Countries

Slovenia

The Julian Alps, deep karst caves and about 47 km of Adriatic coast all fit inside this small country. Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, joined the EU and NATO in 2004 and in 2007 became the first former communist state to adopt the euro.

A wooden boardwalk curving along the edge of Lake Bled between trees in autumn colour, Slovenia

Lake Bled

Photo: Dimitry Anikin from Vienna, Austria, CC BY 2.0

Triglav, the highest peak, appears in white on the shield, above two wavy lines for the sea and rivers. The three gold stars come from the arms of the medieval Counts of Celje.

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