The Koroška Region

Koroška is located in the northern part of the Republic of Slovenia at the boundary of the Southern and the Central Alps. It consists of 12 municipalities: Črna na Koroškem; Mežica; Prevalje; Ravne na Koroškem; Mislinja; Dravograd; Muta; Vuzenica; Radlje ob Dravi; Podvelka; Ribnica na Pohorju, and Slovenj Gradec. The latter is the only one in the region with the status of an urban municipality.

With the area of a little over 1,000 km² and almost 72.000 inhabitants, Koroška is one of the smaller Slovenian regions. The centre of the region consists of the Slovenj Gradec, Ravne na Koroškem, and Dravograd "conurbation". Dispersed settlements are typical for Koroška's rural hinterland. The farms are surrounded with the adjoining farmland and dispersed throughout the entire region. Specific regional characteristics are: large areas covered in forests; a dense river network, and the concentration of businesses in urban settlements in the valleys (the Meža, the Mislinja, and the Drava valleys). One of the particularities of the region is also an almost 100-km long frontier with the Republic of Austria, with 8 municipalities directly bordering the neighbouring country.

Koroška is one of the oldest Slovenian industrial regions. In the previous centuries, the mining industry had been developed in the area, with mining possibly already being active in the Roman Age. After that, iron making and the wood industry became prominent here, with the metal processing industry, component manufacture for the automotive industry, as well as mechanical engineering thriving in the recent years. These manufacturing industries still prevail in the regional economy, which is distinctively export-oriented.

In the field of education, the region is suitably ensured with a network of schools and kindergartens. The accessibility of secondary-school programmes is suitable. In the recent years, post-secondary and higher-education programmes have also been established in the region.