Slovenia and Taiwan both have white, blue and red in their flags.
Slovenia and Taiwan are two small and mostly unknown countries: One lost somewhere in the West, one lost somewhere in the Far East. Of course there are many differences between the two countries and their countrymen, but there are also many things that Slovenia and Taiwan have in common. Let me show you the difference in the climate, landscape, culture, history and traditions of these two countries and its people. See some photos first:
Two countries, that are very similar, but very different at the same time.
✰ Basic facts about Slovenia and Taiwan
- Official name: Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija)
- Continent: Europe, southern central part
- Area: 20.274 km2
- Coast: 47km
- Highest peak: Triglav, 2864m
- Population: 2,05 millions
- Predominant race: Caucasian
- Capital city: Ljubljana (City: 270.000, urban 330.000)
- Second biggest city: Maribor (City: 112.000, urban: 140.000)
- Official languages: Slovenian (Italian and Hungarian in small parts)
- Currency: Euro (Eur)
- Beginnings of democracy: 1988
- Founding of the state: 25. June, 1991
- Official name: Republic of China (中華民國)
- Continent: Asia, the eastern part
- Area: 36.191 km2
- Coast: 1566km
- Highest peak: Yushan mountain 玉山, 3952m
- Population: 23, 12 millions
- Predominant race: Han Chinese
- Capital city: Taipei 臺北市 (City 2.6 millions, urban: 6.8 millions)
- Second biggest city: Kaohsiung 高雄市 (City: 1.5 millions, urban: 3 millions)
- Official languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka
- Currency: New Taiwan Dollar (NTD)
- Beginnings of democracy: 1988
- Founding of the state: 11. October 1911
✰ The difference in the climate
Slovenia, although it's a very small county (66% of the size of Taiwan) has a very diverse landscape and therefore also a very diverse climate. While the small Slovenian coast and the area along the Italian border enjoys a Mediterranean climate, which prevents snowy winters (it usually rains and has around 5oC), the rest of the country has four seasons. The winters are cold and snowy, usually from November to March. The summers are hot, usually from June to end of August. Taiwan on the other hand has a marine tropical climate (it's an island), which means that most of the year is humid, while the winters are rainy, especially in the north (Taipei). Usually it's raining around Chinese new year (Jan, Feb), which is due to the monsoon. The south of Taiwan (Kaohsiung) is usually hot and dry and shortages of water are a serious problem. Southern Taiwan reminds me of Singapore and Malaysia, it can be extremely hot and humid there. The mountainous central part of Taiwan is a bit colder than the rest, some parts even have snow in winter.
Snow covering the roof tops in Maribor, my home town, 2009.
✰ The difference in the culture and life style
Slovenia is a central European country and the culture is closely related to countries in central Europe, such as Austria, Germany and Italy. But Slovenians belong to the ethnic, cultural and linguistic group of Slavs, which includes Croatians, Serbs, Slovaks, Czechs, Poles and Russians. Especially the languages have a very strong resemblance and have common roots, but the cultures developed independently and can be very different. They say Slovenians work hard and are very honest people. That may have changed in the recent years, but historically we were people without our own country for a very long time (we were 800 years under Austria, Hungary and Italy), the struggle for our own state started in the late 18th century, but especially since 1848. We finally achieved full independence in 1991 and a lot of things changed. Not only did we leave a failing communist state of Yugoslavia, we entered capitalism and developed very quickly, but in the past years (during the 2008 crisis), many things started to stagnate and unemployment rose again. That made many Slovenians bitter. However, we still think we're a prosperous country and we're proud of our achievements. The daily life of Slovenians is same as in Taiwan: Work and home. But we don't work as much as Taiwanese, for us free time is as important as a good day at work. Usually we spend afternoons to pursue various hobbies or activities or just meeting with friends or family. Usually Sundays are reserved for visiting families. Young people like to go out on Fridays and Saturday, drinking is pretty common among the Slovenian youth (and a big problem, if you ask me). Unfortunately the bad side of the Slovenian society is a high rate of alcoholism, that goes along well with a high rate of suicide. But lifestyles in Slovenia vary highly depending on where you live. Half of Slovenia is covered by forests (only Sweden and Finland are more forested). And around half of Slovenians live in towns and cities, the other half prefers to live on the country side. That's why we don't have big cities like Taiwan, Ljubljana's population is lower than the one of Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan, although the city area is bigger, that's because Slovenians prefer to build family houses with gardens in the suburbs of the cities. Taiwan's cities on the other hand are very densely populated. Both countries have beautiful nature, however Slovenia can pride itself as the country with the better preserved and partly untouched nature (primeval forest, river Soča).
