In Slovenia, you can experience amazing contrasts in the same day: a morning swim in the Adriatic, followed two hours later by skiing below Alpine peaks, then an adventurous discovery of Karst subterranean phenomena and an invigorating bath in a thermal spring; an encounter with history in a lively mediaeval city and, not far away, a more solitary stroll through primeval forests or undulating, winegrowing hills.

Geography

Four major European geographic regions meet in Slovenia: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian plain, and the Mediterranean. Slovenia's highest peak is Triglav (2,864 m; 9,396 ft); the country's average height above the sea level is 557 metres (1,827 ft). Around one half of the country (11,691 km²; 4,514 sq mi) is covered by forests; this makes Slovenia the third most forested country in Europe, after Finland and Sweden. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Kočevje area. Grassland covers 5,593 square kilometers (2,159 sq mi) of the country and fields and gardens 2,471 square kilometers (954 sq mi). There are also 363 square kilometers (140 sq mi) of orchards and 216 square kilometres (83 sq mi) of vineyards.

Its climate is Submediterranean on the coast, Alpine in the mountains and continental with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east. The average temperatures are -2°C (28°F) in January and 21°C (70°F) in July. The average rainfall is 1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) for the coast, up to 3,500 millimeters (137.8 in) for the Alps, 800 millimeters (31.5 in) for south east and 1,400 millimeters (55.1 in)for central Slovenia.

Although located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, most of Slovenia is in the Black Sea drainage basin. The geometric center of gravity of Slovenia is located at the geographic coordinates 46°07'11,8" N and 14°48'55,2" E. It lies in Spodnja Slivna near Vače in the municipality of Litija.