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Background Note: Slovakia
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Slovak Republic
Geography
Area: 48, 845 sq. km. (about twice the size of New Hampshire).
Land boundaries (total): 1,524 km. Austria 91 km.; Czech
Republic 215 km.; Hungary 677 km.; Poland 444 km.; Ukraine 97
km.
Cities: Capital--Bratislava.
Terrain: Landlocked with high mountains in the north, low
mountains in the center, hills to the west, Danube River basin
in the south.
Climate: Temperate; average temperature in January 26.5°F; in
July 68°F. Annual precipitation 24"-40".
Elevation: Lowest point, Bodrok River 94 m. Highest point,
Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Slovak(s).
Population (May 2001 census*): 5,379,455. Bratislava (428,672),
Kosice (236,093), Zilina (156,361), Nitra (163,540), Presov
(161,782), Banska Bystrica (111,984).
Annual population growth rate (2001 est.): 0.13%.
Ethnic groups (2001): Slovaks 85.8%, Hungarians 9.7%, Roma 1.7%,
Czechs 0.8%, Ruthenians 0.4%, Ukranians 0.2%, other 1.4%.
Unofficial estimates place the Roma population between 6%-10%.
Religions (2001): Roman Catholic 69%, Protestant 9%, Greek
Catholic 4%, Orthodox 0.9%, other 0.6%, unknown 3.5%, 13% report
no affiliation.
Languages: Slovak (official), Hungarian, Ruthenian, Romany, and
Ukrainian. Education: Literacy--99%.
Health: Life expectancy (2001)--78 yrs. females; 70 yrs.
males.
Work force (2.1 million in 2001): Industry, construction,
commerce--61%; financial, commercial, health services--18%;
government and education--15%; agriculture--6%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: The Slovak Republic was established January 1,
1993 (former Czechoslovak Republic established 1918).
Constitution: Signed September 3, 1992.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime
minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--National
Council of the Slovak Republic (150 seats). Judicial--Supreme
Court, Constitutional Court.
Political parties: Distribution of the 150 parliamentary seats
is SMER (Direction) 50 seats; Slovak Democratic and Christian
Union (SDKU) 31 seats; Slovak National Party (SNS) 20 seats;
Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) 20 seats; Movement for a
Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 15 seats; Christian-Democratic
Movement (KDH) 14 seats. Other parties include Alliance of New
Citizens (ANO); Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS); Freedom Forum
(SF); People's Union (LU).
Suffrage: Universal at 18 years.
Administrative divisions: Eight administrative regions, 79
districts.
Economy
GDP (2004): $43.07 billion.
GDP growth rate (2005): 5.5%.
Nominal GDP per capita (2005): $16,100.
Unemployment (June 2005): 11.4%.
Natural resources: Antimony, mercury, iron, copper, lead, zinc,
magnesite, limestone, lignite.
Agriculture: Products--grains, potatoes, poultry,
cattle, hogs, sugar, beets, hops, fruit, forest products.
Industry: Types--iron and steel, chemicals,
automobiles, light industry, food processing, engineering,
building materials.
Trade (2005): Exports--$32.39 billion: vehicles, iron
and steel, machinery and energy equipment, plastics, fiber
optics. Imports (2005)--$34.48 billion: mineral fuels
and oils, machinery, audio/video equipment, vehicles.
Partners--Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, United States,
Hungary, Italy, Poland.
Foreign investment (1989-2005): Cumulative--$13.696
billion. Sources of direct foreign investment--Netherlands
24.3%; Germany 19.4%, Austria 14.1%; Italy 7.5%, United States
(8th largest investor) 4.0%**. Sectors of direct foreign
investment (through 2004-end)--industry 38.4%; banking and
insurance 22.2%; wholesale and retail trade 13.1%; production of
electricity, gas, and water 10.5%; transportation and
telecommunications 9.2%.
*Figures are based on immediate city's (not
region) Permanent Resident Population.
**Government of Slovakia official statistic. A recent U.S.
Embassy survey found that, taking into account investments of
U.S. subsidiaries in Europe, U.S. investment is more than 15% of
the total.
PEOPLE
The majority of the 5.4 million inhabitants of the Slovak
Republic are Slovak (85.8%). Hungarians are the largest ethnic
minority (9.7%) and are concentrated in the southern and eastern
regions of Slovakia. Other ethnic groups include Roma, Czechs,
Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Germans, and Poles. The Slovak
constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The majority of
Slovak citizens (69%) practice Roman Catholicism; the
second-largest group is Protestants (9%). About 2,300 Jews
remain of the estimated pre-WWII population of 120,000. The
official state language is Slovak, and Hungarian is widely
spoken in the southern region.
Despite its modern European economy and
society, Slovakia has a significant rural element. About 45% of
Slovaks live in villages of less than 5,000 people, and 14% in
villages of less than 1,000. |
