Map of Slovakia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-dominated 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 and the euro area on 1 January 2009.


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Location: Central Europe south of Poland

Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N 19 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 49,035 km²
Rank: 130
Land: 48,105 km²
Water: 930 km²
Comparative: about twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries
Total: 1474 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 91 km; Czech Republic 197 km; Hungary 676 km; Poland 420 km; Ukraine 90 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold cloudy humid winters

Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m
Extremes highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 29.23%
Permanent crops: 2.67%
Other: 68.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: 1830 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 50.1 km³ (2003)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: 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: 5,463,046 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 111
Growth rate: 0.137% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 187
Below poverty line: 21% (2002)

Nationality
Noun: Slovak
Adjective: Slovak

Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.8% Hungarian 9.7% Roma 1.7% Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1% other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Languages: Slovak (official) 83.9% Hungarian 10.7% Roma 1.8% Ukrainian 1% other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9% Protestant 10.8% Greek Catholic 4.1% other or unspecified 3.2% none 13% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.8%
15-64 years: 71.7% (male 1,952,527/female 1,965,646)
65 years and over: 12.5% (male 254,510/female 426,140) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 36.9 years
Male: 35.2 years
Female: 38.6 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.137% (2009 est.)
Rank: 187

Birth rate: 10.6 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 183

Death rate: 9.53 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 72

Net migration rate: 0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 69

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 56% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests
International agreements 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 Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/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 (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.84 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 171
Male: 7.99 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.64 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.4 years
Rank: 78
Male: 71.47 years
Female: 79.53 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 203

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 150
People living with hivaids: fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 157
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2001 est.)
Deaths rank: 141

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (2005)
Rank: 111

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.6%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 99.6% (2004)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 15 years (2006)

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
Name: Bratislava
Geographic coordinates: 48 09 N 17 07 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 8 regions (kraje singular - kraj); Banskobystricky Bratislavsky Kosicky Nitriansky Presovsky Trenciansky Trnavsky Zilinsky

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday: Constitution Day 1 September (1992)

Constitution: ratified 1 September 1992 effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998; amended February 2001
Note: the change in September 1998 allowed direct election of the president; the amendment of February 2001 allowed Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership

Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC
Head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC Robert KALINAK Stefan HARABIN Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 21 March and 4 April 2009 (next to be held no later than April 2014); 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 reelected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 55.5% Iveta RADICOVA 44.5%

Legislative branch: 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 17 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1% SDKU 18.4% SMK 11.7% SNS 11.7% LS-HZDS 8.8% KDH 8.3% other 12%; seats by party - Smer 50 SDKU-DS 31 SMK 20 SNS 19 LS-HZDS 16 KDH 14; note - seats by party as of December 2008 - Smer 50 SDKU-DS 28 SMK 20 SNS 19 LS-HZDS 15 KDH 9 nonaffiliated 9

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president)

Political parties and leaders
Parties in the parliament: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Pal CSAKY]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-Democratic Party or SDKU-DS [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]
Selected parties outside the parliament: Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Vladimir GOZORA]; Alliance of the New Citizen or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter ZAJAC]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef HRDLICKA]; Slovak People's Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK]

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD EIB EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM (guest) NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SECI (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNFICYP UNIDO UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WEU (associate partner) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Peter BURIAN
In the us chancery: 3,523 International Court NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054
In the us fax: [1] (202) 237-6,438
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Keith EDDINS
From the us embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4 81,102 Bratislava
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 309 814 99 Bratislava
From the us telephone: [421] (2) 5,443-3,338
From the us fax: [421] (2) 5,441-8,861

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top) blue and red superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills); the coat of arms is centered vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Slovakia has made significant economic reforms since its separation from the Czech Republic in 1993. Reforms to the taxation healthcare pension and social welfare systems helped Slovakia to consolidate its budget and get on track to join the EU in 2004 and to adopt the euro in January 2009. Major privatizations are nearly complete the banking sector is almost entirely 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. Foreign investment in the automotive and electronic sectors has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-08 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04 dropped to 8.4% in 2008 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Despite its 2006 pre-election promises to loosen fiscal policy and reverse the previous DZURINDA government's pro-market reforms FICO's cabinet has thus far been careful to keep a lid on spending in order to meet euro adoption criteria and has focused on regulating energy and food prices instead. The OECD expects Slovakia's GDP growth to be positive in 2009.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 60
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 50

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 55
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.7%
Industry: 37.2%
Services: 59% (2008 est.)

