|
Home
Missions
Ministries
Bible
Institute & School
Contact
Us
Careers,
Opportunities in Ministry
|
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 was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002.
|
|
Location:
|
Central Europe,
south of Poland |
|
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) |
|
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:
30.74%
permanent crops: 2.64%
other: 66.62% (1998 est.) |
|
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 |
|
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.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
less than 0.1%
(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% |
|
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 |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of
state: President Rudolf SCHUSTER (since 15 June 1999)
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 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%; note - GASPAROVIC is scheduled to take office on
15 June 2004; 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 67 (SDKU 21,
SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 11), opposition 83 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS
10, People's Union 8, Free Forum 7, and independents 7)
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 [Ivan SIMKO]; 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
[Vojtech TKAC]; 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 |
|
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 Ronald WEISER
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338
FAX: [421] (2) 5441-5148 |
|
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:
4.5%
industry: 34.1%
services: 61.4% (2000) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
8.6%
(2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
3
million (1999) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
industry
29.3%, agriculture 8.9%, construction 8%, transport and
communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
15%
(2003 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues:
$5.2 billion
expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1999) |
|
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 - production by source:
|
fossil
fuel: 30.3%
hydro: 16%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 53.6% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
24.41
billion kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
1,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
82,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
292
million cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
7.932
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
grains,
potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry;
forest products |
|
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
26%, Czech Republic 15.2%, Italy 10.8%, Austria 7.7%, Hungary
5.5%, Poland 5.3%, France 4.2% (2002) |
|
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
22.6%, Czech Republic 15.1%, Russia 12.5%, Italy 6.9%, France
4.4%, Austria 4.2% (2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$14.4
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 - 36.77 (2003), 45.33 (2002), 48.35 (2001),
46.04 (2000), 41.36 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
1,442,600 (2002) |
|
Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
2,923,400 (2002) |
|
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) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
38 (plus 864
repeaters) (1995) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.sk |
|
Internet hosts:
|
85,998 (2002) |
|
Internet users:
|
862,800 (2002) |
|
Railways:
|
total:
3,668 km
broad gauge: 106 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,511 km 1.435-m gauge (1,567 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m
gauge) (2002) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
42,717 km
paved: 37,036 km (including 296 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,681 km (2000) |
|
Waterways:
|
172 km (all on
the Danube) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 6,769 km; oil
449 km (2003) |
|
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 (2003 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 (2003 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 (2003 est.) |
|
Heliports:
|
1 (2003 est.) |
|
Military branches:
|
Army (Ground
Forces), Air and Air Defense Forces, Home Guard (Territorial
Defense Forces) |
|
Military manpower - military age:
|
18 years of age
(conscripts serve nine months of basic military service; term
of service will be reduced to six months effective 2004) (2004
est.) |
|
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) |
|
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 11 May, 2004
|