Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ljubljana and the cave-filled Karst region; and to the east, a corner of the Great Hun-
garian Plain (the Prekmurje region, near Maribor and Ptuj). If you look at a map of
Slovenia and squint your eyes a bit, it looks like a chicken running toward the east.
Biggest Cities:
Nearly one in five Slovenes lives in the two biggest cities: Ljubljana
(the capital, pop. 270,000) and Maribor (in the east, pop. 158,000). Half of the popu-
lation lives in rural villages.
Economy:
SloveniahasaGrossDomesticProductof$59billionandaGDPpercap-
ita of $28,700. Slovenia's economy is based largely on manufactured metal products
(trucks and machinery), which are traded with a diverse group of partners.
Currency:
Slovenia uses the euro: €1 = about $1.30.
Government:
The country is led by the prime minister (currently Alenka Bratušek),
who heads the leading vote-getting party in legislative elections. She governs along
with the figurehead president (currently Borut Pahor). Slovenia's relatively peaceful
secessioniscreditedlargelytoformerPresidentMilanKu
č
an,whoremainsapopular
figure. The National Assembly consists of about 90 elected legislators; there's also a
second house of parliament, which has much less power. Despite the country's small
size, it is divided into some 200 municipalities—creating a lot of bureaucracy that
locals enjoy complaining about.
