Information about Slovakia

Slovenská republika Slovak Republic
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem Nad Tatrou sa blıska "Lightning over the Tatras"
Location of Slovakia Location of  Slovakia  (orange) – on the European continent  (camel & white) – in the European Union  (camel)                  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Bratislava
Official languages		Slovak
Demonym		Slovak
Government		Parliamentary republic
-	President	Ivan Gašparovič
-	Prime Minister	Robert Fico
Independence		due to dissolution of Czechoslovakia
-	Date	January 1 19931
Accession to the European Union		May 1 2004
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	2007 estimate	5,447,502 (110th)
-	2001 census	5,379,455
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$99.19 billion  (61st)
-	Per capita	$19,171 (46th)
HDI (2004)		0.856 (high) (42nd)
Currency		Slovak koruna (1 koruna = 100 haliers) (SKK)
Time zone		CET (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.sk²
Calling code		+421³
1 Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; see Velvet Divorce. ² Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states. ³ Shared code 42 with Czech Republic until 1997.
2

Slovakia (long form: Slovak Republic; Slovak: Slovensko, long form Slovenská republika) is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (almost 19,000 square miles). The Slovak Republic borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, OECD, WTO, and other international organizations.

The Slavic people arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia between the 5th and 6th century AD during the Migration Period (Migration of Nations). Various parts of Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire, the first known political unit of Slavs, Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg (Austrian) monarchy, Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia throughout history. Slovakia became independent on 1 January, 1993, after the Velvet Divorce.

History

Main article: History of Slovakia

Before the 5th century

From around 450 BC, the territory of modern-day Slovakia was settled by Celts, who built powerful oppida in Bratislava and Havránok. Biatecs, the silver coins with the names of Celtic kings, represent the first known use of writing in Slovakia. From 6 AD, the expanding Roman Empire established and maintained a chain of outposts around the Danube. The Kingdom of Vannius, a barbarian kingdom founded by the Germanic tribe of Quadi, existed in western and central Slovakia from 20 to 50 AD.

Slavic states

The Slavic population settled in the territory of Slovakia in the 5th century. Western Slovakia was the centre of Samo's Empire in the 7th century. A Slovak state, known as the Principality of Nitra, arose in the 8th century and its ruler Pribina had the first Christian church in Slovakia consecrated by 828. Together with neighboring Moravia, the principality formed the core of the Great Moravian Empire from 833. The high point of this Slavonic empire came with the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 863, during the reign of Prince Rastislav, and the territorial expansion under King Svatopluk.

Kingdom of Hungary

After the disintegration of the Great Moravian Empire in the early 10th century, the Magyars gradually annexed the territory of the present-day Slovakia. In the late 10th century, southwestern Slovakia became part of the arising Hungarian principality (after 1000 the Kingdom of Hungary). Most of Slovakia was integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary by c. 1100, northeastern parts by c. 1300. Because of its high level of economic and cultural development, Slovakia retained its important position in this new state. For almost two centuries, it was ruled autonomously as the Principality of Nitra, within the Kingdom of Hungary. Slovak settlements extended to northern and southeastern present-day Hungary, while Magyars started to settle down in the southern part of Slovakia. The ethnic composition became more diverse with the arrival of the Carpathian Germans (from the 13th century), Vlachs (from the 14th century), and Jews.



A huge population loss resulted from the invasion of the Mongols in 1241 and the subsequent famine. However medieval Slovakia was characterized rather by burgeoning towns, construction of numerous stone castles, and the development of art. In 1467, Matthias Corvinus founded the first university in Bratislava, but the institution was short-lived.

After the Ottoman Empire started its expansion into Hungary and the occupation of Buda in the early 16th century, the center of the Kingdom of Hungary (under the name of Royal Hungary) shifted towards Slovakia, and Bratislava (known as Pressburg, Pozsony, Pressporek or Posonium at that time) became the capital city of the Royal Hungary in 1536. But the Ottoman wars and frequent insurrections against the Habsburg Monarchy also inflicted a great deal of destruction, especially in rural areas. As the Turks retreated from Hungary in the 18th century, Slovakia's importance within the kingdom decreased, although Bratislava retained its position of the capital city of Hungary until 1848, when the capital moved to Budapest.

During the revolution in 1848-49 the Slovaks supported the Austrian Emperor with the ambition to secede from the Hungarian part of the Austrian monarchy, but they failed in the end to achieve this aim. During the period of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from 1867 to 1918, the Slovaks experienced severe oppression in the form of Magyarization promoted by the Hungarian government.

Twentieth century

In 1918, Slovakia joined the regions of Bohemia and neighbouring Moravia to form Czechoslovakia (confirmed by the Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Trianon). During the chaos following the breakup of Austria-Hungary, Slovakia was in 1919 attacked by the provisional Hungarian Soviet Republic and 1/3 area of Slovakia temporarily became the Slovak Soviet Republic.

During the Interwar period, democratic and prosperous Czechoslovakia was under continuous pressure from the revisionist governments of Germany and Hungary, until it was finally broken up in 1939, as a result of the Munich Agreement concluded a year before. Southern Slovakia was lost to Hungary due to the First Vienna Award.

Under pressure from Nazi Germany, the First Slovak Republic, led by a clerical fascist leader Jozef Tiso, declared its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1939. However, Tiso's government was strongly influenced by Germany and gradually became a puppet regime. An anti-Nazi resistance movement launched a fierce armed insurrection, known as the Slovak National Uprising, in 1944. A bloody German occupation and a guerilla war followed. Most Jews were deported from the country and vanished in German concentration camps during the Holocaust.

After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and Jozef Tiso was hanged in 1947 for collaboration with Nazism. More than 76000 Hungarians^[1] and 32000 Germans^[2] have been forced to leave Slovakia, in a series of population transfers initiated by the Allies at the Potsdam Conference. ^[3] This expulsion is still a source of tension^[4] between Slovakia and Hungary.

Czechoslovakia came under the influence of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact after a coup in 1948. In 1969, the state became a federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic.

The end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989, during the peaceful Velvet Revolution, was followed once again by the country's dissolution, this time into two successor states.Czech Republic and Slovakia went their separate ways after January 1, 1993, an event sometimes called the Velvet Divorce, but Slovakia has remained close partner with the Czech Republic, as well as with other Central European countries within the Visegrad Group. Slovakia became a member of the European Union in May 2004.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Slovakia

The Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous nature, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country. Amongst these mountain ranges are the high peaks of the Tatra mountains.^[4] To the north, close to the Polish border, are the High Tatras which are a popular skiing destination and home to many scenic lakes and valleys as well as the highest point in Slovakia, the Gerlachovskı štít at 2,655 metres (8,711 ft).

Major Slovak rivers, besides the Danube, are the Váh and the Hron.

The Slovak climate lies between the temperate and continental climatic zones, with relatively warm summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters. The area of Slovakia can be divided into three kinds of climatic zones and the first zone can be divided into two subzones.

A Climate of lowlands

A.a Climate of lowlands with dominance of oceanic influences - average annual temperature is about 9-10 °C. The average temperature of the hottest month is about 20 °C and the average temperature of the coldest month is greater than -3 °C. This kind of climate occurs at Záhorská nížina and Podunajská nížina. It is the typical climate of the capital city Bratislava[1].

A.b Climate of lowlands with dominance of continental influences - average annual temperature is about 8-9 °C. The average temperature of the hottest month is about 19 °C and the average temperature of the coldest month is less than -3 °C. This kind of climate can be found at Košická kotlina and Vıchodoslovenská nížina. It is the typical climate of the town of Košice[2].

B Climate of basins - average annual temperature is between 5 °C and 8,5 °C. The average temperature of the hottest month is between 15 °C and 18,5 °C and the average temperature of the coldest month is between -3 °C and -6 °C. This climate can be found in almost all basins in Slovakia. For example Podtatranská kotlina, Žilinská kotlina, Turčianska kotlina, Zvolenské kotlina. It is the typical climate for the towns of Poprad[3] and Sliač[4].

C Mountain climate - average annual temperature is less than 5 °C. The average temperature of the hottest month is less then 15 °C and the average temperature of the coldest month is less than -5 °C. This kind of climate occurs in mountains and in some villages in the valleys of Orava and Spiš.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Slovakia

The majority of the inhabitants of Slovakia are ethnically Slovak (86%). Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority (9.5%) and are concentrated in the southern regions of the country.^[4] Other ethnic groups include Roma with 1.8%, Czechs with 0.8%, Ruthenians with 0.4%, Ukrainians with 0.2% and Germans with 0.1%. The estimated percentage of Roma ranges from 1.8% (self-identification of the Roma in the last census) to around 5.6% (based on interviews with municipality representatives and mayors, that is based on the ascription by the remaining population). Note however that in the case of the 5.6%, the above percentages of Hungarians and Slovaks are lower by 4 percentage points in sum.

