General information about Slovakia
The official name is the Slovak Republic, SR (Slovenska Republika, Slovak Republic). Located in Central Europe. Territory 49,035 thousand km2. The population is 5.38 million people. (census 2001). The official language is Slovak. The capital is the city of Bratislava (441 thousand). National holidays: Day of the formation of the Slovak Republic on January 1, Day of the Slavic Preachers Cyril and Methodius on July 2, Constitution Day of the Slovak Republic on September 1, Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising of 1944 on August 29. The monetary unit is the Slovak krone. Member of the UN, Council of Europe, CESST, IMF (since 1993), WTO (since 1995), OECD (since 2000), EU (since 2004).
Geography of Slovakia
According to ALLCITYCODES, Slovakia borders in the north with Poland (597 km), in the east with Ukraine (98 km), in the south with Hungary (679 km), in the west with Austria (127 km) and the Czech Republic (265 km). Up to 70% of the country’s territory is located in the Western Carpathians, which are low and medium-altitude mountains with soft, rounded relief forms. Only the High Tatras in the north of the country have rocky peaks with snowfields, up to 2655 m high (mountain Gerlakhovsky Shtit, the highest point of the Carpathians). To the south, the mountains lower, forming several ridges, elongated in a sublatitudinal direction (Low Tatras, Slovak Ore Mountains) or in a direction from southwest to northeast (Bolshaya and Malaya Fatra, etc.). The lowlands occupy small areas in the southwest (Danubian lowland) and in the southeast (Potis lowland). The main rivers are Vag (the longest river in the country, 350 km), Nitra,Soils: brown forest in hilly areas, alluvial and chernozem in the plains. Forests, usually located on the slopes of mountains, occupy up to 40% of the country’s territory, coniferous and deciduous species are approximately equally divided. The southern slopes of the mountains are covered mainly with broad-leaved (beech, oak) and mixed forests, the northern slopes are covered with coniferous (spruce, fir). The lowlands are mostly cultivated. Wolves, lynxes, deer, roe deer are found in the forests; from small animals – hares, foxes, squirrels, weasels. Brown coal and lignite deposits are located in southwestern Slovakia; deposits of metal ores (iron, manganese, polymetallic), antimony and magnesite are concentrated in Ch. arr. in the Slovak ore mountains. The climate is temperate continental. On the plains, the average temperature in January is from -1° to -3°С, in July from +19° to +21°С. Precipitation averages 650-750 mm per year on the plains, in the mountains – up to 1500 mm per year.
Population of Slovakia
The average population density is 110 people. per 1 km2 (2001). Birth rate 10.1‰, mortality 9.2‰, infant mortality 8.8 people. per 1000 newborns. Average life expectancy is 74.2 years, including 70.2 years for men and 78.4 years for women (2002). The share of the population in the age groups 15-64 years and 65 years and older accounts for 70.1% and 11.6%, respectively (2002 estimate). Women make up 51.5%, men – 48.5%. The retirement age is 60 for men and 53-57 (depending on the number of children) for women. Urban population 57%, rural 43% (1998). National composition: in 2001, Slovaks made up 85.8% of the population, Hungarians – 9.7%, Gypsies – 1.7%, Czechs – 0.8%, Rusyns, Ukrainians, Russians, Germans, etc. – 2%. Languages: Slovak, Hungarian, Romani, Czech. Approximately 70% of the population is Catholic, approx. 7% belong to the Slovak Evangelical Church; Greek Catholic (4%), Reformed (2%), Orthodox and other churches are represented. OK. 16% of the population do not identify themselves with any church denomination.
