For those who don’t know the difference between Slovenia and New Jersey, a short primer: NJ is a state in eastern U.S.; Slovenia, an independent parliamentary republic in Central Europe; NJ is slightly larger in area and has four times the population (8 million and growing, to 2 million and declining — though with the highest per capita GDP in the region, according to statistics from the CIA’s official website).

Slovenia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until it was dissolved in 1918 following WWI, and then the Slovenes joined Serbs and Croats to form Yugoslavia in 1929. Unhappy with Serb majority domination in the communist state, Slovenians won their independence in a 10-day war in 1991. They joined NATO and the EU in 2004.

Bordered by Italy, Hungary, Austria and Croatia, Slovenia has a 46 mile coastline on the north end of the Baltic Sea which suffers industrial pollution and is contested by Croatia. Much of the  country is Alpine, mountainous and forested, and most of the people who haven’t moved here work in industry and services.

The name of the country’s capital, Ljubljana, rolls off the tongue smoothly, like the graceful, elegant, Slovenian-style polka: Lyoo-bly-ana.