Map of Slovakia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: After centuries under foreign rule, mainly by Hungary, the Slovaks joined with their neighbors to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. 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 was an independent country turning toward the West. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia has experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in developing a modern market economy.


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Location: Eastern Europe, between Hungary and Poland

Geographic coordinates

Map reference:

Area
Total: 48,845 km²
Land: 48,800 km²

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters the south

Terrain

Elevation

Natural resources: brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; gas

Land use
Arable land: NA%
Permanent crops: NA%
Meadows and pastures: NA%
Forest and woodland: NA%
Other: NA%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 5,375,501 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 0.51% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Slovak(s)
Adjective: Slovak

Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.6%, Hungarian 10.8%, Gypsy 1.5% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which could reach 500,000 or more), Czech 1.1%, Ruthenian 15,000, Ukrainian 13,000, Moravian 6,000, German 5,000, Polish 3,000

Languages: Slovak (official), Hungarian
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.51% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 14.59 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 9.47 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: severe damage to forests from "acid rain" caused by coal-fired power stations
Current issues note: landlocked

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 10.8 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.39 years
Male: 68.18 years
Female: 76.85 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.99 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Slovak Republic
Conventional short form: Slovakia
Local long form: Slovenska Republika
Local short form: Slovensko

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Bratislava

Administrative divisions: 4 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) Bratislava, Zapadoslovensky, Stredoslovensky, Vychodoslovensky

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

National holiday: Slovak National Uprising, August 29 (1944)

Constitution: ratified 3 September 1992; fully effective 1 January 1993

Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
President:
National Council:

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Council (Narodni Rada)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Dr. Milan ERBAN
In the us chancery: 3,900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 363-6,315 or 6,316
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Elect Eleanor SUTTER
From the us embassy: Hviczdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81,102 Bratislava
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: 427 330 861

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with a crest with a white double cross on three blue mountains

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The dissolution of Czechoslovakia into two independent states - the Czech Republic and Slovakia - on 1 January 1993 has complicated the task of moving toward a more open and decentralized economy. The old Czechoslovakia, even though highly industrialized by East European standards, suffered from an aging capital plant, lagging technology, and a deficiency in energy and many raw materials. In January 1991, approximately one year after state-owned and controlled economy to a market system. In 1991-92 these measures resulted in privatization of some medium- and small-scale economic activity and the setting of more than 90% of prices by the market - but at a cost in inflation, unemployment, and lower output. For Czechoslovakia as a whole inflation in 1991 was roughly 50% and output fell 15%. In 1992 in Slovakia, inflation slowed to an estimated 8.7% and the estimated fall in GDP was a more moderate 7%. In 1993 the government anticipates up to a 7% drop in GDP, with the disruptions from the separation from the Czech lands probably accounting for half the decline; inflation, according to government projections, may rise to 15-20% and unemployment may reach 12-15%. The Slovak government is moving ahead less enthusiastically than the Czech government in the further dismantling of the old centrally controlled economic system. Although the governments of Slovakia and the Czech Republic had envisaged retaining the koruna as a common currency at least in the short run, the two countries ended the currency union in February 1993.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -7% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: largely self-sufficient in food production; diversified crop and livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops,

Industries: brown coal mining, chemicals, metal-working, consumer appliances, fertilizer, plastics, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate NA%

Labor force: 2.484 million
By occupation industry: 33.2%
By occupation agriculture: 12.2%
By occupation construction: 10.3%
By occupation communicationandother: 44.3% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 11.3% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment; chemicals; fuels, minerals, and metals; agricultural products
Partners:

Imports: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment; fuels and lubricants; manufactured goods; raw materials; chemicals; agricultural products
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 28.59 (December 1992), 28.26 (1992), 29.53 (1991), 17.95 (1990), 15.05 (1989), 14.36 (1988)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 6,800,000 kW capacity; 24,000 million kWh produced, 4,550 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 8.2 billion koruny, NA% of GDP (1993 est.), note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 34
Usable: 34
With permanentsurface runways: 9
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 1
With runways 1220-2439 m: 5

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas 2,700 km; petroleum products NA km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: NA km

Merchant marine: the former Czechoslovakia had 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 290,185 GRT/437,291 DWT; includes 13 cargo, 9 bulk; may be shared with the Czech Republic

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: