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, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: Republika Slovenija), is a
country in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia
borders 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 and largest city of
Slovenia is Ljubljana. Slovenia covers an area of 20,273 square kilometers and has a
population of 2.06 million. Around 40% of Slovenia's land mass is elevated land - mostly in
the form of mountains and plateaus - which is located in the interior regions of the
country. The highest point of Slovenia is the 2,864 meters (9,396 ft) high Mount Triglav,
the lowest point is the Adriatic Sea at sea level. The majority of the population speaks
Slovene which is also the country's official language. Other local protected official
languages are Hungarian and Italian. Slovenia is a member of the European Union, the
Eurozone, the Schengen area, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe,
the Council of Europe, NATO, UNESCO, WTO, and UN.
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MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
Slovenia is situated in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering
the Mediterranean . The Alps—including the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the
Karavanke chain, as well as the Pohorje massif—dominate Northern Slovenia along its long
border with Austria. Slovenia's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately 43 km (27 mi)
from Italy to Croatia. The term "Karst topography" refers to that of southwestern
Slovenia's Kras Plateau, a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges, and caves,
between Ljubljana and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the East and
Northeast, toward the Croatian and Hungarian borders, the landscape is essentially flat.
However, the majority of Slovenian terrain is hilly or mountainous, with around 90% of the
surface 200 m (656 ft) or more above sea level.
Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the
Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is Triglav
(2,864 m/9,396 ft); the country's average height above sea level is 557 m (1,827 ft).
Although on the shore of the Adriatic Sea, near the Mediterranean, 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. Slovenia's coastline measures 47 km (29 mi).
Around half of the country (11,691 km2/4,514 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 5,593 km2
(2,159 sq mi) and fields and gardens (954 km2/368 sq mi). There are 363 km2 (140 sq mi)
of orchards and 216 km2 (83 sq mi) of vineyards.
There is a Continental climate in the northeast, a severe Alpine climate in the
high mountain regions, and a sub-Mediterranean climate in the coastal region. Yet there is
a strong interaction between these three climatic systems across most of the country. This
variety is also reflected in climatic variability over time and is an important factor
determining the impact of global climate change in the country.
Triglav National Park (Slovene: Triglavski narodni park) is a national park located in
Slovenia and the only one in the country. It was named after mount Triglav, a national
symbol of Slovenia.
Triglav is situated almost in the middle of the national park. From it the valleys spread out
radially, supplying water to two large river systems having their sources in the Julian Alps:
the Soča and the Sava, flowing to the Adriatic and Black Sea, respectively.
Protected areas of Slovenia include national parks, regional parks, and nature parks. Under
the Wild Birds Directive, 26 sites totalling roughly 25% of the nation's land are "Special
Protected Areas"; the Natura 2000 proposal would increase the totals to 260 sites and
32% of national territory.
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Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8
MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
1
Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8
MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
Sincerely
MTC Meteorologie Technologie
Consulting GmbH
Franz Mikulits
Managing Director
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Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8