officially Republic of Slovenia
Country, northwestern Balkans, southern Europe.
Area: 7,827 sq mi (20,273 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 1,948,000. Capital: Ljubljana . The vast majority of the population is Slovene. Language: Charlemagne , and in the 10th century it came under Germany as part of the medieval empire (later to become the Holy Roman Empire ). Except for the period from 1809 to 1813, when Napoleon ruled the area, most of the lands belonged to Austria, until the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in 1918. Slovenia became a constituent republic of {{link=Yugoslavia">Yugoslavia in 1946 and received a section of the former Italian Adriatic coastline in 1947. In 1990 Slovenia held the first contested multiparty elections in Yugoslavia since before World War II. In 1991 Slovenia seceded from Yugoslavia; its independence was internationally recognized in 1992.