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| Slovakia |

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 water: 45 sq km land: 48,800 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-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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
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: | 5,423,567 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 485,523; female 463,173) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 1,908,425; female 1,929,861) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 239,081; female 397,504) (2004 est.)
Median age: | total: 35.1 years male: 33.5 years female: 36.9 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.14% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: | 10.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: | 9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 74.19 years male: 70.21 years female: 78.37 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.31 children born/woman (2004 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 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Roma 1.6% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which is about 500,000), Czech, Moravian, Silesian 1.1%, Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.6%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.2% (1996)
Religions: | Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%
Languages: | Slovak (official), Hungarian
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Government | Slovakia

Country name: | conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local short form: Slovensko local long form: Slovenska Republika
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 note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO 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
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) 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) elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 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)
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, PFP, 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 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054
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

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 2001-03 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded expectations in 2001-03, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003, remains the economy's Achilles heel. The government faces other strong challenges in 2004, especially cutting the budget deficit, containing inflation, and strengthening the health care system.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $72.29 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 3.9% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $13,300 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 5.9% industry: 47.9% services: 46.2% (2003)
Investment (gross fixed): | 25.8% of GDP (2003)
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): | 8.6% (2003 est.)
Labor force: | 2.58 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 8.9%, industry 29.3%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)
Unemployment rate: | 15.2% (2003 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $12.03 billion expenditures: $13.69 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Public debt: | 37.6% of GDP (2003)
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: | 7.2% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: | 30.29 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 24.41 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 5.141 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 1.381 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 82,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: | 4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: | 292 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 7.932 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 7.205 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 7.504 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: | $-277.4 million (2003)
Exports: | $21.25 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 39.4%, intermediate manufactured goods 27.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8% (1999)
Exports - partners: | Germany 37.2%, Czech Republic 12%, Austria 9.8%, Italy 5.4%, Poland 4.7%, US 4.7%, Hungary 4.2% (2003)
Imports: | $21.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 37.7%, intermediate manufactured goods 18%, fuels 13%, chemicals 11%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)
Imports - partners: | Germany 27.5%, Czech Republic 18.3%, Russia 10.8%, Austria 6.4%, Italy 5.6%, Poland 4.1%, Hungary 4% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: | $11.74 billion (2003)
Debt - external: | $18.31 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | ODA $113 million (2000),; $92 million EU structural adjustment funds (2000 est.)
Currency: | Slovak koruna (SKK)
Currency code: | SKK
Exchange rates: | koruny per US dollar - 36.7729 (2003), 45.3267 (2002), 48.3548 (2001), 46.0352 (2000), 41.3628 (1999)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Slovakia

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)
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: | 89,592 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 6 (2000)
Internet users: | 1,375,800 (2003)

Transportation | Slovakia

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: 42,717 km paved: 37,036 km (including 296 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,681 km (2000)
Waterways: | 172 km (on Danube River) (2004)
Pipelines: | gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: | Bratislava, Komarno
Merchant marine: | total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT by type: bulk 4, cargo 4 foreign-owned: Bulgaria 3, Estonia 1, Greece 1, India 1, Liberia 1, Panama 1 (2004 est.)
Airports: | 34 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
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 (2003 est.)

Military | Slovakia

Military branches: | Ground Forces (including Home Guard [Domobrana]), Air and Air Defense Forces (January 2003)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age (conscripts serve nine months of basic military service; term of service will be reduced to six months effective 2004) complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces will be volunteers by December 2004; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscripts serve 9 months of basic military service; service obligation reduced to 6 months effective 2004 (October 2004)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,477,017 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,129,935 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 43,029 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $406 million (2002)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.89% (2002)

Transnational Issues | Slovakia

Disputes - international: | Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, many of whom had protested the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the ICJ for final resolution
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 10 February, 2005