Ancient History

Slovenia was populated by Slavs in their general migration into the Balkans during the sixth through the ninth centuries. The Slovenes had settled into their present location by the end of the 500's AD. The language those settlers spoke was not significantly differentiated from Croatian at the time but over the period from 600 AD to 900 AD it became a separate language.

Slovenia was conquered by a German empire about 750 AD and became a property of various Germanic empire. Eventually control of Slovenia resided in Austria. In 1918 Slovenia joined with Serbia and Croatia in the formation of Yugoslavia.

Slovenia is mountainous but with fertile river valleys where grain and potatoes are grown. There and elsewhere there are fruit orchards. Stock raising is also important. The slopes of the mountains are forrested and provide the basis for wood product industries.

In Slovenia as elsewhere in the so-called socialist world the Stalinist model for the economy called for excessive investment in heavy industry. Coal mining to fuel those heavy industries has been important.

(To be continued.)