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F.CK HUNGARY
F.CK HUNGARY


under continuerical fascism|clerical fascist]] leader [[Jozef Tiso]], declared its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1939. However, the government was strongly influenced by Germany and
===== Twentieth century =====
In 1918, Slovakia and the regions of [[Bohemia]] and [[Moravia]] formed a common state, [[Czechoslovakia]], with the borders confirmed by the [[Treaty of Saint Germain]] and [[Treaty of Trianon]]. In 1919, during the chaos following the breakup of Austria-Hungary, Slovakia was attacked by the provisional [[Hungarian Soviet Republic]] and one-third of Slovakia temporarily became the [[Slovak Soviet Republic]].

During the inter-war period, democratic and prosperous Czechoslovakia was under continuous pressure from the [[Revanchism|revisionist]] governments of Germany and Hungary, until it was finally broken up in 1939, as a result of the [[Munich Agreement]] concluded a year before. Southern Slovakia was lost to Hungary due to the [[First Vienna Award]].

Under pressure from [[Nazi Germany]], the [[First Slovak Republic]], led by the [[clerical fascism|clerical fascist]] leader [[Jozef Tiso]], declared its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1939. However, the government was strongly influenced by Germany and gradually became a [[puppet regime]]. An anti-Nazi resistance movement launched a fierce armed insurrection, known as the [[Slovak National Uprising]], in 1944. A bloody German occupation and a guerilla war followed. Most [[Jew]]s were deported from the country and taken to German concentration camps during [[the Holocaust]].

After [[World War II]], Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and Jozef Tiso was hanged in 1947 for collaboration with the Nazis. More than [[Hungarians in Slovakia#Population exchanges|76,000 Hungarians]]<ref>[http://www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2003/Erika%20Harris.pdf Management of the Hungarian Issue in Slovak Politics]</ref> and 32,000 Germans<ref>[http://www.saske.sk/cas/4-98/olejnik.html German minority in Slovakia after 1918 (''Nemecká menšina na Slovensku po roku 1918'') (in Slovak)]</ref> were forced to leave Slovakia, in a series of [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|population transfers]] initiated by the Allies at the [[Potsdam Conference]]. <ref name='rock'>{{cite book | last = Rock | first = David | authorlink = | coauthors = Stefan Wolff | title = Coming home to Germany? : the integration of ethnic Germans from central and eastern Europe in the Federal Republic | publisher = Berghahn |date=2002 | location = New York; Oxford | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = }}</ref> This expulsion is still a source of tension between Slovakia and Hungary.{{fact|date=April 2008}}

Czechoslovakia came under the influence of the [[Soviet Union]] and its [[Warsaw Pact]] after a coup in 1948. The country was [[Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968)|occupied]] by the Warsaw Pact forces in 1968, ending a [[Prague Spring|period of liberalization]] under the leadership of [[Alexander Dubček]]. In 1969, Czechoslovakia became a [[federation]] of the Czech Socialist Republic and the [[Slovak Socialist Republic]].

The end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989, during the peaceful [[Velvet Revolution]], was followed once again by the country's dissolution, this time into two [[successor state]]s. In July 1992 Slovakia, led by Prime Minister [[Vladimír Mečiar]], declared itself a sovereign state, meaning that its laws took precedence over those of the federal government. Throughout the Autumn of 1992, Mečiar and Czech Prime Minister [[Václav Klaus]] negotiated the details for disbanding the federation. In November the federal parliament voted to dissolve the country officially on December 31, 1992. Slovakia and the Czech Republic went their separate ways after January 1, 1993, an event sometimes called the [[Dissolution of Czechoslovakia|Velvet Divorce]]. Slovakia has remained a close partner with the Czech Republic and other countries within the [[Visegrad Group]]. Slovakia became a member of the [[European Union]] on May 1, 2004 and of [[NATO]] on March 29, 2004.


