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.

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)

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

Population: 5,470,306 (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 111
Growth rate: 0.129% (2010 est.)
Growth rate rank: 185
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: 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) (2010 est.)

Median age
Total: 37.3 years
Male: 35.7 years
Female: 38.9 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.129% (2010 est.)
Rank: 185

Birth rate: 10.55 births/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 184

Death rate: 9.56 deaths/1000 population (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 62

Net migration rate: 0.29 migrant(s)/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 66

Urbanization
Urban population: 56% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: 1.051 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 (2010 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.71 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 170
Male: 7.83 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 5.53 deaths/1000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.62 years
Rank: 79
Male: 71.7 years
Female: 79.74 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Rank: 205

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 159
People living with hivaids: fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 158
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2001 est.)
Deaths rank: 132

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 129

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: 16 years (2008)

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

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC
Head of government: Prime Minister Iveta RADICOVA (since 8 July 2010); Deputy Prime Ministers Jan FIGEL Ivan MIKLOS Jozef MIHAL Rudolf CHMEL (since 9 July 2010)
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 on 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 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 elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 12 June 2010 (next to be held in June 2014)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 34.8% SDKU-DS 15% SaS 12.1% KDH 8.5% Most-Hid 8.1% SNS 5.1% other 16.2%; seats by party - Smer 62 SDKU-DS 28 SaS 22 KDH 15 Most-Hid 14 SNS 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: Bridge or Most-Hid [Bela BUGAR]; Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Jan FIGEL]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Freedom and Solidarity or SaS [Richard SULIK]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-Democratic Party or SDKU-DS [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]
Selected parties outside the parliament: Alliance for a Europe of Nations or AZEN [Milan URBANI]; Association of Slovak Workers or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter ZAJAC]; Green Party or SZ [Peter PILINSKY]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Marek BLAHA]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Jozsef BERENYI]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; People's Party - Our Slovakia or LSNS [Marian KOTLEBA]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef HRDLICKA]; Union - Party for Slovakia or Unia [Milan CELIK]

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD EIB EMU EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITU ITUC MIGA NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SECI (observer) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNFICYP UNIDO UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCO 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 Theodore SEDGWICK
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 derive from the Pan-Slav colors; the Slovakian coat of arms (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills) is centered over the bands but offset slightly to the hoist side
Note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia

National anthem
Name: 'Nad Tatrou sa blyska'
Lyricsmusic: Janko MATUSKA/traditional
Note: adopted 1993 in use since 1844; the anthem's music is based on the Slovak folk song 'Kopala studienku'

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 7.7% in 2008 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. FICO's cabinet was careful to keep a lid on spending in order to meet euro adoption criteria and has focused on regulating energy and food prices instead. To maintain a stable operating environment for investors the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development advised the Slovak government to refrain from intervening in important sectors of the economy. However Bratislava's approach to mitigating the economic slowdown has included substantial government intervention and the option to nationalize strategic companies. Slovakia was admitted to the euro zone in January 2009. RADICOVA's government in power since July 2010 has allowed the budget deficit to rise slightly to 8.2% of GDP in 2010. GDP fell nearly 5% in 2009 before gaining back 4% in 2010 and unemployment rose above 12% in 2010 as the global recession impacted many segments of the economy.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 62
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 82

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 57
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.7%
Industry: 35.6%
Services: 61.8% (2010 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: 7.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 35

Labor force: 2.673 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 107
By occupation agriculture: 3.5%
By occupation industry: 27%
By occupation services: 69.4% (December 2009)

Unemployment rate: 11.4% (2009 est.)
Rank: 133

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: 26.3 (1996)
Rank: 130

Public debt: 35.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 66

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.6% (2009 est.)
Rank: 27

Central bank discount rate: 3% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 124
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:

Stock of narrow money: $34.1 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Rank: 52
Note: this figure represents the US dollar value of Slovak koruny in circulation prior to Slovakia joining the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Stock of broad money: $52.68 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 66

Stock of domestic credit: $64.25 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 58

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 80

Current account balance: -$2.819 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 156

Exports: $55.32 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 46
Commodities: machinery and electrical equipment 35.9% vehicles 21% base metals 11.3% chemicals and minerals 8.1% plastics 4.9% (2009 est.)
Partners: Germany 20.1% Czech Republic 12.9% France 7.8% Poland 7.2% Hungary 6.3% Italy 6.1% Austria 5.8% UK 4.8% (2009)

Imports: $53.67 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 41
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 31% mineral products 13% vehicles 12% base metals 9% chemicals 8% plastics 6% (2009 est.)
Partners: Germany 16.8% Czech Republic 12.3% Russia 9% South Korea 6.8% China 5.8% Hungary 5.3% Poland 4% (2009)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external: $52.53 billion (31 December 2008)
Rank: 50

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $50.26 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 53

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $2.743 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 63

Exchange rates: Slovak koruny (SKK) per US dollar - 0.774 (2010) 0.718 (2009) 21.05 (2008) 24.919 (2007) 29.611 (2006)

Electricity
Production: 25.9 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 65
Consumption: 28.75 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 61
Exports: 8.891 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 9.412 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 103 million m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 78
Consumption: 6.493 billion m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 54
Exports: 15 million m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 44
Imports: 6.974 billion m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 28
Proven reserves: 14.16 billion m³ (1 January 2010 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 78

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.022 million (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 77
Mobile cellular: 5.498 million (2009)
Mobile cellular rank: 92

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: state-owned public broadcaster Slovak Television (STV) operates 3 national TV stations; roughly 35 privately-owned television broadcast stations operating nationally regionally and locally; about 40% of households are connected to multi-channel cable or satellite TV systems; channels from the Czech Republic and Hungary are widely viewed; state-owned public radio operates multiple national and regional networks; more than 20 privately-owned radio stations (2008)

Internet
Country code: .sk
Hosts: 1.133 million (2010)
Hosts rank: 41
Users: 4.063 million (2009)
Users rank: 58

Military expenditures: 1.87% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 81

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve (2010)

Airports: 36 (2010)
Rank: 107
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 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 7 (2010)

Heliports: 1 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2009)

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: 85
Paved: 38,085 km (includes 384 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 5,676 km (2008)

Waterways: 172 km (on Danube River) (2009)
Rank: 100

Merchant marine
Total: 23
Rank: 97
By type: bulk carrier 1 cargo 19 refrigerated cargo 3
Foreign owned: 21 (Germany 4 Greece 1 Ireland 1 Italy 2 Montenegro 1 Poland 2 Slovenia 1 Turkey 2 Ukraine 7) (2010)

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 has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

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