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-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.

Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N 19 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 48,845 km²
Land: 48,800 km²
Water: 45 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: 29.23%
Permanent crops: 2.67%
Other: 68.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: 1830 km² (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

Population: 5,447,502 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.147% (2007 est.)
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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.4% (male 456,105/female 435,154)
15-64 years: 71.5% (male 1,938,846/female 1,955,382)
65 years and over: 12.2% (male 247,728/female 414,287) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 36.1 years
Male: 34.5 years
Female: 37.9 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.147% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 10.65 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 9.48 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 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-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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.048 male/female
15-64 years: 0.992 male/female
65 years and over: 0.598 male/female
Total population: 0.942 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.12 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 8.32 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.87 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.95 years
Male: 71 years
Female: 79.11 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: less than 200 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.6%
Male: 99.7%
Female: 99.6% (2001 est.)

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 kraj Bratislavsky kraj Kosicky kraj Nitriansky kraj Presovsky kraj Trenciansky kraj Trnavsky kraj Zilinsky kraj

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 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; 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)
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 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held in 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%

Legislative branch
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 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14

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 [Bela BUGAR]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU-DS [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]; Parties outside the Parliament: Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Jozef VASKEBA]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter TATAR]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Hope or NADEJ [Alexandra NOVOTNA]; Left-wing Bloc or LB [Jozef KALMAN]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak National Coalition or SLNKO [Vitazoslav MORIC]; Slovak People's Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK]

International organization participation: ACCT (observer) Australia Group BIS BSEC (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 UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNDOF 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 Rastislav KACER
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 consulates general: Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rodolphe 'Skip' M. VALLEE
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

Economy overview: 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. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-06 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04 dropped to 10.2% in 2006 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $99.19 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 8.3% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $18,200 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.6%
Industry: 31.6%
Services: 64.8% (2006 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: 7.8% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 2.658 million (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 5.8%
By occupation industry: 29.3%
By occupation construction: 9%
By occupation services: 55.9% (2003)

Unemployment rate: 10.2% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line: 21% (2002)

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 25.8 (1996)

Budget
Revenues: $25.63 billion
Expenditures: $27.02 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt: 35% of GDP (2006 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.5% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $5.574 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $-4.579 billion (2006 est.)

Exports: $41.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
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 23.7% Czech Republic 14.1% Italy 6.5% Poland 6.2% Austria 6% Hungary 5.8% France 4.3% Netherlands 4.2% (2006)

Imports: $44.95 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
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 23.6% Czech Republic 18.2% Russia 11% Hungary 6% Austria 5.5% Poland 4.9% Italy 4.4% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $13.36 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $28.95 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $19.08 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $987.1 million (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 29.611 (2006) 31.018 (2005) 32.257 (2004) 36.773 (2003) 45.327 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 29.89 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 24.93 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 11.27 billion kWh (2005)
Imports: 8.005 billion kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 141.9 million m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 6.231 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 354.9 million m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 6.396 billion m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 14.39 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.167 million (2006)
Mobile cellular: 4.893 million (2006)

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

Internet
Country code: .sk
Hosts: 821,816 (2007)
Users: 2.256 million (2006)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.87% (2005 est.)

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

Airports: 35 (2007)
With paved runways total: 20
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 15
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 8
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2006)

Railways
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) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 42,993 km
Paved: 37,533 km (includes 316 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 5,460 km (2004)

Waterways: 172 km (on Danube River) (2005)

Merchant marine
Total: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 260,766 GRT/361,651 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 45, refrigerated cargo 3
Foreign owned: 46 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 2, Greece 4, Israel 6, Italy 1, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 11, Ukraine 10, UK 1) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Bratislava Komarno

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 must implement the strict Schengen border rules

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