Geographical Characteristics

Slovenia is situated in Central Europe and covers an area of 20,273 km2 (half the size of Switzerland).

It has borders with Italy, Austria, Croatia and Hungary, and stretches across the Alps, the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain to the Mediterranean.

In spite of its geographically small size, it is a convergence point for a range of different landscapes, each of which has its own characteristics and unique features.

The coastline is only 46.6 km long, but there are 26,000 km of rivers and streams and some 7,500 freshwater springs, including several hundred first-class therapeutic mineral springs.

Forests cover around 60% of the territory of the country; Slovenia is the 3rd most forested country in Europe, after Finland and Sweden. Remnants of primeval forests can still be found, the largest in the Kocevje area.

Grassland covers 5,593 km2 of the country and fields and gardens 2,471 km2. There are also 363 km2 of orchards and 216 km2 of vineyards.

Approximately 11.5% of the Slovenian countryside is legally protected. Slovenia has 44 protected areas for parks, including 1 national park, 3 regional parks, and 40 landscape parks. 35% of the country is protected as part of the Natura 2000 network (sites reserved for bird conservation and the conservation of habitat types and species). Slovenia boasts 7,000 registered Karst caves, 15,000 animal species and 3,200 plant species, some of them are endemic.

Area

Total

Forest

Agricultural land

Built-up areas

20,273 km2 (7,906 sq miles)

58.3%

23.5%

0.8%

Cities

Capital:

Other towns:

Ljubljana (290,000)

Maribor (110,000)

Kranj (56,000)

Koper (51,000)

Celje (49,000)

Length of borders

Total

with Austria

with Italy

with Hungary

with Croatia

1,370 km

318 km

232 km

102 km

670 km

Coastline

Adriatic Sea

46.6 km

Geographical division of Slovenia

Alps

Dinaric Alps

Pannonian Plain

Mediterranean

42.1%

28.1%

21.2%

8.6%

Highest peak

Triglav

2,864 m

Average height above sea level

556.8 m

Climate

Temperate with regional variations:

● continental in central Slovenia ● alpine in the north-west ● sub-Mediterranean along the coast and its hinterland