Taiwan is of course a beautiful island and some parts are just amazing (Yeliou, Sun Moon Lake, Yushan mountains...), but it's also a very densely populated country and urbanization destroyed and polluted a lot of the nature, especially in the north around Taipei. However Taiwanese try to keep the natural wonders of the island clean and intact and that really works well in many parts of the country. Taiwan, sometimes called one of the "Four Asian Tigers", is a heavily industrialized country and the economic boom was experienced already in the 1980s, that's why centers like Kaohsiung, Taichung and especially Taipei are heavily industrialized. Taiwanese are stuck between traditions and modern times. It won't be unusual to see a sexy Taiwanese girl praying at a temple and using her iPhone when she's leaving. Young guys are into gadgets and photography, Taiwan is one of the centers of world's computer industry. But it's also a country deeply rooted in traditions, Buddhism and partly Confucianism makes Taiwan a very conservative society. That's really a difference from Slovenian. The main religion in Slovenia is Christianity, however those who really believe and abide by Christian traditions are in minority, probably one third of Slovenians are real Christians. Most other Slovenians are not religious or just paint eggs for Easter or go to church on Christmas. Slovenians are generally more liberal than Taiwanese. But that doesn't mean that you can't find open minded people in Taiwan. Especially in big cities such as Taipei and Kaohsiung you'll see people with their own distinct fashion styles. A big difference between Taiwan and Slovenia is the food. Not only is one distinctly European and one distinctly Asian, but Taiwan has a culture of eating out, we could say a "food stall culture". In Slovenia you'll seldom see food stalls and our day markets mostly sell vegetables and fruits, which you buy, bring home and cook. Slovenians mostly prepare food at home. Eating in restaurants is expensive, the only fast food we have is hamburgers, pieces of pizza and kebabs. In Taiwan you can get anything on the streets and it's usually cheap and yummy. That's something I love about Taiwan (and Asia). Another big difference is the transportation. Slovenians love cars, seldom they would ride scooters. Taiwan is scooterland. I have never seen so many people riding scooters in Taiwan. And big cities like Kaohsiung and Taipei have subways, but in Slovenia there's no such thing. Walking is also popular here, we're known as a nation of hikers and climbers.
Taiwan has a street food culture.
✰ The difference in food
Taiwanese food is East Asian food and influenced mostly by food from China and Japan and with aboriginal influences. Rice and noodles are the basic food in Taiwan, while bread and potatoes are the basics in Slovenia. Dating back in history, bread would be the number one food that allowed Slovenians to survive harsh winters and devastating droughts. Most important Taiwanese food is of course rice. But both countries have created many delicious dishes, that show creativity and the variety of local ingredients and spices. In Taiwan you can eat the famous stinky tofu, fried rice, oyster omelets, dumplings, buns, crepes, all parts of chicken and duck, fried pork and a lot of seafood. And let's not forget the tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes and guavas, that are really tasty. Slovenia's dishes are usually based on meat and potatoes, famous is Kranjska klobasa (a sausage), fried pork and chicken with potatoes that's usually eaten with a salad. The food changes with the seasons, during autumn and winter Slovenians love to eat various stews and soups, such as ričet and jota, a porridge and soup based on beans.
When it comes to drinks, Slovenians love to drink coffee, usually in the morning and afternoon. If we cook coffee at home, we cook it the Turkish way. Outside in restaurants, we drink Viennese or Italian coffee. Taiwanese love to drink tea. And Taiwan has one of the best teas in the world. Young people like bubble tea to go, especially when they visit day and night markets.
Compare Slovenian and Taiwanese food here:
The difference is big, huh?
✰ Slovenia vs. Taiwan in conclusion
Similarities
- a history of foreign rule, wars and injustice
- started a democratic movement in 1988
- the colors of the flags
- both countries are commonly mistaken for other countries
- friendly and hospitable people
- both people mostly speak in dialects
- beautiful nature with a lot of mountains
- not flooded with tourists, but slowly getting
- both drive on the right side of the road
Differences
- Taiwan lays in Asia, Slovenia in Europe
- Taiwan is an island, Slovenia is continental
- Taiwan's area is 1.5 times bigger than Slovenia's
- Taiwan's population is 12 times bigger than Slovenia's
- Taiwan has 3 cities with over a million people, Slovenia none
- Taiwan is not an internationally recognized sovereign state
- Taiwan is under military threat from People's Republic of China
- Taiwanese mostly eat with chopsticks, Slovenians use forks
- Taiwanese writing system is hanzi, Slovenians use Latin letters
- Taiwanese love to ride scooters, Slovenians prefer cars
- Many Taiwanese wear glasses, less so Slovenians
- Slovenians work hard, but Taiwanese work harder
- Taiwanese love to drink tea, Slovenians prefer coffee
- Basic Slovenian food is bread, Taiwanese is rice
- Slovenians love to drink alcohol, Taiwanese usually don't
- Slovenians are less conservative and traditional than Taiwanese
- Slovenians generally speak better English than Taiwanese
✰ Some trivia about Slovenians and Taiwanese
Women are said to be beautiful every where you go. Something you might hear about Slovenian women, too, but also about Taiwanese. In Asia, Taiwanese women are famous for being slim due to their healthy diet, having good fashion sense and great make-up skills. So many singers, actresses and models from Taiwan become popular all over East Asia. Slovenia is a small country, however we have many beautiful women as well. The most famous may be Melania Trump, the current wife of Donald Trump, one of the richest Americans.
Oh, and just for fun, let's compare a Taiwanese girl in cheongsam and a Slovenian model. How do you like them? I guess it's women, who make the climate either bearable or unbearable for men. Sometimes they're just too hot.
Photo of Rebeka Dremelj in 2008, Slovenian singer (Photo source here).
[Slovenia][Taiwan][All photos by MKL except where otherwise noted, 2010]
Read also my post: About the young people of Taiwan
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