Slovenia
Coordinates: 46°07′N 14°49′E / 46.117°N 14.817°E / 46.117; 14.817
Slovenia (
i/sloʊˈviːniə, slə-, -njə/sloh-VEE-nee-ə; Slovene: Slovenija [slɔˈʋéːnija]), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: 
Republika Slovenija ,abbr.: RS), is a nation state in southern Central Europe, located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. It covers 20,273 square kilometers (7,827 sq mi) and has a population of 2.06 million. It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the United Nations, European Union, and NATO.The capital and largest city is Ljubljana.
The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate, with the exception of the Slovene Littoral that has a sub-Mediterranean climate and the north-western area that has an Alpine climate. Additionally, the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Slovenia. The country, marked by a significant biological diversity, is one of the most water-rich in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karst underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest. The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven.
Slovenian wine
Slovenian wine is wine from Slovenia. Viticulture and winemaking has existed in this region since the time of the Celts and Illyrians tribes, long before the Romans would introduce winemaking to the lands of France, Spain and Germany.
Today Slovenia has more than 28,000 wineries making between 80 and 90 million litres annually from the country's 22,300 ha of vineyards. About 75% of the country's production is white wine. Almost all of the wine is consumed domestically with only 6.1 million l a year being exported—mostly to the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and lately the Czech Republic. Most of the country's wine production falls under the classification of premium (vrhunsko) wine with less than 30% classified as basic table wine (namizno vino). Slovenia has three principal wine regions: the Drava Valley, Lower Sava Valley and Slovenian Littoral.
History
Unlike many of the major European wine regions, Slovenia's viticultural history predates Roman influences and can be traced back to the early Celtic and Illyrian tribes who began cultivating vines for wine production sometime between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. By the Middle Ages, the Christian Church controlled most of the region's wine production through the monasteries. Under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, privately owned wineries had some presence in the region but steady declined following the empire's fall and the beginning of Yugoslavia. By the end of the Second World War, co-operatives controlled nearly all of the region's wine production and quality was very low as the emphasis was on the bulk wine production. The exception was the few small private wineries in the Drava Valley region that were able to continue operation.
Slovenia (European Parliament constituency)
In European elections, Slovenia is a constituency of the European Parliament, currently represented by seven MEPs. It covers the member state of Slovenia.
Current MEPs
As of October 2007
2004
The 2004 European election was the sixth election to the European Parliament. However, as Slovenia had only joined the European Union earlier that month, it was the first election European election held in that state. The election took place on June 13.
The biggest surprise was the victory of the New Slovenia party over the Liberal Democracy of Slovenia and the defeat of the Slovene People's Party, which did not win a seat. The parties on the right of centre that form the opposition in the Slovenian national parliament won this election.
2009
The 2009 European election was the seventh election to the European Parliament. The number of seats was increased to eight.
