Background: 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 was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002.

Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N 19 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 48,845 km²
Water: 45 km²
Land: 48,800 km²
Comparative: about twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries
Total: 1,524 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 91 km; , Czech Republic 215 km; , Hungary 677 km; , Poland 444 km; , Ukraine 97 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: 30.74%
Permanent crops: 2.64%
Other: 66.62% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1740 km² (1998 est.)

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

Population: 5,430,033 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 0.14% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Slovak
Adjective: Slovak

Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.7% Hungarian 10.6% Roma 1.6% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community which is about 500,000) Czech Moravian Silesian 1.1% Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.6% German 0.1% Polish 0.1% other 0.2% (1996)

Languages: Slovak (official) Hungarian

Religions: Roman Catholic 60.3% atheist 9.7% Protestant 8.4% Orthodox 4.1% other 17.5%

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 495,316; female 471,823)
15-64 years: 70.5% (male 1,903,335; female 1,924,065)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 238,912; female 396,582) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 35 years
Male: 33.3 years
Female: 36.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0.14% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 10.1 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 9.22 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.53 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.55 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 7.66 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 9.39 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.43 years
Male: 70.44 years
Female: 78.64 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 100 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.)

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Bratislava

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

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

National holiday: Constitution Day 1 September (1992)

Constitution: ratified 1 September 1992 fully 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

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 Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Rudolf SCHUSTER (since 15 June 1999)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since 24 September 2003)
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 29 May 1999 (next to be held NA May/June 2004); 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
Note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO
Election results: Rudolf SCHUSTER elected president in the first direct, popular election; percent of vote - Rudolf SCHUSTER 57%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002

Legislative branch
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 78 (SDKU 28, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 15), opposition 72 (HZDS 36, SMER 25, KSS 11) (as of February 2003, 12 deputies had split from HZDS and formed an independent faction)
Elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006)

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)

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Democratic Party or DS [Ludovit KANIK]; Direction (Smer) [Robert FICO]; 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]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EU (applicant) FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU NAM (guest) NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNDOF UNESCO UNFICYP UNIDO UNMEE UNMISET UNTSO UPU WCL WCO WEU (associate partner) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER
In the us chancery: 3,523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us fax: [1] (202) 237-6,438
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald WEISER
From the us embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81,102 Bratislava
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [421] (2) 5,443-3,338
From the us fax: [421] (2) 5,441-5,148

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

Economy overview: Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government has made excellent progress in 2001-03 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded expectations in 2001-03 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment at an unacceptable 15% in 2003 remains the economy's Achilles heel. The government faces other strong challenges in 2004 especially the cutting of budget and current account deficits the containment of inflation and the strengthening of the health care system.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.4% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,400 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.5%
Industry: 34.1%
Services: 61.4% (2000)

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: 4.4% (2002 est.)

Labor force: 3 million (1999)
By occupation industry: 29.3%
By occupation agriculture: 8.9%
By occupation construction: 8%
By occupation transport and communication: 8.2%
By occupation services: 45.6% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 17.2% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 5.1%
Highest 10: 18.2% (1992)

Distribution of family income gini index: 26.3 (1996)

Budget
Revenues: $5.2 billion
Expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.3% (2002 est.)

Exports: $12.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 39.4% intermediate manufactured goods 27.5% miscellaneous manufactured goods 13% chemicals 8% (1999)
Partners: Germany 30.1% Czech Republic 16.4% Austria 10.7% Italy 7.2% Poland 5.7% Hungary 4.6% (2002)

Imports: $15.4 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 37.7% intermediate manufactured goods 18% fuels 13% chemicals 11% miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)
Partners: Germany 24.8% Czech Republic 16% Russia 13.5% Austria 7% Italy 6.4% France 4% (2002)

Debt external: $9.6 billion (2002 est.)

Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 45.33 (2002) 48.35 (2001) 46.04 (2000) 41.36 (1999) 35.23 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 30.29 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 30.3%
Production by source hydro: 16%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 53.6%
Consumption: 24.41 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 5.141 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 1.381 billion kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 292 million m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 7.932 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 7.205 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 7.504 billion m³ (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1,934,558 (1998)
Mobile cellular: 736,662 (April 1999)

Telephone system
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: 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

Internet
Country code: .sk
Service providers isps: 6 (2000)
Users: 700,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $406 million (2002)
Percent of gdp: 1.89% (2002)

Airports: 37 (2002)
With paved runways total: 20
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways total: 17
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2002)

Heliports: 1 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 3,668 km
Broad gauge: 106 km 1.520-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (2002)
Standard gauge: 3,511 km 1.435-m gauge (1,567 km electrified)

Waterways: 172 km (all on the Danube)

Merchant marine
Total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,574 GRT/16,330 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: small boundary changes made with Poland in 2003; Hungary has yet to amend status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia who protest the law

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