==Geography==
==Geography==

Revision as of 17:33, 21 May 2008

For other uses, see the European country.
"Slovensko" redirects here. For the whole Slovene-inhabited territories in Central Europe, see Slovene Lands.
Slovak Republic
Slovenská republika
Motto: "Afferant Montes Pacem Populo"
"May mountains bring people peace"
Anthem: Nad Tatrou sa blýska
"Lightning over the Tatras"
Location of Slovakia (orange) – in Europe (tan & white) – in the European Union (tan)  [Legend]
Location of Slovakia (orange)

– in Europe (tan & white)
– in the European Union (tan)  [Legend]

Capital
and largest city
Bratislava
Official languagesSlovak
Demonym(s)Slovak
GovernmentParliamentary republic
• President
Ivan Gašparovič
Robert Fico
Independence 
Peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia
• Date
January 1 19931
Area
• Total
49,035 km2 (18,933 sq mi) (130th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2001 census
5,379,455
• Density
111/km2 (287.5/sq mi) (88th)
GDP (PPP)2007 estimate
• Total
$109.587 billion (59th)
• Per capita
$20,251 (41st)
GDP (nominal)2007 IMF estimate
• Total
$55.103 billion (60th)
• Per capita
$13,227 (44th)
HDI (2004)Increase 0.863
Error: Invalid HDI value (42nd)
CurrencySlovak koruna (1 koruna = 100 haliers) (SKK)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code421
ISO 3166 codeSK
Internet TLD.sk²
1 Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; see Velvet Divorce.
² Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.
³ Shared code 42 with Czech Republic until 1997.

Slovakia (long form: Slovak Republic; Slovak: Audio file "Slovensko.ogg" not found, long form Audio file "Slovenska republika.ogg" not found) is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (almost 19,000 square miles). The Slovak Republic borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, OECD, WTO, and other international organizations.

The Slavic people arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia between the 5th and 6th century AD during the Migration Period (Migration of Nations). Various parts of Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire, the first known political unit of Slavs, Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg (Austrian) monarchy, Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia throughout history. Slovakia became independent on January 1, 1993 with the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia in the Velvet Divorce.

History

Main article: History of Slovakia
Before the 5th century
A Roman inscription at the castle hill of Trenčín (178-179 AD).
File:Vienna & Bratislava 332.JPG
Bratislava Castle

From around 450 BC, the territory of modern-day Slovakia was settled by Celts, who built powerful oppida on the sites of modern-day Bratislava and Havránok. Biatecs, silver coins with the names of Celtic kings, represent the first known use of writing in Slovakia. From 2 AD, the expanding Roman Empire established and maintained a chain of outposts around and just north of the Danube, the largest of which were known as Vindobona, Carnuntum and Brigetio. Near the northernmost line of the Roman hinterlands, Limes Romanus there existed the winter camp of Laugaricio (modern-day Trenčín) where the Auxiliary of Legion II fought and prevailed in a decisive battle over the Germanic Quadi tribe in 179 AD during the Marcomannic Wars. The Kingdom of Vannius, a barbarian kingdom founded by the Germanic Suebian tribes of Quadi and Marcomanni, as well as several small Germanic and Celtic tribes, including the Osi and Cotini, existed in Western and Central Slovakia from 8-6 BC to 179 AD.

Slavic states

The Slavic tribes settled in the territory of Slovakia in the 5th century. Western Slovakia was the centre of Samo's Empire in the 7th century. A Slavic state, known as the Principality of Nitra, arose in the 8th century and its ruler Pribina had the first known Christian church in Slovakia consecrated by 828. Together with neighboring Moravia, the principality formed the core of the Great Moravian Empire from 833. The high point of this Slavonic empire came with the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 863, during the reign of Prince Rastislav, and the territorial expansion under King Svatopluk I.

F.CK HUNGARY

under continuerical fascism|clerical fascist]] leader Jozef Tiso, declared its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1939. However, the government was strongly influenced by Germany and

Geography

Main article: Geography of Slovakia
See also: Geomorphological division of Slovakia
A topographical map of Slovakia.
The main ridge of the Kriváň Lesser Fatra.

The Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous nature, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country. Amongst these mountain ranges are the high peaks of the Tatra mountains.[1] To the north, close to the Polish border, are the High Tatras which are a popular skiing destination and home to many scenic lakes and valleys as well as the highest point in Slovakia, the Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 metres (8,711 ft), and the country's highly symbolic mountain Kriváň.

Major Slovak rivers are the Danube, the Váh and the Hron.

The Slovak climate lies between the temperate and continental climate zones with relatively warm summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters. The area of Slovakia can be divided into three kinds of climatic zones and the first zone can be divided into two sub-zones.

Climate of lowlands

Dominance of oceanic influences

The average annual temperature is about 9-10°C. The average temperature of the hottest month is about 20°C and the average temperature of the coldest month is greater than −3°C. This kind of climate occurs at Záhorská nížina and Podunajská nížina. It is the typical climate of the capital city Bratislava.[2]

Climate of lowlands with dominance of continental influences

The average annual temperature is about 8–9°C. The average temperature of the hottest month is about 19°C and the average temperature of the coldest month is less than −3°C. This kind of climate can be found at Košická kotlina and Východoslovenská nížina. It is the typical climate of the city of Košice.[3]

Climate of basins

The average annual temperature is between 5°C and 8.5°C. The average temperature of the hottest month is between 15°C and 18.5°C and the average temperature of the coldest month is between −3°C and −6°C. This climate can be found in almost all basins in Slovakia. For example Podtatranská kotlina, Žilinská kotlina, Turčianska kotlina, Zvolenská kotlina. It is the typical climate for the towns of Poprad[4] and Sliač.[5]

Mountain climate

The average annual temperature is less than 5°C. The average temperature of the hottest month is less than 15°C and the average temperature of the coldest month is less than −5°C. This kind of climate occurs in mountains and in some villages in the valleys of Orava and Spiš.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Slovakia

The majority of the inhabitants of Slovakia are ethnically Slovak (85.8%). Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority (9.7%). Other ethnic groups, as of the 2001 census, include Roma with 1.7%, Ruthenians or Ukrainians with 1%, and other or unspecified, 1.8%.[1]

The official state language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic Language Family, but Hungarian is also widely spoken in the south of the country and enjoys a co-official status in some municipalities, and many people also speak Czech.

The Slovak constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The majority of Slovak citizens (68.9 %) identify themselves with Roman Catholicism (although church attendance is lower); the second-largest group are people without confession (13%). About 6.93% belong to Lutheranism, 4.1% are Greek Catholic, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, Calvinism has 2.0%, other and non-registered churches 1.1% and some (0.9%) are Eastern Orthodox. About 2,300 Jews remain of the large estimated pre-WWII population of 90,000.[6]

In 2007 Slovakia was estimated to have a fertility rate of 1.33.[1] (i.e., the average woman will have 1.33 children in her lifetime), which is one of the lowest numbers among EU countries.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Slovakia
See also: List of rulers of Slovakia, List of Prime Ministers of Slovakia, and List of Presidents of Slovakia
Slovakia's Presidential Palace in Bratislava

Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. The last parliamentary elections were held on June 17, 2006 and two rounds of presidential elections took place on April 3, 2004 and April 17, 2004.

The Slovak head of state is the president (Ivan Gašparovič, 2004 - 2009), elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term. Most executive power lies with the head of government, the prime minister (Robert Fico, 2006 - 2010), who is usually the leader of the winning party, but he/she needs to form a majority coalition in the parliament. The prime minister is appointed by the president. The remainder of the cabinet is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.

Slovakia's highest legislative body is the 150-seat unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic (Národná rada Slovenskej republiky). Delegates are elected for a four-year term on the basis of proportional representation. Slovakia's highest judicial body is the Constitutional Court of Slovakia (Ústavný súd), which rules on constitutional issues. The 13 members of this court are appointed by the president from a slate of candidates nominated by parliament.

Slovakia is a member state of the European Union and NATO since 2004. As a member of the United Nations (since 1993), Slovakia was, on October 10, 2005, elected to a two-year term on the UN Security Council from 2006 to 2007. Slovakia is also a member of WTO, OECD, OSCE, and other international organizations.

Regions and districts

Main articles: Regions of Slovakia and Districts of Slovakia

As for administrative division, Slovakia is subdivided into 8 kraje (singular - kraj, usually translated as "region", but actual meaning is "county"), each of which is named after its principal city. Regions have enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy since 2002. Their self-governing bodies are referred to as Self-governing (or autonomous) Regions (sg. samosprávny kraj, pl. samosprávne kraje) or Upper-Tier Territorial Units (sg. vyšší územný celok, pl. vyššie územné celky, abbr. VÚC).

  1. Bratislava Region (Bratislavský kraj) (capital Bratislava)
  2. Trnava Region (Trnavský kraj) (capital Trnava)
  3. Trenčín Region (Trenčiansky kraj) (capital Trenčín)
  4. Nitra Region (Nitriansky kraj) (capital Nitra)
  5. Žilina Region (Žilinský kraj) (capital Žilina)
  6. Banská Bystrica Region (Banskobystrický kraj) (capital Banská Bystrica)
  7. Prešov Region (Prešovský kraj) (capital Prešov)
  8. Košice Region (Košický kraj) (capital Košice)

(the word kraj can be replaced by samosprávny kraj or by VÚC in each case)

The "kraje" are subdivided into many okresy (sg. okres, usually translated as districts). Slovakia currently has 79 districts. The districts are then subdivided into zuj ("village" or "municipality").

