30 Interesting Facts About Slovenia

1. Slovenia is a small country in central Europe. Its land is mostly mountainous and forested, while the only major flat area is the northeast.
2. Archaeologists discovered the oldest surviving wheel from Slovenia in 2002. According to estimates, it is dated around 3500 BCE. (Source)
3. The Trbovlje Power Station in Slovenia has the tallest chimney in Europe, having a height of 360 meters. The new route of this chimney is the world’s highest multi-pitch route. (Source)
4. Slovenia remained part of several famous empires and states in history. These include the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg monarchy, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Republic of Venice, etc.
5. Slovenia joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1918 after WW1. Nazi Germany and Italy annexed Slovenia during WW2. However, it rejoined the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945 after the end of the war.
6. Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 after the Ten-Day War. It was the shortest war with the least causality among various Yugoslav Wars, fought during the disintegration process of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
7. Ljubljana is the third greenest European capital city after Oslo (Norway) and Bern (Switzerland). The tree cover in the Slovenian capital is 50%. (Source) 

   

   Ljubljana is the third greenest capital city in Europe

   
   
8. Forests cover nearly 64% of the total land area in Slovenia, the third highest proportion in the EU after Finland (71%) and Sweden (67%). The GHG (greenhouse gases) emission absorption rate in Slovenia is the 4^th highest in this region after Sweden, Finland, and Lithuania. (Source)
9. Slovenia and Bulgaria have the second-highest protected land area (41%) in European Union. The only country with higher terrestrial protected area is Luxembourg (52%). (Source)
10. Slovenia has the lowest wealth inequality in the world. The Gini Index of this European country is only 24.6. (Source)
11. Scientists discovered a 43,000-year-old bear bone with circular punctures in 1995 from a Slovenian cave. Some considered it the oldest musical instrument, and the National Museum of Slovenia named it a “Neanderthal flute.” However, later studies proved that these holes were the work of Ice Age hyenas. (Source)
12. Postojna Cave in Slovenia has a railway system for two of its 24 km length. This cave is also famous for harboring olms (blind salamanders known as baby dragons or human fish). They can live for 100 years and survive seven years without food. (Source)
13. Slovenia is famous for its numerous attractive caves. Some of around 8,000 caves in this small country are river caves. People used these caves as a refrigerator and for storing ammunition. They also act as a habitat for several endangered species. (Source)
14. There are at least 551 registered ice caves in Slovenia, which store a large amount of ice. They served as a source of water and ice, while their initial written record appeared in the 17^th Century. (Source)
15. Skocjan Caves is the first Slovenian UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 1986. It contains one of the largest underground river canyons.
16. There are five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Slovenia. These are three cultural and two natural sites, including one it shares with a few other European countries.
17. Nearly 58% of babies are born outside marriages in Slovenia. It is the 3^rd highest rate of such births among the EU countries. (Source)
18. Slovenia has the 3^rd highest suicide rate in the EU. Its suicide mortality rate of 19.8 per 100,000 people is only behind Lithuania (26.1) and Latvia (20.1). (Source)
19. Despite its small size, Slovenia has diverse geographical features. Alps (a mountain range), lowlands, and the Mediterranean coast are its main landscapes.
20. In 2004, Slovenia became the first former Yugoslav republic to join European Union. After nine years, the second such republic (Croatia) joined this union in 2013. (Source)
21. A Slovenian swimmer, Martin Strel, has made many records by swimming in several dangerous rivers. These include the Amazon River, the Yangtze, the Danube River, and the Mississippi. (Source)
22. The Old Vine in Slovenia is the world’s oldest vine. According to estimates, it is nearly 400 years old. (Source) 

    

    World's oldest vine is in Slovenia

    
    
23. A Slovenian couple (Andrej and Marija Stremfelj) became the first married couple to climb Mt Everest. They made this record on October 7, 1990. (Source)
24. In 2000, a Slovenian adventurer became the first person to fully ski down from the summit of Mt. Everest to its base camp. Davo Karnicar took less than five hours to complete this feat. He also became the first person to ski down Annapurna (Nepal) in 1995. (Source)
25. Slavic tribes started to settle in this area during the 6^th Century. Slovenia means “land of the Slavs.”
26. The major ethnic group in the country is Slovene, comprising nearly 90% of the population. Slovene is the official and the majority language (around 88%). Hungarian and Italian languages also have official status in some municipalities.
27. Nearly 60% of Slovenians follow Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism. The other major groups are non-religious and Muslims. Around 20% of Slovenians did not disclose their religion.
28. Celica Hostel is a 19^th Century prison in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. The government has turned the former cells of this prison into private rooms for guests. Visitors can enjoy a café-restaurant and a garden terrace in this renovated hostel.
29. A famous natural attraction in Slovenia is Lake Bled. There is a small island in the middle of this lake, which hosts a church.
30. Slovenia has the 7^th shortest coastline in the world and the 3^rd shortest in Europe after Monaco and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The length of its coastline is 46.6 km.