Slovenia, one of 10 countries joining the European Union in 2004, is a small nation in the centre of Europe that stubbornly fought for and won its independence in the post-Cold War era.

It became in 1990 the first Yugoslav republic to hold free elections, ending 45 years of communist rule.

The following June, Slovenia seceded from the rest of Yugoslavia and went on to fight a 10-day war that ended with independence.

The European Union recognised Slovenia on January 15, 1992, and the country was admitted to the United Nations in May 1992.

Slovene national identify was forged in the 19th century when Napoleon established in 1809 the so-called Illyrian Provinces in order to isolate the Habsburg empire from the Balkans.

The Habsburgs returned in 1814, but French reforms in education and government had lit a flame that increased national consciousness among Slovenes.

Slovenia became increasingly conscious of its own identity, while still a Yugoslav republic, as it had ever closer business and other interests with western states such as Austria and Germany.

In March more than 89 percent voted in favour of accession to the EU, while also voting to join NATO, although popular support for this was lower than for joining the Union.

Slovenia is a transit point between central Europe and the Balkans, with Austria to the north, Italy to the west, and Hungary and Croatia to the east and south.

The population of 1.97 million are mainly Catholic. They are well-educated and English is widely spoken.

The population are almost all ethnic Slovenes -- some 1.72 million -- and Slovene, a Slavic language -- is the official language although Italian and Hungarian are also spoken.

The country is small, only some 20,000 square kilometres (7,720 square miles), but it has a range of landscapes, from Alpine to the Mediterranean.

The capital Ljubljana is the largest city as well as the political, administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of the country.