Piran (Italian: Pirano) is a town and municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. The origin of the name is uncertain, with some scholars favouring derivation from the Celtic "bior-dun" (settlement on the hill), while others prefer the Greek word "pyr" (fire), a reference to the lighthouse on the tip of the peninsular The town resembles a large open-air museum, with medieval architecture and a rich cultural heritage. Narrow streets and compact houses give the town its special charm. Piran is the administrative centre of the local area and one of Slovenia's major tourist attractions. Demographics The municipality has 16,758 (2002, 10 years ago) inhabitants and covers an area of 46.6 square kilometres; the town has 4,576 (2002, 10 years ago) inhabitants in a single square kilometre. The municipality is bilingual, both Slovene and Italian are official languages. According to the Austrian language census there were 7,379 inhabitants in 1910 (102 years ago), 95,97% Italians and 0,09% Slovenes. In 1945 (67 years ago).there were 5,035 citizens, 91,32% Italians and 8,54% Slovenes. In 1956 (56 years ago). there were 3.574 inhabitants, 67,6% Slovenes and 15,5% Italians. The ethnic composition was due to the leave of Italians towards Italy and a Slovene colonization. Location Piran is situated at the tip of the Piran peninsula on the Gulf of Piran. It borders Croatia to the south, and the municipalities of Izola and Koper to the east and faces Italy across the Gulf of Trieste and the Adriatic Sea. The highest point, Baretovec pri Padni, is 289 metres high.

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