Slovakia
Slovak Republic
Capital: Bratislava
History
Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
49,035
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
1,474
km
|
| Border Countries |
Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 197 km, Hungary 676 km, Poland 420 km, Ukraine 90 km |
| Coastline |
0
km
|
| Terrain |
rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south |
| Minimum Elevation |
94
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
2,655
m
|
| Climate |
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
| Natural Resources |
brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land |
| Arable Land |
28.36% |
| Permanent Crops |
0.41% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$77.82 billion |
| Export Items |
machinery and electrical equipment 35.9%, vehicles 21%, base metals 11.3%, chemicals and minerals 8.1%, plastics 4.9% (2009 est.) |
| Export Partners |
Germany 21.4%, Czech Republic 15.1%, Poland 7.9%, Hungary 7.8%, Austria 7.5%, France 6.7%, Italy 5.2% (2011) |
| Imports |
$74.29 billion |
| Import Items |
machinery and transport equipment 31%, mineral products 13%, vehicles 12%, base metals 9%, chemicals 8%, plastics 6% (2009 est.) |
| Import Partners |
Germany 19.3%, Czech Republic 18.5%, Russia 11.4%, Hungary 7%, Poland 5.5%, Austria 4.6%, Italy 4.1%, China 4% (2011) |
People
| Population |
5,488,339 |
| Population Growth |
0.09% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census) |
| Life Expectancy |
76.24 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.94 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
0.1 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
