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Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

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This page was last updated on 30 June, 2005

Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order

| Introduction | Slovakia | Top of Page

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 joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

| Geography | Slovakia | Top of Page

Location: | Central Europe, south of Poland
Geographic coordinates: | 48 40 N, 19 30 E
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km
Area - comparative: | about twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries: | total: 1,524 km border countries: 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 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: 30.16% permanent crops: 2.62% other: 67.22% (2001)
Irrigated land: | 1,740 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | NA
Environment - current issues: | air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests

Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

| People | Slovakia | Top of Page

Population: | 5,431,363 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17.1% (male 475,263/female 453,340) 15-64 years: 71% (male 1,919,222/female 1,939,097) 65 years and over: 11.9% (male 241,610/female 402,831) (2005 est.)
Median age: | total: 35.43 years male: 33.85 years female: 37.25 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.15% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: | 10.62 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: | 9.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/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 (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 74.5 years male: 70.52 years female: 78.68 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak
Ethnic groups: | Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Religions: | Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)
Languages: | Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

| Government | Slovakia | Top of Page

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: | 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 Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004)
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 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held 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%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002
note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO

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 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held September 2006)
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 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12), opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union 5, and independents 10)

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]; Direction (Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; 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]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Peter SULOVSKY]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N. THAYER embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096
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 | Slovakia | Top of Page

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. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-04, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $78.89 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $14,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3.5% industry: 30.1% services: 66.4% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 24% of GDP (2004 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)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 7.5% (2004 est.)
Labor force: | 2.2 million (3rd quarter, 2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)
Unemployment rate: | 13.1% (31 December 2004 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $15.44 billion expenditures: $16.7 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Public debt: | 46.6% of GDP (2004 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: | 5.1% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production: | 31.15 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption: | 28.89 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 8 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 6 billion kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 82,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA
Oil - imports: | NA
Oil - proved reserves: | 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: | 190 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 6.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 6.6 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 7.504 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $-1.4 billion (2004 est.)
Exports: | $29.24 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: | vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4%% (2004 est.)
Exports - partners: | Germany 35.7%, Czech Republic 13.4%, Austria 8.6%, Italy 5.6%, US 4.8%, Poland 4.8%, Hungary 4.3% (2004)
Imports: | $29.67 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)
Imports - partners: | Germany 29.6%, Czech Republic 17.1%, Russia 9.5%, Austria 7.1%, Italy 5.4%, Hungary 4.3% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $14.91 billion (2004 est.)
Debt - external: | $19.54 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $2.2 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)
Currency: | Slovak koruna (SKK)
Currency code: | SKK
Exchange rates: | koruny per US dollar - 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001), 46.035 (2000)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Slovakia | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 1,294,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 3,678,800 (2003)

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: country code - 421; 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

Radio broadcast stations: | AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: | 6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)
Internet country code: | .sk
Internet hosts: | 89,592 (2004)
Internet users: | 1,375,800 (2003)

| Transportation | Slovakia | Top of Page

Railways: | total: 3,661 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 49 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2003)
Highways: | total: 42,970 km paved: 37,698 km (including 302 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,272 km (2002)
Waterways: | 172 km (on Danube River) (2004)
Pipelines: | gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: | Bratislava, Komarno
Merchant marine: | total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 18 (Bulgaria 8, Estonia 1, Greece 1, Syria 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 1) (2005)
Airports: | 34 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Heliports: | 1 (2004 est.)

| Military | Slovakia | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army of the Slovak Republic (Armady Slovenskej Republika): Land Command, Air Forces (Vozdushne Sily), Training and Support Command, Logistics Command (2005)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: | complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces were volunteers as of January 2005; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service (January 2005)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 18-49: 1,351,848 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,089,645 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 41,544 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $406 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.89% (2002)

| Transnational Issues | Slovakia | Top of Page

Disputes - international:

Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue 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

This page was last updated on 30 June, 2005