The official state language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic languages, but Hungarian is also widely spoken in the south of the country and enjoys a co-official status in some municipalities.

The Slovak constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The majority of Slovak citizens (68.9 %) identify themselves with Roman Catholicism (although church attendance is lower); the second-largest group are people without confession (13%). About 6.93% belong to Lutheranism, 4.1% are Greek Catholic, Calvinism has 2.0%, other and non-registered churches 1.1% and some 0.9% are Eastern Orthodox. It is estimated that there are about 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia. About 2,300 Jews remain of the large estimated pre-WWII population of 90,000.^[6]

In 2004 Slovakia had a fertility rate of 1.25 (i.e., the average woman will have 1.25 children in her lifetime), which is one of the lowest numbers among EU countries. The fertility rate is currently increasing again.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Slovakia

Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. The last parliamentary elections were held on June 17, 2006 and two rounds of presidential elections took place on April 3, 2004 and April 17, 2004.

The Slovak head of state is the president (Ivan Gašparovič, 2004 - 2009), elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term. Most executive power lies with the head of government, the prime minister (Robert Fico, 2006 - 2010), who is usually the leader of the winning party, but he/she needs to form a majority coalition in the parliament. The prime minister is appointed by the president. The remainder of the cabinet is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.

Slovakia's highest legislative body is the 150-seat unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic (Národná rada Slovenskej republiky). Delegates are elected for a four-year term on the basis of proportional representation. Slovakia's highest judicial body is the Constitutional Court (Ústavnı súd), which rules on constitutional issues. The 13 members of this court are appointed by the president from a slate of candidates nominated by parliament.

Slovakia is a member state of the European Union since May 1, 2004 and of NATO since March 29, 2004. As a member of the United Nations (since 1993), Slovakia was, on October 10, 2005, for the first time elected to a two-year term on the UN Security Council (for 2006-2007). Slovakia is also a member of WTO, OECD, OSCE, and other international organizations.

In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Slovakia 3th (along with Estonia) out of 169 countries.

Regions and districts

Main articles: Regions of Slovakia and Districts of Slovakia

As for administrative division, Slovakia is subdivided into 8 kraje (singular - kraj, usually translated as regions, but actually meaning rather county), each of which is named after its principal city. Regions have enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy since 2002. Their self-governing bodies are referred to as Self-governing (or autonomous) Regions (sg. samosprávny kraj, pl. samosprávne kraje) or Upper-Tier Territorial Units (sg. vyšší územnı celok, pl. vyššie územné celky, abbr. VÚC).

1. Bratislava Region (Bratislavskı kraj) (capital Bratislava)
2. Trnava Region (Trnavskı kraj) (capital Trnava)
3. Trenčín Region (Trenčiansky kraj) (capital Trenčín)
4. Nitra Region (Nitriansky kraj) (capital Nitra)
5. Žilina Region (Žilinskı kraj) (capital Žilina)
6. Banská Bystrica Region (Banskobystrickı kraj) (capital Banská Bystrica)
7. Prešov Region (Prešovskı kraj) (capital Prešov)
8. Košice Region (Košickı kraj) (capital Košice)

(the word kraj can be replaced by samosprávny kraj or by VÚC in each case)

The "kraje" are subdivided into many okresy (sg. okres, usually translated as districts). Slovakia currently has 79 districts.

In terms of economics and unemployment rate, the western regions are richer than eastern regions; however the relative difference is no bigger than in most EU countries having regional differences.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Slovakia

Slovakia has pursued a difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and foreign investment has picked up.

Solid domestic demand boosted economic growth to 4.1% in 2002. Strong export growth, in turn, pushed economic growth to a still-strong 4.2% in 2003 and 5.4% in 2004, despite a downturn in household consumption. Multiple reasons entailed a GDP growth of 6% in 2005, the 4th highest rate in the EU (after the three Baltic states). GDP growth is expected to reach 8.2% in 2006 (the year-to-year growth amounted to unexpected 9.8% in the 3th quarter of 2006 and stayed high at 9.5% year-to-year change in the 4th quarter of 2006), and 8.0% in 2007. The 9.8% growth came as a surprise to local analysts (6 % was expected), given that the big foreign investor Kia was only going to launch its production in late 2006. In 2006, Slovakia reached the highest economic growth among the members of OECD.

