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National Map
Of |
Slovakia |
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National Flag
Of |
Slovakia |
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Flag Description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on
the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background
of red and blue
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
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Slovakia |
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National Anthem
Of |
Slovakia |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Slovakia |
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Background:
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In 1918
the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to form
Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II,
Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within
Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed
in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The
Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on
1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in
the spring of 2004. |
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Location:
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Central
Europe, south of Poland |
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Geographic coordinates:
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48 40 N,
19 30 E |
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total:
48,845 sq km
land: 48,800 sq km
water: 45 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about
twice the size of New Hampshire |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,524 km
border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic
215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km
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Coastline:
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0 km
(landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none
(landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
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Terrain:
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rugged
mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands
in the south |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Bodrok River 94 m
highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m |
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Natural resources:
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brown
coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and
manganese ore; salt; arable land |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 30.16%
permanent crops: 2.62%
other: 67.22% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,740 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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air
pollution from metallurgical plants presents human
health risks; acid rain damaging forests |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked; most of the country is rugged and
mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are
interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys |
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Population:
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5,431,363
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 17.1% (male 475,263/female 453,340)
15-64 years: 71% (male 1,919,222/female
1,939,097)
65 years and over: 11.9% (male 241,610/female
402,831) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
35.43 years
male: 33.85 years
female: 37.25 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.15%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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10.62
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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9.43
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0.3
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
7.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.5 years
male: 70.52 years
female: 78.68 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.32
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than
0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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less than
200 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Slovak(s)
adjective: Slovak |
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Ethnic groups:
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Slovak
85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian
1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%,
other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census) |
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Languages:
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Slovak
(official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian
1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.6% (2001 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Slovak Republic
conventional short form: Slovakia
local long form: Slovenska Republika
local short form: Slovensko |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Bratislava |
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Administrative divisions:
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8 regions
(kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky,
Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky,
Zilinsky |
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Independence:
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1 January
1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia) |
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National holiday:
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Constitution Day, 1 September (1992) |
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Constitution:
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ratified
1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in
September 1998 to allow direct election of the
president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to
apply for NATO and EU membership |
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Legal system:
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civil law
system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to
comply with the obligations of Organization on Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge
Marxist-Leninist legal theory |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June
2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas
DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister
Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime
Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime
Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on
the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by direct, popular
vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 April
and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009);
following National Council elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is
usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected
president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC
59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected
prime minister October 2002
note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or
Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members
are elected on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next
to be held September 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party -
HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU 15.1%, Smer 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH
8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by party - governing
coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12),
opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6,
People's Union 5, and independents 10) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court (judges are elected by the National Council);
Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from
group of nominees approved by the National Council) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Christian
Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction
(Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA];
Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Movement
for a Democratic Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS
[Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol
RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela
BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak
Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic
and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak
National Party or SNS [Peter SULOVSKY] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of
Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade
Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG
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International organization participation:
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Australia
Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new
member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU
(member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER
chancery: 3523 International Court NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054
FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires
Scott N. THAYER
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102
Bratislava
mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava
telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338
FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096 |
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Flag description:
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three
equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered
on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a
background of red and blue |
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Economy - overview:
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Slovakia
has mastered much of the difficult transition from a
centrally planned economy to a modern market economy.
The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during
2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural
reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the
banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands,
and the government has helped facilitate a foreign
investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as
labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax.
Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in
2001-04, despite the general European slowdown.
Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, remains
the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1
May 2004. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$78.89
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.3%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 30.1%
services: 66.4% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.2
million (3rd quarter, 2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%,
services 55.9% (2003) |
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Unemployment rate:
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13.1% (31
December 2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 5.1%
highest 10%: 18.2% (1992) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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26.3
(1996) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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7.5%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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24% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $15.44 billion
expenditures: $16.7 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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46.6% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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grains,
potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle,
poultry; forest products |
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Industries:
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metal and
metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas,
coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers;
machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics;
transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical
apparatus; rubber products |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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5.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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31.15
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 30.3%
hydro: 16%
nuclear: 53.6%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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28.89
billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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8 billion
kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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6 billion
kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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1,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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82,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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4.5
million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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190
million cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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6.8
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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6.6
billion cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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7.504
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$-1.4
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$29.24
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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vehicles
25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base
metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics
5.4%% (2004 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany
34.4%, Czech Republic 14.7%, Austria 8.2%, Italy 5.8%,
Poland 5.3%, US 4.5%, Hungary 4.3% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$29.67
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured
goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous
manufactured goods 10.2% (2003) |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany
26.1%, Czech Republic 21.3%, Russia 9.1%, Austria 6.6%,
Poland 4.9%, Italy 4.9% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$14.91
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$19.54
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$2.2
billion in available EU structural adjustment and
cohesion funds (2004-06) |
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Currency (code):
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Slovak
koruna (SKK) |
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Currency code:
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SKK |
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Exchange rates:
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koruny
per US dollar - 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327
(2002), 48.355 (2001), 46.035 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1,294,700
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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3,678,800
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: a modernization and
privatization program is increasing accessibility to
telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new
subscribers, and generally improving service quality
domestic: predominantly an analog system that is
now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged
with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities;
mobile cellular capability has been added
international: country code - 421; three
international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in
Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is
participating in several international
telecommunications projects that will increase the
availability of external services |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 15, FM
78, shortwave 2 (1998) |
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Radios:
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3.12
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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6
national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004) |
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Televisions:
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2.62
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.sk |
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Internet hosts:
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89,592
(2004) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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6 (2000)
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Internet users:
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1,375,800
(2003) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,662 km
broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge)
(2004) |
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Highways:
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total:
42,970 km
paved: 37,698 km (including 302 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 5,272 km (2002) |
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Waterways:
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172 km
(on Danube River) (2004) |
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Pipelines:
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gas 6,769
km; oil 449 km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Bratislava, Komarno |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 18, chemical
tanker 1
foreign-owned: 18 (Bulgaria 8, Estonia 1, Greece
1, Syria 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 1) (2005) |
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Airports:
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34 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
17
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
17
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) |
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Heliports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army of
the Slovak Republic (Armady Slovenskej Republika): Land
Command, Air Forces (Vozdushne Sily), Training and
Support Command, Logistics Command (2005) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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complete
transition to an all-volunteer professional force is
planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces
were volunteers as of January 2005; volunteers include
women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for
compulsory military service (January 2005) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,351,848 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,089,645 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
41,544 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$406
million (2002) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.89%
(2002) |
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Disputes - international:
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Hungary
amended its status law extending special social and
cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to
which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue
between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion
of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric
dam project along the Danube; as a member state that
forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must
implement the strict Schengen border rules |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for
Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional
market |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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