Slovenia Geography

Slovenia is situated in Central Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. It lies between latitudes 45° and 47° N, and longitudes 13° and17° E. The 15th meridian east almost corresponds to the middle line of the country in the direction west-east. The geographical center of Slovenia is at the coordinates 46°07’11.8″ N and 14°48’55.2″ E (Geography  Center). It lies in Spodnja Slivna near Vace. Slovenia’s highest peak is Triglav which is 2,864 m or 9,396 ft; the country’s average height above sea level being 557 m or 1,827 ft.

Slovenia Geography Facts

Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean. Although on the shore of the Adriatic Sea, near the Mediterranean, most of Slovenia is in the Black Sea drainage basin. The Alps—including the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, and the Karavanke chain, as well as the Pohorje massif—dominate Northern Slovenia along its long border with Austria. Slovenia’s Adriatic coastline stretches approximately 47 km or 29 miles from Italy to Croatia. The term “Karst topography” refers to that of southwestern Slovenia’s Kras Plateau, a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges, and caves, between Ljubljana and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the East and Northeast, toward the Croatian and Hungarian borders, the landscape is essentially flat. However, the majority of Slovenian terrain is hilly or mountainous, with around 90% of the surface 200 m or 656 ft or more above sea level.

Slovenia enjoys a sub-Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters on the plateau and in the valleys to the east. Precipitation is high away from the coast, with the spring being particularly prone to rainfall. Slovenia’s Alps have frequent snowfalls during the winter.

Over half of the country, approximately 10,124 sq km or 3,909 sq mi is covered by forests. This makes Slovenia the third most forested country in Europe, after Finland and Sweden. The areas are covered mostly by beech, fir-beech and beech-oak forests and have a relatively high production capacity. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Kocevje area. Grassland covers 5,593 sq km or 2,159 sq mi while fields and gardens cover 954 sq km or 368 sq mi. There is 363 sq km or140 sq mi of orchards and 216 sq km or 83 sq mi of vineyards.

Various geography and location between different regions also reflect the country’s climate. In the Northeast, the continental climate type with the greatest difference between winter and summer temperatures prevails. In the coastal region, there is sub-Mediterranean climate. The effect of the sea on the temperature rates is visible also up the Soca valley, while a severe Alpine climate is present in the high mountain regions. There is a strong interaction between these three climatic