Waterfalls of Nežica (Photo: B. Kladnik)

Seen from space, Slovenia appears as a tiny dot on the globe. Green is the dominating colour. At a closer glance, you will discover it in Central Europe and realize that it is the neighbour of far better known countries such as Austria, Italy, and Hungary. A stretch of its land bathes in the Adriatic Sea, and to the south it shares a border with Croatia.

Slovenia is the meeting point of three European worlds-Mediterranean, Alpine, and Pannonian-and combines their geographic and cultural features into a distinctive identity of its own.

What surprises most first-time visitors is the outstanding variety of landscapes and the rich cultural heritage concentrated in a country of two million inhabitants only half the size of Switzerland. Amazing contrasts can be experienced in the same day: a morning swim in the Adriatic and, two hours later, skiing below alpine peaks; an adventurous discovery of karst underworld phenomena and an invigorating bath in a thermal spring; an encounter with history in a lively medieval city and, not far away, a more solitary stroll through primeval forests or undulated winegrowing hills. This is just a sample from a much longer list that includes a host of sports activities, high-profile cultural events, entertainment, a well-preserved ethnographic heritage and traditional handicrafts, simply tasteful or sophisticated gastronomy, and superb wines.

		Lakes of Krn (foto B. Kladnik)

For centuries, Slovenia has functioned as a natural hub of European routes from north to south and west to east, a fact that has determined its history, marked by a millennium of foreign influence and domination.

In the 1990's, Slovenia has emerged as a new, progressive country that is rapidly entering the mainstream of European integration while still retaining the unique features of an old and tiny nation which has always observed the highest principles of a modern, civilized society.