About Slovakia
Slovakia, republic in central Europe, bounded on the north by Poland, on the east by Ukraine, on the south by Hungary, and on the west by Austria and the Czech Republic. Formerly parts of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic emerged as independent republics on January 1, 1993. Slovakia has an area of 49,035 sq km (18,932 sq mi). Bratislava is the capital and largest city.
Land and Resources
Slovakia is traversed and partly enfolded by the Carpathian Mountains in the west. The High Tatra range in the north includes Slovakia's highest point, Gerlachovský Peak, at 2,655 m (8,711 ft). In the east, lowlands constitute the extension of the Plain of Hungary. The most fertile soils are located in the south. The Carpathian Mountains have little fertile land and are mostly covered with stony soil.
Rivers
Various rivers flow through Slovakia, including the Váh, Hron, Bodrog, Poprad, Hornad, and Ondava. The Danube forms part of the republic's southern border with Hungary, and the Morava serves as part of its border with the Czech Republic. The republic has many natural springs, which are promoted to attract tourists.
Climate
Slovakia has a primarily humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. The Carpathian Mountains endure harsher winters and receive heavy rainfall. The lowland regions in the east have hot summers and less rain. The average temperature in Bratislava in January is -0.7° C (30.5° F); in July it is 19.1° C (66.5° F). The average annual precipitation is 650 mm (25.5 in).
Plants and Animals
Spruce and fir trees are most common in Slovakia's forests, particularly at higher elevations, while mixed forests of oak, ash, and maple are characteristic in lower zones. The uncultivated lowlands are covered primarily with clover, reeds, and broom grass. Wildlife is becoming scarce because of pollution and deforestation, but wolves, brown bears, wild boar, wildcats, white eagles, chamois, and foxes are found in the mountainous Carpathian region. The greylag goose, and such waterfowl as the osprey, cormorant, and heron, are common in the marshes and river basins of the lowlands.
Mineral Resources
Coal is the most common and profitable natural resource in Slovakia, particularly brown coal and lignite. Unfortunately, increased excavation and use of coal has wreaked environmental havoc on air and water quality, which has subsequently affected the health of the populace. In early 1993 the government began enacting environmental legislation to combat pollution in the republic.
Population
Slovaks, a Slavic people, constitute about 85 per cent of the population in Slovakia. Absorbed by the Magyars of Hungary at the beginning of the 10th century, the Slovaks spent the following thousand years as a peasant people, a situation which bred historic tensions with the neighbouring Czechs, who usually formed the local social and political élites. The republic is also home to approximately 570,000 ethnic Hungarians (over 10 per cent of the total population), as well as some 300,000 Gypsies and small populations of Poles, Germans, Russians, and Ukrainians. There is some ethnic tension between the Slovak majority and Hungarians.
Population Characteristics
Slovakia has a population (1994 official estimate) of 5,403,500. The average population density is 110 people per sq km (285 per sq mi). The population is 77 per cent urban. Slovakia's western regions are the most densely populated, the southern and eastern provinces being relatively sparsely settled.
Political Divisions and Principal Cities
For administrative purposes, Slovakia is divided into four regions, including the separate capital area of Bratislava, and these regions are further divided into 38 municipalities; however, these divisions are not strongly empowered or defined in Slovakia's constitution. The four provincial regions are: Západoslovenský (West Slovakia), with a population (1991 census) of 1,712,181; Stredoslovenský (Central Slovakia), with a population of 1,609,806; and Východoslovenský (East Slovakia), with a population of 1,505,495.
The capital city and administrative region of Bratislava, with an area of 368 sq km (142 sq mi), has a population (1991 census) of 442,197. Other major cities and their populations (1991) include Košice (235,160); Nitra (89,969); Prešov (87,765); and Banská Bystrica (85,030).
Religion
Most Slovaks practise some form of Christian religion, primarily Roman Catholicism. Over 60 per cent of the population is Roman Catholic. There are also Protestant (chiefly Calvinist and Lutheran), Eastern Orthodox, and other smaller religious minorities. Roman Catholicism is politically important.
Language
The Slovak language is the official language and belongs to the West Slavic subgroup of the Indo-European language family, though it uses Roman rather than Cyrillic script. It differs only slightly from Czech, and fluency in both languages is common. Hungarian, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Romany, and Russian are also spoken as minority languages.
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