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Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ZBOGAR

chancery: 2410 California Street N.W., Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 386-6601

FAX: [1] (202) 386-6633

consulate(s) general: Cleveland, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Maryruth COLEMAN

embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana

mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140

telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500

FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries); the seal is in the upper hoist side of the flag centered on the white and blue bands

Economy Slovenia

Economy - overview:

Slovenia, which on 1 January 2007 became the first 2004 European Union entrant to adopt the euro, is a model of economic success and stability for the region. With the highest per capita GDP in Central Europe, Slovenia has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and a strategic location between the Balkans and Western Europe. Privatization has lagged since 2002, and the economy has one of highest levels of state control in the EU. Structural reforms to improve the business environment have allowed for somewhat greater foreign participation in Slovenia's economy and have helped to lower unemployment. In March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank. In December 2007, Slovenia was invited to begin the accession process for joining the OECD. Despite its economic success, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia has lagged behind the region average, and taxes remain relatively high. Furthermore, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$54.67 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$46.08 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$27,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2%

industry: 34.4%

services: 63.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

925,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.5%

industry: 36%

services: 61.5% (2007)

Unemployment rate:

4.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

12.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.6%

highest 10%: 21.4% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

24 (2005)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.6% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

28.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $19.17 billion

expenditures: $19.04 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt:

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:

ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools

Industrial production growth rate:

10.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

14.9 billion kWh (2006)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 35.2%

hydro: 27.3%

nuclear: 36.8%

other: 0.7% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

13.71 billion kWh (2006)

Electricity - exports:

4.8 billion kWh (2006)

Electricity - imports:

4.07 billion kWh (2006)

Oil - production:

5 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

54,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

2,276 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:

55,880 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

4.795 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.078 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.073 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.222 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$27.01 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Exports - partners:

Germany 19.2%, Italy 12.5%, Croatia 8.8%, Austria 8.5%, France 6.3%, Russia 4.2% (2006)

Imports:

$29.28 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food

Imports - partners:

Germany 19.5%, Italy 17.8%, Austria 11.7%, France 5.9%, Croatia 4.6% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $484 million (2004-06)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.643 billion (30 September 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$40.42 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$8.19 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$4.903 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$15.18 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

note: on 1 January 2007, the euro became Slovenia's currency; both the tolar and the euro were in circulation from 1 January until 15 January 2007

Currency code:

SIT

Exchange rates:

euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), tolars per US dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003)

note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications Slovenia

Telephones - main lines in use:

837,500 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.82 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: well-developed telecommunications infrastructure

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 386

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 10, FM 230, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:

805,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

31 (2006)

Televisions:

710,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.si

Internet hosts:

134,266 (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

11 (2000)

Internet users:

1.251 million (2006)

Transportation Slovenia

Airports:

14 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 840 km; oil 11 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,229 km

standard gauge: 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 38,558 km

paved: 26,755 km (includes 505 km of expressways)

unpaved: 11,803 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 26 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Georgia 2, Liberia 1, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 3, Singapore 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 5) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Koper

Military Slovenia

Military branches:

Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 494,496

females age 16-49: 481,180 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 406,951

females age 16-49: 395,444 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

males age 16-49: 10,516

females age 16-49: 9,934 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

1.7% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Slovenia

Disputes - international:

the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovenia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia

Illicit drugs:

minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals

This page was last updated on 15 July, 2008

The World Factbook

Solomon Islands

Introduction Solomon Islands

Background:

The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, then Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has generally been effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.

Geography Solomon Islands

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 28,450 sq km

land: 27,540 sq km

water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

5,313 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain:

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Natural resources:

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

Land use:

arable land: 0.62%

permanent crops: 2.04%

other: 97.34% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

44.7 cu km (1987)

Natural hazards:

typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was especially hard hit

People Solomon Islands

Population:

581,318 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40.1% (male 118,856/female 114,173)

15-64 years: 56.5% (male 166,004/female 162,317)

65 years and over: 3.4% (male 9,487/female 10,481) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.4 years

male: 19.3 years

female: 19.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.467% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.67 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 22.36 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.44 years

male: 70.9 years

female: 76.1 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Solomon Islander(s)

adjective: Solomon Islander

Ethnic groups:

Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)

Religions:

Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)

Languages:

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages

Literacy:

NA

Government Solomon Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Solomon Islands

local long form: none

local short form: Solomon Islands

former: British Solomon Islands

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Honiara

geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E

time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

Independence:

7 July 1978 (from UK)

National holiday: