Location and area
The Slovak Republic is a country located in Central Europe. The geographic centre of Europe is according to many measurements in Slovakia, specifically in the village Kremnické Bane, in the Banská Bystrica Region (N48°44’38” E18°54’48”). Given its geographical position, the territory of Slovakia has always been a major commercial and cultural crossroad. Slovakia is a landlocked country with no access to the sea. The central and northern parts of the country are mountainous (the Carpathian Arch), while for the south and easy lowlands are typical (important agricultural areas). Slovakia covers an area of 49,036 km2 and is approximately 348-times smaller than Russia and about 12-times smaller than Ukraine. Slovakia borders five countries. In the west these are Austria and Czech Republic, on the north Poland, and to the south Hungary, with which Slovakia shares its longest border (654.8 kilometres). The eastern border is with Ukraine, and this is the shortest of all of Slovakia’s borders with neighbouring states (97.8 kilometres). The national language is Slovak, which is a Slavic language, specifically a West Slavic language. State symbols include a state symbol, a state flag, a state seal and a national anthem.
Slovakia has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004 and a member state of the Schengen Area since 2007. The Slovak Republic maintains diplomatic ties with approximately 173 countries and is a member of several international organizations, such as the UN, NATO, the V4 and many others. In the past the official currency in our country was the Slovak crown; however, as of 1 January 2009, when Slovakia became a part of the Euro Area, the euro currency began being used in our country.
Administratively Slovakia is divided into eight self-governing regions. These are the Bratislava, Trnava, Trenčín, Nitra, žilina, Banská Bystrica, Prešov and Košice Regions. The Bratislava Region, with an area of 2,052.62 km2, is the smallest of these regions, covering 4.2% of the Slovak Republic. It lies in the southwest part of the Slovak Republic, where it forms a common border with Austria and Hungary. The Banská Bystrica Region, with an area of 9,454 km2, is the largest self-governing region. It spreads out over the southern part of central Slovakia and borders Hungary to the south, the Košice Region to the east, the Trenčín and Žilina Regions to the north and the Nitra Region to the west. The capital city and at the same time the largest city in Slovakia is Bratislava, which is found in the western part of the country and has a population of approximately 473,000 residents. The most important river of Slovakia, the Danube, links Bratislava with two other capital cities in neighbouring states – Vienna and Budapest.
Slovakia is characterized especially with lowlands in the southern part of the country and mountains in the northern part. It is located in a temperate climatic zone, with the four distinct seasons alternating annually. The average temperature in winter is -2 °C and the coldest month is January. The coldest area in Slovakia is the area of the High Tatras and their near vicinity. In summer the average temperature is 21 °C and the warmest months are July and August. The Tatra Mountains, which are located in the northern part of Slovakia on the border with Poland, are a point of national pride. This mountain range spreads over an area of 786 km², 610 km² of which are in Slovakia. Their alpine character is highlighted by 30 peaks with an elevation above 2,500 m a. s. l. The highest peak in the High Tatras is Gerlachovský štít, with an elevation of 2654.4 metres above sea level. Well known hiking sites in the Tatras include the peaks Lomnický štít (2,633.9 m a. s. l.) and Rysy (2,503 m a. s. l.). The Tatras form an important pillar of tourism in Slovakia, predominately in the winter months, during which many tourists from all of Europe and the whole world come to visit, arriving by airplane to the Poprad-Tatry international airport. The lowest point in Slovakia is found in the south-eastern part of the country along the border with Hungary. This is at Streda nad Bodrogom, where the elevation is only 94 metres above sea level.
Population and language
According to the most recent census from 2011 Slovakia has approximately 5.4 million inhabitants. The composition in terms of nationality is made up predominately of the Slovak nationality, which is claimed by 80% of the population. Approximately 8% declare Hungarian nationality, which is influenced especially by the dense settlement of this minority in the south of the country near the border with Hungary. Further follow in terms of representation the Roma, Czech, Ruthenian and Ukrainian nationalities. With 818,916 residents as of 31 December 2013 the Prešov Region is the largest in Slovakia in terms of population. Its share in the total number of residents of the republic represents 15.1%. Its population density is 91 persons per km2. In contrast, the Trnava Region, with 557,608 residents, is the least populated of all the regions and its representation in the total population of Slovakia is 10.3%. The city with the largest population is the capital Bratislava (approximately 472,966 residents) and the second largest is Košice (approximately 239,369 residents). There are 2,922 municipalities in Slovakia, including the city boroughs in Bratislava and Košice. More than half of the population live in towns or cities (57%), which is result mainly of work opportunities. The portioning of the population between women and men is nearly balanced, with a moderate overbalance of females. According to statistics approximately 110 thousand more women than men live in Slovakia. The most commonly used language is Slovak, which is used by 80% of the population. Minority languages may be used in communication with offices in villages, where the share of that population exceeds 20%. In practice more this relates to more than a hundred Hungarian municipalities, tens of Ruthenian, or Ukrainian, and Roma municipalities and one German municipality.
Religion
According to the newest surveys, up to 84% of residents of the country are believers. Religion in Slovakia is predominately Christian and has a long tradition dating back to the first centuries of the Common Era. Churches operate nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools as well as universities in Slovakia. Slovakia guarantees its resident free religious confession for all religions. Religious education is a compulsory subject at schools for pupils of the Catholic faith, with the subject of ethics taught as an alternative. According to statistics the most represented religion is the Roman-Catholic faith, which makes up nearly 69% of all believers. In second place is the Evangelical faith with a percentage share of 6.9%, and in the third position is the Greek-Catholic faith. The remaining percentage of people consists of those who are not religious (13.7%) or those in whom no religious faith was specified (2.2%). In all 18 churches and various religious communities are registered in Slovakia.
Political system
The Slovak Republic is a parliamentary republic. The highest legislative body is the National Council of the Slovak Republic, which is made up of 150 members of parliament, who are elected by voters every four years. Every citizen of the Slovak Republic who is 18 years or older may vote. The average voter turnout in elections is around 60%. The government of the Slovak Republic is the top body of executive power. It is made up of a chairman minister, a deputy chairman and ministers. The Slovak Republic currently has thirteen ministries, and each one is headed by a minister. At the head of the government stands the prime minister, who is currently, since 2012, Doc. JUDr. Róbert Fico, CSc. The strongest political party in Slovakia is currently the party SMER-SD, which obtained 28.28% of votes in the last election. The president, prime minister and deputy prime minister together make up the highest constitutional officials in the country. The function of the president in Slovakia is more formal and representative, but despite this the president is considered to be the head of state and is the head commander of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic. Currently, Ing. Andrej Kiska is the president of the Slovak Republic.
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