Unemployment, peaking at 19.2% at the end of 2001, decreased again to some 8.9% (March 2007).^[7] In addition to the economic growth, migration of workers to other member-states of the European Union also contributed to this reduction. The unemployment rate still remains among the highest in the EU.

Inflation dropped from an average annual rate of 12.0% in 2000 to just 3.3% in the election year 2002, but it rose again in 2003-2004 because of increases in taxes and regulated prices. It reached 3.7 % in 2005.

Slovakia plans to adopt the Euro currency on 1 January 2009 and has already entered the ERM II for this purpose (Slovak euro coins).

Slovakia is among the most attractive countries in the EU for foreign investors mainly because of its lower labour cost, low tax rates and well educated labour force. In recent years, Slovakia has been pursuing a policy of encouraging foreign investment. However, that has not shown any benefits so far in innovation capabilities within the country.

Despite a sufficient number of researchers and a solid secondary educational system, Slovakia (as well as some other post-communist countries) still faces many challenges in the field of modern knowledge economy. The business and public Research and development expenditures are deeply below EU average.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Slovakia

Slovakia features interesting natural landscapes, mountains, deep caves, medieval castles and towns, folk architecture, spas and ski resorts.

International rankings

Human Development Index 2006: Rank 42nd out of 177 countries
Index of Economic Freedom 2006: Rank 34th out of 157 countries
Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2006: Rank 8th out of 168 countries
Global Competitiveness Report ranking 2006-2007: Rank 37th out of 125 countries.
Corruption Perceptions Index 2007: Rank 49th out of 180 countries.

See also

Culture

• Cinema of Slovakia
• Music of Slovakia
• Slovak literature
• Slovak language
• Slovak cuisine
• Slovak national weapon

Holidays

• National holidays in Slovakia
• Remembrance days in Slovakia

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Slovakia
• Education in Slovakia
• Foreign relations of Slovakia
• History of ice hockey in Slovakia
• List of villages and municipalities in Slovakia
• List of rivers in Slovakia
• List of rulers of Slovakia
• List of Slovaks
• List of tourism regions of Slovakia
• List of towns in Slovakia
• List of traditional regions of Slovakia
• Military of Slovakia
• Protected areas of Slovakia
• Transportation in Slovakia

References

Further reading

• Pavel Dvorak: The Early History of Slovakia in Images ISBN 80-85501-34-1
• Julius Bartl and Dusan Skvarna: Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon ISBN 086-5164444
• Olga Drobna, Eduard Drobny and Magdalena Gocnikova: Slovakia: The Heart of Europe ISBN 086-5163197
• Karen Henderson: Slovakia: The Escape from Invisibility ISBN 0415274362
• Stanislav Kirschbaum: A History of Slovakia : The Struggle for Survival ISBN 0312161255
• Alfred Horn: Insight Guide: Czech & Slovak Republics ISBN 088-7296556
• Rob Humphreys: The Rough Guide to the Czech and Slovak Republics ISBN 1858289041
• Michael Jacobs: Blue Guide: Czech and Slovak Republics ISBN 0393319326
• Neil Wilson, Richard Nebesky: Lonely Planet World Guide: Czech & Slovak Republics ISBN 1864502126
• Eugen Lazistan, Fedor Mikovic, Ivan Kucma and Anna Jureckova: Slovakia: A Photographic Odyssey ISBN 086-5165173
• Lil Junas: My Slovakia: An American's View ISBN 8070906227

External links

• The Slovak Republic Government Office
• The official travel guide to Slovakia
• Slovakia Tourism from The Slovak Tourist Board
• Slovakia.org - guide to Slovakia
• Slovak Republic Guide
• [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/lo.html CIA World Factbook - Slovakia]
• Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic
• Historical photos of Slovakia
• Google satellite map of Slovakia
• The Slovak Spectator, English-speaking news magazine

Geographic locale

•  • [ e] Sovereign states of Europe Albania Andorra Armenia2 Austria Azerbaijan1 Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus2 Czech Republic Denmark3 Estonia Finland France1 Georgia1 Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy3 Kazakhstan1 Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands3 Norway3 Poland Portugal3 Romania Russia1 San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain1 Sweden Switzerland Turkey1 Ukraine United Kingdom3 Vatican City 1 Has part of its territory outside Europe.  2 Entirely in West Asia but having socio-political connections with Europe.  3 Has dependencies or similar territories outside Europe.

International organizations

•  • [ e] Members of the European Union (EU) Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden United Kingdom  •  • [ e] Council of Europe Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom  •  • [ e] Visegrád Group Czech Republic • Hungary • Poland • Slovakia  •  • [ e] Members of the United Nations Security Council Permanent members China France Russia United Kingdom United States Term ends December 31 2007 Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) Ghana Peru Qatar Slovakia Term ends December 31 2008 Belgium Indonesia Italy Panama South Africa  •  • [ e] North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Belgium • Bulgaria • Canada • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Iceland • Italy • Latvia • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Netherlands • Norway • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Turkey • United Kingdom • United States Candidate countries: Albania • Croatia • Republic of Macedonia (as FYROM)  •  • [ e] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Australia • Austria • Belgium • Canada • Czech Republic • Denmark • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Italy • Japan • South Korea • Luxembourg • Mexico • Netherlands • New Zealand • Norway • Poland • Portugal • Slovakia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland • Turkey • United Kingdom • United States  •  • [ e] World Trade Organization (WTO) Albania • Angola • Antigua and Barbuda • Argentina • Armenia • Australia • Bahrain • Bangladesh • Barbados • Belize • Benin • Bolivia • Botswana • Brazil • Brunei • Bulgaria • Burkina Faso • Burundi • Cambodia • Cameroon • Canada • Central African Republic • Chad • Chile • People's Republic of China • Colombia • Congo • Costa Rica • Cote d'Ivoire • Croatia • Cuba • Democratic Republic of the Congo • Djibouti • Dominica • Dominican Republic • Ecuador • Egypt • El Salvador • European Communities • Fiji • Gabon • The Gambia • Georgia • Ghana • Grenada • Guatemala • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Guyana • Haiti • Honduras • Hong Kong, China • Iceland • India • Indonesia • Israel • Jamaica • Japan • Jordan • Kenya • South Korea • Kuwait • Kyrgyztan • Lesotho • Liechtenstein • Macau, China • Republic of Macedonia • Madagascar • Malawi • Malaysia • Maldives • Mali • Malta • Mauritania • Mauritius • Mexico • Moldova • Mongolia • Morocco • Mozambique • Myanmar • Namibia • Nepal • New Zealand • Nicaragua • Niger • Nigeria • Norway • Oman • Pakistan • Panama • Papua New Guinea • Paraguay • Peru • Philippines • Qatar • Romania • Rwanda • Saint Kitts and Nevis • Saint Lucia • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Saudi Arabia • Senegal • Sierra Leone • Singapore • Solomon Islands • South Africa • Sri Lanka • Suriname • Swaziland • Switzerland • Taiwan • Tanzania • Thailand • Togo • Trinidad and Tobago • Tunisia • Turkey • Uganda • United Arab Emirates • United States • Uruguay • Venezuela • Vietnam • Zambia • Zimbabwe  •  • [ e] Member states and observers of La Francophonie Members Albania Andorra Belgium (French Community) Benin Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada (New Brunswick Quebec) Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cyprus1 Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Cte d'Ivoire Djibouti Dominica Egypt Equatorial Guinea Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia France (including French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Pierre and Miquelon) Gabon Ghana1 Greece Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Laos Luxembourg Lebanon Madagascar Mali Mauritania Mauritius Moldova Monaco Morocco Niger Romania Rwanda St. Lucia So Tom and Prncipe Senegal Seychelles Switzerland Togo Tunisia Vanuatu Vietnam Observers Armenia Austria Croatia Czech Republic Georgia Hungary Lithuania Mozambique Poland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine 1 Associate member.

•  • [ e] Slavic-speaking states
West Slavic  Czech Republic  Poland  Slovakia South Slavic  Bulgaria  Croatia  Montenegro  Serbia  Slovenia East Slavic  Belarus  Russia  Transnistria (unrecognized)  Transnistria