron and steel, machine-building, chemical, and textile industries. Meanwhile, fighting has continued in other republics leading to further destruction of long-established trade channels and to an influx of tens of thousands of Croatian refugees. As in other former Communist areas in Eastern Europe, economic reform has often sputtered not only because of the vested interests of old bosses in retaining old rules of the game but also because of the tangible losses experienced by rank-and-file people in the transition to a more market-oriented system. The key program for breaking up and privatizing major industrial firms has not yet begun. Bright spots for encouraging Western investors are Slovenia's comparatively well-educated work force, its developed infrastructure, and its Western business attitudes. Slovenia in absolute terms is a small economy, and a little Western investment would go a long way.
Unemployment rate
10% (April 1992)
Communications
Airports
3 main airports
Civil air
NA major transport aircraft
Highways
14,553 km total; 10,525 km paved, 4,028 km gravel
Inland waterways
NA
Merchant marine
0 ships (1,000 GRT or over) are under Slovenian flag; note - Slovenian owners control 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 334,995 GRT/558,621 DWT; includes 14 bulk carriers and 7 general cargo ships all under Saint Vincent and the Grenadines flag
Pipelines
crude oil 290 km, natural gas 305 km
Ports
maritime - Koper
Railroads
NA
Telecommunications
130,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 5 FM, 7 TV; 370,000 radios; 330,000 TVs
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - 13.5 billion Slovene Tolars, 4.5% of GDP (1992); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 444,030; NA fit for military service; 18,219 reach military age (18) annually