THE HISTORY OF SLOVENIA

Slovenia, the northernmost of the republics of Yugoslavia,
declared its independence in 1991.  Bordered by Austria,
Croatia, Hungary, and Italy, Slovenia has an area of 20,251 sq
km (7,819 sq mi) and a population of 2,100,000 (1990 est.).
Mountainous and forested, it is crossed by the Julian Alps in
the west and bordered by the Karawanken Alps in the north.  The
capital is LJUBLJANA;  the second major city is Maribor.
Agriculture and forestry are important to its economy.
Manufactured products include textiles, electrical equipment,
and chemicals.

Slovenia was settled in the 6th century by the Slovenes, a
south Slavic people, but came under Germanic control in the 8th
century.  Politically attached to the Holy Roman Empire, the
region became a possession of the Austrian Habsburgs in the
13th century and remained so until the end of World War I.  A
Slavic national revival took place in the 19th century, and in
1918, Slovenia was incorporated into the Kingdom of the Serbs,
Croats, and Slovenes (renamed Yugoslavia in 1929).  Partitioned
by Germany, Italy, and Hungary during World War II, it became
part of Communist Yugoslavia in 1946.  In the late 1980s, as
centralized control in Yugoslavia began to weaken, a strong
separatist movement developed in Slovenia.  The republic
seceded from Yugoslavia in June 1991, and formally declared its
independence on October 7.  On Jan. 15, 1992, the 12 nations
of the European Community formally recognized Slovenia as an
independent nation.