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Introduction | Slovakia

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

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: 29.23% permanent crops: 2.67% other: 68.1% (2005)
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

Population: | 5,439,448 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 465,304/female 443,967) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 1,929,448/female 1,947,735) 65 years and over: 12% (male 244,609/female 408,385) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 35.8 years male: 34.2 years female: 37.6 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.15% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 10.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 9.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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 (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 74.73 years male: 70.76 years female: 78.89 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.33 children born/woman (2006 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: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2001 est.)

Government | Slovakia

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, 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 Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan MIKLOS and Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Daniel LIPSIC and Jirko MALCHAREK (since October 2005)
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 reappointed prime minister October 2002 following general elections the previous month
note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH

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 17 June 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 53 (SDKU 23, SMK 20, ANO 10), opposition 97 (Smer 27, HZDS-LS 22, KDH 15, KSS 9, and independents 24) (February 2006)

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:

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 [Jan SLOTA]

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:

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), 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, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), 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, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Rodolphe "Skip" M. VALLEE 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 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 | Slovakia

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 2001-05, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, dropped to 11.4% in 2005, but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $85.56 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $42.74 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 5.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $15,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 5.5% industry: 28.4% services: 66.1% (2005 est.)
Labor force: | 2.24 million (30 September 2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)
Unemployment rate: | 11.4% (2005 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: | 25.8 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.7% (2005)
Investment (gross fixed): | 25.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $22.7 billion expenditures: $23.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 16.9% of GDP (2005 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: | 3.3% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production: | 30.57 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 30.3% hydro: 16% nuclear: 53.6% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 24.8 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: | 10.59 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: | 8.731 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production: | 3,808 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 71,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: | 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: | 165 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 6.72 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 1 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 6.949 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $-2.15 billion (2005 est.)
Exports: | $32.39 billion f.o.b. (2005 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)
Exports - partners: | Germany 34.4%, Czech Republic 14.6%, Austria 8.2%, Italy 5.8%, Poland 5.3%, US 4.5%, Hungary 4.3% (2004)
Imports: | $34.48 billion f.o.b. (2005 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 26%, Czech Republic 21.3%, Russia 9.1%, Austria 6.6%, Poland 4.9%, Italy 4.9% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $15.5 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $26.54 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $12.67 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2007-13)
Currency (code): | Slovak koruna (SKK)
Currency code: | SKK
Exchange rates: | koruny per US dollar - 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Slovakia

Telephones - main lines in use: | 1,250,400 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 4,275,200 (2004)

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)
Radios: | 3.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)
Televisions: | 2.62 million (1997)
Internet country code: | .sk
Internet hosts: | 135,991 (2005)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 6 (2000)
Internet users: | 2.276 million (2005)

Transportation | Slovakia

Airports: | 34 (2005)
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 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2005)
Heliports: | 1 (2005)
Pipelines: | gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)
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) (2004)
Roadways: | total: 42,993 km paved: 37,533 km (including 313 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,460 km (2003)
Waterways: | 172 km (on Danube River) (2005)
Merchant marine: | total: 39 ships (1000 GRT or over) 204,146 GRT/287,586 DWT by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 33, chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 38 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 1, Greece 5, Israel 6, Syria 2, Turkey 8, Ukraine 8, UK 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Cyprus 1) (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Bratislava, Komarno

Military | Slovakia

Military branches: | Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily), Training and Support Forces (Vycviku a Podpory Sily) (2005)
Military service age and obligation: | complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force went into effect at the beginning of 2006 after 140 years of mandatory army service; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years (2005)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,351,848 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,089,645 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males: 41,544 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $406 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.87% FY05 (2005)

Transnational Issues | Slovakia

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 29 March, 2006