The Italian name of the city was anciently spelled as Capo d'Istria and as such reported on maps and sources in other European languages. Koper (Italian: Capodistria) is a city in southwestern Slovenia, with the other Slovenian coastal towns Ankaran, Izola, Piran, and Portorož situated along the country's 47-kilometre (29-mile) coastline, in the Istrian Region, approximately five kilometres (3.1 miles) from its border with Italy. Having a unique ecology and biodiversity, it is considered an important national natural resource.
The city's Port of Koper is the major contributor to the economy of the eponymous city municipality. With only one percent of Slovenia having a coastline, the influence that the Port of Koper also has on tourism was a factor in Ankaran deciding to leave the municipality in a referendum in 2011 to establish its own. The city is a destination on a number of Mediterranean cruising lines. In 2016, the city expected 65 cruise ship arrivals (for example: Norwegian Spirit, MSC Magnifica, Norwegian Jade, MS Rhapsody of the Seas...) with the season spanning from March to December. Koper is the main urban centre of the Slovenian Istria, with a population of about 25,000.
The city of Koper is officially bilingual, with both Slovene and Italian as official languages. Sights in Koper include the 15th century Praetorian Palace and Loggia in Venetian Gothic style, the 12th century Carmine Rotunda church and the Cathedral of St Nazarius, with its 14th century tower.
Koper is also one of the main road entry points into Slovenia from Italy, which lies to the north of the municipality. The main motorway crossing is at Spodnje Škofije to the north of the city of Koper. The motorway continues into Rabuiese and Trieste. Koper also has a rail connection with the capital city, Ljubljana. On the coast, there is a crossing at Lazaret into Lazaretto in Muggia municipality in Trieste province. The Italian border crossing is known as San Bartolomeo.
Koper has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). There is a great deal of rainfall in Koper, even in the driest month. This climate is considered to be Cfa according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average temperature in Koper is 14.4 °C (57.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,056 millimetres (42 in).
