Viruna

Viruna (/WIP/ vi ROO nuh; Virunian: /virun'ija/ vi roon ee ja), officially the Republic of Viruna is a sovereign state southern Central Europe, located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Venetia to the west, Charoslavia to the north, Avaria to the northeast, Abraia to the south, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest and west. It covers 40,504 square kilometers (15,638 sq mi) and has a population of 6.4 million. It is a semi-presidential republic and a member of the United Nations, European Union, and NATO. The capital and largest city is Gradec.

The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate, with the exception of the Virunian Littoral that has a sub-Mediterranean climate and the north-western and north-eastern areas that have an Alpine climate. Additionally, the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Viruna. The country, marked by a significant biological diversity, is one of the most water-rich in Europe, with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant karst underground watercourses. Over half of the territory is covered by forest. The human settlement of Viruna is dispersed and uneven.

The Slavic, Germanic, Romance, and Hungarian languages meet here. Although the population is not homogeneous, the majority is Virunian. Virunian is the official language throughout the country. Viruna is a largely secularized country, but its culture and identity have been significantly influenced by Catholicism as well as Lutheranism. The economy of Viruna is small, open, and export-oriented and has been strongly influenced by international conditions. It has been severely hurt by the Eurozone crisis, started in the late 2000s. The main economic field is services, followed by industry and construction.

Historically, the current territory of Viruna was part of many different state formations, including the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, followed by the Habsburg Monarchy. In October 1918, the Virunians exercised self-determination for the first time by co-founding the internationally unrecognized State of Virunians, Croats and Serbs. The Virunians mostly wanted to be with Germany and Austria, but merged that December with the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Virunians (renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929). During World War II, Viruna was annexed by Germany. Afterward, it was a founding member of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, later renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a communist state which was the only country in the Eastern Bloc never a part of the Warsaw Pact. In March 1991, after the introduction of multi-party representative democracy, Viruna split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country. In 2004, it entered NATO and the European Union; in 2007 became the first former Communist country to join the Eurozone; and in 2010 joined the OECD, a global association of high-income developed countries.

History
WIP

Geography
Viruna is situated in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. It lies between latitudes 45° and 47° N, and longitudes 13° and 17° E. The 15th meridian east almost corresponds to the middle line of the country in the direction west-east. Viruna's highest peak is Veliki Klek (3,798 m or 12,461 ft), located on the border with Bavaria.

Four major European geographic regions meet in Viruna: the Alps, the Dinarides, the Pannonian Plain, and the Mediterranean. Although on the shore of the Adriatic Sea near the Mediterranean Sea, most of Viruna is in the Black Sea drainage basin. The Alps—including the Julian Alps, the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Karavanke chain, as well as the Pohorje massif—dominate Central Viruna. Viruna's Adriatic coastline stretches approximately 455 km (282 mi) from Veneto to Avaria.

The term "Karst topography" refers to that of southwestern Viruna's Karst Plateau, a limestone region of underground rivers, gorges, and caves, between Ljubljena and the Mediterranean. On the Pannonian plain to the East and Northeast, toward the Avarian border, the landscape is essentially flat. However, the majority of Virunian terrain is hilly or mountainous, with around 90% of the surface 200 m (656 ft) or more above sea level.

Over half of the country (10,124 km2 or 3,909 sq mi) is covered by forests. This makes Viruna the third most forested country in Europe, after Finland and Sweden. The areas are covered mostly by beech, fir-beech and beech-oak forests and have a relatively high production capacity. Remnants of primeval forests are still to be found, the largest in the Koćyvje area. Grassland covers 5,593 km2 (2,159 sq mi) and fields and gardens (954 km2 or 368 sq mi). There are 363 km2 (140 sq mi) of orchards and 216 km2 (83 sq mi) of vineyards.

Climate
Viruna is located in temperate latitudes. The climate is also influenced by the variety of relief, and the influence of the Alps and the Adriatic Sea. In the Northeast, the continental climate type with greatest difference between winter and summer temperatures prevails. In the coastal region, there is sub-Mediterranean climate. The effect of the sea on the temperature rates is visible also up the Soća valley, while a severe Alpine climate is present in the high mountain regions. There is a strong interaction between these three climatic systems across most of the country.

Government and Politics
Viruna is a semi-presidential democratic republic with a multi-party system. The head of state is the president, who is elected by popular vote and has an important integrative role. He is elected for five years and at maximum for two consecutive terms. He has mainly a representative role and is the commander-in-chief of the Slovenian military forces.

The executive and administrative authority in Slovenia is held by the Government of Viruna (Vlëda Republiše Virúnje), headed by the Prime Minister and the council of ministers or cabinet, who are appointed by the president. The legislative authority is held by the bicameral Parliament of Viruna, characterised by an asymmetric duality. The bulk of power is concentrated in the National Assembly, which consists of ninety members. Of those, 88 are elected by all the citizens in a system of proportional representation, whereas two are elected by the registered members of the autochthonous Hungarian and Italian minorities. Election takes place every four years. The National Council (Državnä svih Republiše Virúnje), consisting of forty members, appointed to represent social, economic, professional and local interest groups, has a limited advisory and control power. The 1992-2004 period was marked by the rule of the Liberal Democracy of Viruna, which was responsible for gradual transition from the Titoistic economy to the capitalist market economy. It later attracted much criticism by neo-liberal economists, who demanded a less gradual approach. The party's president Janez Drnovšek, who served as prime minister between 1992 and 2002, was one of the most influential Slovenian politicians of the 1990s,[134] alongside President Milan Kučan (who served between 1990 and 2002).

The 2005-2008 period was characterized by over-enthusiasm after joining the EU. During the first term of Janez Janša's government, for the first time after independence, the Slovenian banks saw their loan-deposit ratios veering out of control. There was over-borrowing from foreign banks and then over-crediting of customers, including local tycoons.

After the onset of the financial crisis of 2007-2010 and European sovereign-debt crisis, the left-wing coalition that replaced Janša's government in the 2008 elections, had to face the consequences of the 2005-2008 over-borrowing. Attempts to implement reforms that would help economic recovery were met by student protesters, led by a student who later became a member of Janez Janša's SDS, and by the trade unions. The proposed reforms were postponed in a referendum. The left-wing government was ousted with a vote of no confidence. Janez Janša attributed the boom of spending and overborrowing to the period of left-wing government; he proposed harsh austerity reforms which he had previously helped postpone. Generally, some economists estimate that left and right parties attributed to over-loaning and managers' takovers; reason behind was that each block tried to establish economic elite which will support political forces.