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Summary 1 Slovenia is a small but floristically diverse country with at least six distinctive phytogeographical regions. 2 The palaeoecological record was used to examine the vegetational history of this diverse landscape, using cores from four of the phytogeographical regions. 3 All contain records that extend back to at least 9000 cal. bp and indicate that the early Holocene vegetation of Slovenia was rather uniform and that broadleaved woodland containing Corylus , Quercus , Ulmus and Tilia prevailed throughout. 4 From 8800 cal. bp, however, distinctive regional differences became increasingly marked, with the onset of intensive forest clearance and burning from c. 3000 cal. bp. 5 The development of the present-day landscape in Slovenia varied considerably between phytogeographical regions and in some regions was a consequence not only of climatic variation but also of the intensity of prehistoric human activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]