Slovenia

The Republic of Slovenia is a coastal Alpine country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north. Slovenia was part of Austria-Hungary until 1918, State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) between the World Wars, SFR of Yugoslavia from 1945 until gaining independence in 1991. It became a member of the European Union on 1 May 2004. It is also a member of the Council of Europe, NATO, and has observer status in La Francophonie.