Geography

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe and has borders with Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital, Bratislava, is situated in the west of the country, close to the borders with Austria and Hungary.

The total area of Slovakia is 49,053 square kilometres and the mid and the North of the country is mountainous (Carpathian curve), while the South and East are typical lowlands (important agricultural areas). The most important Slovak river is the Danube which connects the Bratislava with Vienna and Budapest. Bratislava and Vienna are the two closest capital cities in Europe with only 60km between them.

History

Slovakia was settled by Celts, Romans and Slavs during its early history, and became part of the Hungarian Empire after the fall of the Great Moravian Empire around 1000. In 1526 the Hungarians were defeated by Turkish forces and the Empire was dismantled. Slovakia resisted the Ottoman occupation and allied itself with the Austrian Habsburg monarchy. Between 1526 and 1784, the Slovak capital Bratislava (known to the Habsburgs as Pressburg) was the nominated capital of the ‘Kingdom of Hungary’ and over a dozen Hapsburg monarchs were crowned in the city. Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, Slovakia became part of the independent republic of Czechoslovakia. In 1939 the first independent Slovak State was founded and it aligned itself with the Nazis during World War II. In 1948 Slovaks voted for a democratic Government but a Communist coup ended with its integration into the Communist State of Czechoslovakia until the 1989 Velvet Revolution. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. Slovakia has been a member state of the European Union since 1 May 2004.

Government

Slovakia (in Slovak: Slovensko) is officially known as Slovenska republika in Slovak and as the Slovak Republic in English. Slovakia is a parliamentary democracy with 150 members of parliament elected for 4 years. President Ivan Gašparovič is the Head of State and was re-elected for 5 years in 2009. The current Prime Minister is Iveta Radicova whose party is the main party in a four party coalition that has been in power since July 2010.

There are 8 self-governing regions in Slovakia (Bratislavsky, Trnavsky, Trenciansky, Nitriansky, Zilinsky, Banskobystricky, Presovsky, and Kosicky), 79 districts, 138 towns and 2891 municipalities (including towns)

Climate

Slovakia is in a moderate climatic zone, with four changing seasons. The average temperature in winter is -2°C (the coldest month is January, the coldest area is the High Tatras), in summer 21°C (the warmest months are July and August; the warmest area is the Danubian Lowland). In some mountain ranges the snow remains on average 130 days per year.

Population

The population of Slovakia is almost 5.4 million with a population density of 110 / square kilometre. The capital, Bratislava, has almost 430,000 inhabitants. The population is made up of many nationalities and ethnic groups: Slovak (84%), Hungarian (9.7%), Roma (3.5%), Czech (0.8%), Ruthenian, Ukrainian, German, Polish and other (2%). The average life expectancy of Slovak men is 70.4 while for women it is women 78.2.

Religion

The vast majority (69%) of Slovaks are Roman Catholic, and the next largest religious groupings are Evangelic and Greek Catholic. Almost 14% of the population is atheist.

Language

The official language is Slovak (Slavonic group of languages). In Bratislava people often speak English or German. A short list of commonly used words and phrases in Slovak can be found here.

Time

Winter time is GMT + 1 hour
Summer time is GMT + 2 hours (end March to end October)

International phone code

+421

Tourism

UNESCO sites

Slovakia has four sites on the UNESCO List of cultural monuments: Spiš Castle and its environs, Banská Štiavnica, Vlkolínec and Bardejov. The UNESCO List of Natural Phenomena contains several caves and abysses of Slovenský kras karst and the Dobšinská ľadová jaskyňa cave. In 2007 the Carpathian primeval beech forests of the Bukovské vrchy and Vihorlatské vrchy Mts. in the east of Slovakia were added to this list. The Fujara, the most typical Slovak musical instrument, is included in the UNESCO List of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Food

The Slovak national dish is "bryndzové halušky" – which consists of a sort of potato dumplings (halušky) with a special sheep cheese (bryndza) and is usually also topped with fried bacon.

Sports

Ice hockey is the most popular spectator sport in Slovakia. The High and Low Tatra Mountains are a popular destination for skiing in winter and hiking in summer. The river along the border between Poland and Slovakia is known for white-water rafting and other adventure sports.

Spas

Slovakia is well-known for its therapeutic spas and Piestany (30 mins drive from Bratislava) is the most popular spa town.

More information on Slovakia can be obtained through the links below:

Government information website
Official Tourism website of Slovakia
Official Tourism website of Bratislava