Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. Slovenia is mostly mountainous and forested, covers 20,271 square kilometers (7,827 sq mi), and has a population of 2.1 million. Slovenes form the vast majority of the country's population, while Serbs are the largest minority. Slovene, the South Slavic language, is the official language. Slovenia has a mainly continental climate, with the exception of the Slovene Littoral, which has a sub-Mediterranean climate, and of the Julian Alps in the northwest, which have an Alpine climate. Additionally, the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet in Slovenia. Ljubljana is the nation's capital and largest city.
The history of Slovenia chronicles the period of the Slovenian territory from the 5th century BC to the present. In the Early Bronze Age, Proto-Illyrian tribes settled an area stretching from present-day Albania to the city of Trieste. The Slovenian territory was part of the Roman Empire, and it was devastated by the Migration Period's incursions during late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. The main route from the Pannonian plain to Italy ran through present-day Slovenia. Alpine Slavs, ancestors of modern-day Slovenians, settled the area in the late 6th Century AD. The Holy Roman Empire controlled the land for nearly 1,000 years, and between the mid-14th century and 1918 most of Slovenia was under Habsburg rule. In 1918, Slovenes formed Yugoslavia along with Serbs and Croats, while a minority came under Italy. The state of Slovenia was created in 1945 as part of federal Yugoslavia. Slovenia gained its independence from Yugoslavia in June 1991, and is today a member of the European Union and NATO.
Slavko Avsenik was a Slovene composer and musician. Beginning in 1953 with the formation of the Avsenik Brothers Ensemble, Avsenik produced more than 1,000 songs and enjoyed success both in Slovenia and in other parts of Europe and America, and is viewed as a Slovenian cultural icon.
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians, are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and also to Italy, Austria and Hungary in addition to having a diaspora throughout the world, especially in the United States, Canada, Argentina and Australia. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their native language.
Slovene literature is the literature written in the Slovene language. It spans across all literary genres with historically the Slovene historical fiction as the most widespread Slovene fiction genre. The Romantic 19th-century epic poetry written by the leading name of the Slovene literary canon, France Prešeren, inspired virtually all subsequent Slovene literature.
The Football Association of Slovenia is the governing body of football in Slovenia. It organizes the first division, second division, third division, Slovenian Cup, Slovenian Women's League, and other competitions. It is also responsible for the Slovenia national football team and the Slovenia women's national football team. It was founded as Ljubljana Football Subassociation on 24 April 1920.
Slovene Americans or Slovenian Americans are Americans of full or partial Slovene or Slovenian ancestry. Slovenes mostly immigrated to America during the Slovene mass emigration period from the 1880s to World War I.
The Municipality of Bloke is a municipality in Slovenia. Originally a municipality in its own right, it was incorporated into the Municipality of Cerknica in 1955 and it was included in the Municipality of Loška Dolina in 1995, when it split from Cerknica. It was re-established as an independent municipality in 1998.
The Basketball Federation of Slovenia also known as KZS is the governing body of basketball in Slovenia. It was founded in 1950 as a member of the larger Yugoslav Basketball Federation. In 1992, KZS joined the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) on its own.
The American Mutual Life Association is an ethnic fraternal benefit and social organization for Slovene immigrants and their descendants in the United States. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, it serves a membership located primarily in Ohio. Founded in 1910, as the Slovenska dobrodelna zveza , the association assumed its current name in 1966. AMLA publishes a newspaper, Our Voice . The AMLA is licensed to sell Life Insurance and Annuity products in the State of Ohio.
The Jarše District, or simply Jarše, is a district of the City Municipality of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is named after the former village of Jarše, now part of the Bežigrad District.
The Handball Federation of Slovenia is the national handball association of Slovenia.
The Kucja Valley is a blind valley on the outskirts of Ljubljana, central Slovenia. Administratively, it belongs to the Dravlje District. The name may be derived from Slovene kucelj 'hill, rise', referring to the terminus of the valley. Geologically, it lies at the conjunction of a more gravelly layer with a more compact limestone layer.
The Slovenia women's national basketball team represents Slovenia in international women's basketball competition and is organized by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia (KZS).
Matija Škerbec, was a Slovene Roman Catholic priest, political figure, and writer.
Belokranjka Katka Zupančič was a Slovene-American poet, author and teacher. Primarily a Slovene children's writer, much of her poetry conveys a child's impression of major events, and her stories explore the difficulties of immigrant life and women's status. Her works of prose examine characters' psychology and social issues of the time, placing women, often with emotional distress, in the roles of protagonists.
The Zarja Singing Society is a choral group based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is dedicated to the education and support of Slovenian culture and tradition.
Cleveland Kurentovanje is a Slovenian-American festival celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring, taking place annually the weekend before Ash Wednesday, in Cleveland, Ohio, mirroring Kurentovanje in Slovenia.
