Background: After centuries under foreign rule, mainly by Hungary, the Slovaks joined with their neighbors to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. 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 was an independent country turning toward the West. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia has experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in developing a modern market economy.

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: 1,355 km
border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 515 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 90 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: Gerlachovka 2,655 m

Natural resources: brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt

Land use:
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 17%
forests and woodland: 41%
other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 800 sq km (1993 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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography—note: landlocked

Population: 5,396,193 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 551,847; female 528,236)
15-64 years: 69% (male 1,837,788; female 1,861,305)
65 years and over: 11% (male 237,710; female 379,307) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 9.52 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.43 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 9.48 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.46 years
male: 69.71 years
female: 77.4 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.2 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Slovak(s)
adjective: Slovak

Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.7%, Gypsy 1.5% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which is about 500,000), Czech 1%, Ruthenian 0.3%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.3%

Religions: Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%

Languages: Slovak (official), Hungarian

Literacy: NA

Country name:
conventional long form: Slovak Republic
conventional short form: Slovakia
local long form: Slovenska Republika
local short form: Slovensko

Data code: LO

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Bratislava

Administrative divisions: 8 departments (kraje, singular—kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky

Independence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

National holiday: Slovak Constitution Day, 1 September (1992); Anniversary of Slovak National Uprising, 29 August (1944)

Constitution: ratified 1 September 1992, fully effective 1 January 1993

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 (vacant); note—President NOVAC retired at the end of his term; the government has announced its intention to hold direct presidential election in early 1999; in the meantime the prime minister takes over the president's duties
head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by National Council secret ballot that must yield a three-fifths majority for a five-year term; election last held NA March 1998 but no candidate was able to win a three-fifths majority required by law (next to be held NA 1999); 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: presidency vacant

Legislative branch: unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovensky Repubiky (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25-26 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party—HZDS 27%, SDK 16.3%, SDL 14.7%, SMK 9.1%, SNS 9.1%, SOP 8%; seats by party—governing coalition 93 (SDK 42, SDL 23, SMK 15, SOP 13), opposition 57 (HZDS 43, SNS 14)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are elected by the National Council; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders: Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR, chairman]; Slovak Democratic Coalition or SDK (includes KDH, DS, DU, SSDS, SZS) [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Jozef MIGAS, chairman]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK (includes MKDH, MOS, and Coexistence) [Bela BUGAR]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA, chairman]; Party of Civic Understanding or SOP [Rudolf SCHUSTER, chairman]; Hungarian Christian Democratic Movement or MKDH [Bela BUGAR]; Hungarian Civic Party or MOS [Laszlo A. NAGY, president]; Coexistence [Miklos DURAY, chairman]; Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Jan CARNOGURSKY, chairman]; Democratic Union or DU [Jozef MORAVCIK, chairman]; Association of Slovak Workers or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Slovakia or SSDS [Jaroslav VOLF, chairman]; Party of Greens in Slovakia or SZS [Zdenka TOTHOVA, chairman]; Democratic Party or DS [Jan LANGOS, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Party of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen of Slovakia; Christian Social Union; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG; Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUA, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Martin BUTORA
chancery: (temporary) Suite 250, 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 965-5161
FAX: [1] (202) 965-5166

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph R. JOHNSON
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [42] (7) 5443-0861, 5443-3338
FAX: [42] (7) 5443-5439

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—overview: Slovakia, continuing the difficult transition from a centrally controlled economy to a modern market-oriented economy, begins 1999 with clouds on the horizon: GDP growth is slowing sharply; budget and current account deficits are too large; external debt is growing uncomfortably fast; unemployment is high and rising; corrupt insider deals persist; and demand is weakening for Slovakia's key primary goods exports, especially as Russia and Ukraine slump and as EU growth slows. International credit rating agencies have downgraded Slovak debt to below investment grade. The new government intends to address the economy's ills by giving priority to joining the OECD and EU, cutting government wage and infrastructure spending, boosting some taxes and regulated prices, expanding privatization to companies formerly considered strategic, restructuring the financial section, encouraging foreign investment, and reenergizing the social partnership with labor and employers. Government officials believe as long as two years may be needed before its structural reforms improve economic performance. In 1999, the government expects GDP growth to slow from 5% in 1998 to 2%, inflation to rise from 6% to 10%, and unemployment to rise from less than 14% to 15% or 16%, but hopes to bring the budget deficit down to no more than 2% of GDP and the current account deficit down to 5% to 6% of GDP.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$44.5 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 5% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$8,300 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 33.4%
services: 61.8% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 5.1%
highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.4% (1998)

Labor force: 3.32 million (1997)

Labor force—by occupation: industry 29.3%, agriculture 8.9%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.4 billion
expenditures: $6.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)

Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, and 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: 2.7% (1997)

Electricity—production: 25.81 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 35.57%
hydro: 20.81%
nuclear: 43.62%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 26.353 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 2.607 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 3.15 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

Exports: $10.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment 37%; intermediate manufactured goods 30%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%; chemicals 9%; raw materials 4% (1998)

Exports—partners: EU 56% (Germany 29%), Czech Republic 20%, Austria 7%, Poland 7% (1998)

Imports: $12.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment 40%; intermediate manufactured goods 18%; fuels 11%; chemicals 11%; miscellaneous manufactured goods 10% (1998)

Imports—partners: EU 50% (Germany 26%), Czech Republic 18%, Russia 10%, Italy 6% (1998)

Debt—external: $10.7 billion (1997)

Economic aid—recipient: $421.9 million (1995)

Currency: 1 koruna (Sk) = 100 halierov

Exchange rates: koruny (Sk) per US$1—36.207 (January 1999), 35.233 (1998). 33.616 (1997), 30.654 (1996), 29.713 (1995), 32.045 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Telephones: 1,362,178 (1992 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note—there are 22 private broadcast stations and two public (state) broadcast stations

Radios: 915,000 (1995 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 41 (1997)

Televisions: 1.2 million (1995 est.)

Railways:
total: 3,660 km
broad gauge: 102 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,507 km 1.435-m gauge (1424 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (1996)

Highways:
total: 38,000 km
paved: 37,500 km (including 280 km of expressways)
unpaved: 500 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: 172 km on the Danube

Pipelines: petroleum products NA km; natural gas 2,700 km

Ports and harbors: Bratislava, Komarno

Merchant marine:
total: 3 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,041 GRT/19,517 DWT (1998 est.)

Airports: 15 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Reserve Force (Home Guards), Civil Defense Force

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 1,478,729 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,130,482 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 45,919 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $436 million (1998)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2.1% (1998)

Disputes—international: ongoing Gabcikovo Dam dispute with Hungary is before the International Court of Justice; unresolved property issues with Czech Republic over redistribution of former Czechoslovak federal property

Illicit drugs: minor, but increasing, transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish bound for Western Europe

Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook