Slovenia Geography Profile 2008

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Location

Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Austria and Croatia

Geographic coordinates

46 07 N, 14 49 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 20,273 sq km
land: 20,151 sq km
water: 122 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries

total: 1,382 km
border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 670 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 280 km

Coastline

46.6 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east

Terrain

a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Triglav 2,864 m

Natural resources

lignite coal, lead, zinc, building stone, hydropower, forests

Land use

arable land: 8.53%
permanent crops: 1.43%
other: 90.04% (2005)

Irrigated land

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

32.1 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.9
per capita: 457 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards

flooding and earthquakes

Environment - current issues

Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes


Source: CIA World Factbook
Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of May 16, 2008