Slovenia is situated at the crossroads of central and southeast Europe, touching the Alps and bordering the Adriatic Sea. The Alps—including the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Karawank chain, as well as the Pohorje massif—dominate northern Slovenia along its long border to Austria. Slovenia's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately from Italy to Croatia. Its part south of Sava river belongs to Balkan peninsula – Balkans. The term karst originated in southwestern Slovenia's Karst Plateau, a limestoneregion 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 meters or more above sea level.
Location
Slovenia's location is where southeastern and Central Europe meet, where the Eastern Alps border the Adriatic Sea between Austria and Croatia. The 15th meridian east almost corresponds to the middle line of the country in the direction west–east.
The maximum north–south distance is 1°28' or. The maximum east–west distance is 3°13' or. The geometric centre of Slovenia is located at. Since 2016, the geodetic system of Slovenia with the elevation benchmark of 0 m has its origin at the Koper tide gauge station. Until then, it referred to the Sartorio mole in Trieste.
The last two are usually considered together as the Littoral Region. White Carniola, otherwise part of Lower Carniola, is usually considered a separate region, as is the Central Sava Valley, which is otherwise a part of Upper and Lower Carniola and Styria. Slovenian Littoral has no natural island, but there is a plan on building an artificial one.
Climate
Humid subtropical climate on the coast, oceanic climate in most of Slovenia, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and mountains on the north, subpolar and tundra climate above the treeline on the highest mountain peaks. Precipitation is high away from the coast, with the spring being particularly prone to rainfall. Slovenia's Alps have frequent snowfalls during the winter.
Terrain
A short coastal strip on the Adriatic Sea, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east. There is only one natural island in Slovenia: Bled Island in Lake Bled in the country's northwest. Lake Bled and Bled Island are Slovenia's most popular tourist destination.