Agriculture products: grains potatoes sugar beets hops fruit; pigs cattle poultry; forest products

Industries: 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

Industrial production growth rate: -3.7% (2008 est.)
Rank: 163

Labor force: 2.254 million (2008 est.)
Rank: 113
By occupation agriculture: 4%
By occupation industry: 39%
By occupation services: 56.9% (30 September 2008)

Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2007 est.)
Rank: 104

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21% (2002)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.1%
Highest 10: 20.9% (1996)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26.3 (1996)
Rank: 128

Budget
Revenues: $31.23 billion
Expenditures: $33.32 billion (2008 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 46.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 76

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.8% (2007 est.)
Rank: 80

Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 115
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks from the euro area; as of 1 January 2009 Slovakia became a member of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 6.42% (31 December 2008)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $41.76 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 46

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 77

Current account balance: -$4.482 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 163

Exports: $64.5 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 44
Commodities: vehicles 25.9% machinery and electrical equipment 21.3% base metals 14.6% chemicals and minerals 10.1% plastics 5.4% (2004)
Partners: Germany 20% Czech Republic 13.1% France 6.7% Poland 6.6% Hungary 6.3% Austria 5.9% Italy 5.8% UK 4.7% (2008)

Imports: $65.47 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 44
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 41.1% intermediate manufactured goods 19.3% fuels 12.3% chemicals 9.8% miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)
Partners: Germany 20% Czech Republic 17.7% Russia 10.6% Hungary 6.9% South Korea 5.2% Austria 5% Poland 4.9% China 4.1% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $18.96 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 53

Debt external: $44.31 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 52

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $40.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 51

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $1.609 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 66

Exchange rates: Slovak koruny (SKK) per US dollar - 21.05 (2008 est.) 24.919 (2007) 29.611 (2006) 31.018 (2005) 32.257 (2004)
Note: on 1 January 2009 Slovakia adopted the euro as legal tender


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Electricity
Production: 26.53 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 64
Consumption: 26.81 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 62
Exports: 8.891 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 9.412 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 102 million m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 78
Consumption: 6.308 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 55
Exports: 186 million m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 41
Imports: 6.266 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 29
Proven reserves: 14.16 billion m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 78

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.098 million (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 75
Mobile cellular: 5.52 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 82

Telephone system
General assessment: Slovakia has a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth in cellular services
Domestic: analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable especially in the larger cities; 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services
International: country code - 421; 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sk
Hosts: 867,615 (2009)
Hosts rank: 41
Users: 3.566 million (2008)
Users rank: 53

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.87% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 89

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 17-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve (2007)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 35 (2009)
Rank: 110
With paved runways total: 20
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 15
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2009)

Heliports: 1 (2009)

Pipelines: gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 3,622 km
Rank: 48
Broad gauge: 99 km 1.520-m gauge
Standard gauge: 3,473 km 1.435-m gauge (1577 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2008)

Roadways
Total: 43,761 km
Rank: 83
Paved: 38,085 km (includes 316 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 5,676 km (2006)

Waterways: 172 km (on Danube River) (2008)
Rank: 100

Merchant marine
Total: 51
Rank: 70
By type: bulk carrier 5 cargo 42 refrigerated cargo 4
Foreign owned: 47 (Bulgaria 6 Germany 3 Greece 2 Ireland 1 Israel 4 Italy 2 Poland 2 Russia 1 Slovenia 1 Syria 2 Turkey 10 Ukraine 12 UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Bratislava Komarno


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Disputes international: bilateral government legal technical and economic working group negotiations continued in 2006 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 has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic d