The Municipality of Piran (; sl, Občina Piran, it, Comune di Pirano) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the traditional region of the

Littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal areas ...

in southwestern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. The seat of the municipality is the town of

Piran Piran (; it, Pirano ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the three major towns of Slovenian Istria. The town is known for its medieval architecture, with narrow streets and compact houses. P ...

. Piran became a municipality in 1994.

Geography

The Municipality of Piran borders

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

to the south and the municipalities of

Izola Izola (; it, Isola ) is a town in southwestern Slovenia on the Adriatic coast of the Istrian peninsula. It is the seat of the Municipality of Izola. Its name originates from Italian ''Isola'', which means 'island'. History An ancient Roman ...

and

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

to the east, and it faces Italy across the

Gulf of Trieste The Gulf of Trieste ( it, Golfo di Trieste, sl, Tržaški zaliv, hr, Tršćanski zaljev, german: Golf von Triest) is a very shallow bay of the Adriatic Sea, in the extreme northern part of the Adriatic Sea. It is part of the Gulf of Venice an ...

and the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. The highest point, Baretovec pri Padni, is high.

Settlements

In addition to the municipal seat of Piran, the municipality also includes the following settlements: *

Dragonja The Dragonja (; it, Dragogna) is a long river in the northern part of the Istrian peninsula. It is a meandering river with a very branched basin and a small quantity of water. It has a pluvial regime and often dries up in summer. It features v ...

* Lucija * Nova Vas nad Dragonjo * Padna *

Parecag Parecag (; it, Parezzago) is a settlement next to Sečovlje in the Municipality of Piran in the Littoral region of Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Cen ...

Portorož Portorož (; it, Portorose) is a Slovenian Adriatic seaside resort and spa town located in the Municipality of Piran in southwestern Slovenia. Its modern development began in the late 19th century with the vogue for the first health resorts. In ...

Seča Seča (; it, Sezza) is a settlement in the Municipality of Piran in the Littoral region of Slovenia. Name The Slovene name of the settlement was changed from ''Sveti Jernej'' (literally, 'Saint Bartholomew') to ''Seča'' in 1958. The name was ch ...

Sečovlje Sečovlje (; it, Sicciole) is a settlement in the Municipality of Piran in the Slovenian Littoral, Littoral region of Slovenia. Name The modern Slovene name ''Sečovlje'' is an artificial creation dating from after 1945. It was coined from the I ...

* Strunjan * Sveti Peter

Language

The municipality is bilingual; both Slovene and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

are official languages. According to the Austrian language census of 1910, in the surrounding countryside within the municipal limits, the population was mixed, both Italian and Slovene, with some villages (such as Sveti Peter and Padna) which were almost entirely Slovene, and others (such as

and

) that were almost exclusively Italian-speaking. As a whole, 85.1% of the population of the Municipality of Piran were Italian speakers, and 15.2% were Slovenes.

References

External links

*
Municipality of Piran on GeopediaPiran municipal site
{{Authority control

1994 establishments in Slovenia