In terms of economics and unemployment rate, the western regions are richer than eastern regions; however the relative difference is no bigger than in most EU countries having regional differences.

See also: List of traditional regions of Slovakia and List of tourism regions of Slovakia

Economy

File:200.sla.01.jpg
One of the forthcoming Slovak euro coins
Main article: Economy of Slovakia

Slovakia has pursued a difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in private hands, and foreign investment has picked up.

Slovakia is characterized by the sustained high economic growth. In 2006, Slovakia reached the highest growth of GDP (8.9%) among the members of OECD. The annual GDP growth in 2007 is estimated at 10,4%, with the record level of 14,3% reached in the fourth quarter.[7]

Unemployment, peaking at 19.2% at the end of 2001, decreased to 7.84% in February 2008 according to the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic.[8] In addition to the economic growth, migration of workers to other EU countries also contributed to this reduction. According to Eurostat, which uses calculation method different from that of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, the unemployment rate is still the highest in the EU at 9.9%.[9]

Inflation dropped from an average annual rate of 12.0% in 2000 to just 3.3% in the election year 2002, but it rose again in 2003-2004 because of increases in taxes and regulated prices. It reached 3.7 % in 2005.

Slovakia plans to adopt the Euro currency on 1 January 2009 and has already entered the ERM II for this purpose (see Slovak euro coins). On may 7, 2008 the European commission approved the Euro in Slovakia.

Slovakia is an attractive country for foreign investors mainly because of its lower labour cost, low tax rates and well educated labour force. In recent years, Slovakia has been pursuing a policy of encouraging foreign investment. FDI inflow grew more than 600% from 2000 and cumulatively reached an all-time high of $17.3 billion USD in 2006, or around $18,000 per capita by the end of 2006.

Despite a sufficient number of researchers and a solid secondary educational system, Slovakia, along with other post-communist countries, still faces many challenges in the field of modern knowledge economy. The business and public research and development expenditures are well below the EU average. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Slovak secondary education as the 30th in the world (placing it just below the United States and just above Spain).[10]

In March 2008, the Ministry of Finance announced that Slovakia's economy is developed enough to stop being an aid receiver from the World Bank. Slovakia will become an aid provider by the end of 2008.[11]

High Tatras.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Slovakia

Slovakia features natural landscapes, mountains, caves, medieval castles and towns, folk architecture, spas and ski resorts.

International rankings

See also

Culture

Holidays

Miscellaneous topics

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Slovakia". The World Factbook. CIA. 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Bratislava at euroWEATHER
  3. ^ Košice at euroWEATHER
  4. ^ Poprad at euroWEATHER
  5. ^ Sliač at euroWEATHER
  6. ^ Vogelsang, Peter (2002). "Deportations". The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Gross domestic product in the 4th quarter of 2007". Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. 3 March 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Slovak unemployment falls to 7.84 pct in Feb from Jan from Thomson Financial News Limited
  9. ^ Euro area unemployment stable at 7.1% at NEWSFOOD.com
  10. ^ Range of rank on the PISA 2006 science scale at OECD
  11. ^ Slovakia Is Sufficiently Developled to Offer Aid Within World Bank at TASR

Further reading

  • Pavel Dvorak: The Early History of Slovakia in Images ISBN 80-85501-34-1
  • Julius Bartl and Dusan Skvarna: Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon ISBN 086-5164444
  • Olga Drobna, Eduard Drobny and Magdalena Gocnikova: Slovakia: The Heart of Europe ISBN 086-5163197
  • Karen Henderson: Slovakia: The Escape from Invisibility ISBN 0415274362
  • Stanislav Kirschbaum: A History of Slovakia : The Struggle for Survival ISBN 0312161255
  • Alfred Horn: Insight Guide: Czech & Slovak Republics ISBN 088-7296556
  • Rob Humphreys: The Rough Guide to the Czech and Slovak Republics ISBN 1858289041
  • Michael Jacobs: Blue Guide: Czech and Slovak Republics ISBN 0393319326
  • Neil Wilson, Richard Nebesky: Lonely Planet World Guide: Czech & Slovak Republics ISBN 1864502126
  • Eugen Lazistan, Fedor Mikovič, Ivan Kučma and Anna Jurečková: Slovakia: A Photographic Odyssey ISBN 086-5165173
  • Lil Junas: My Slovakia: An American's View ISBN 8070906227

External links

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