Slovakia Information

BRIEF HISTORY

• 828: First Slovak Christian church was established (in Nitra)
• 900–1918: Slovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire
• 1918: Czechs and Slovaks became Czechoslovakia
• After WW II: Communist party controlled Czechoslovakia and beyond
• 1989: Velvet Revolution ended communist rule
• 1993: Slovak Republic became an independent nation
• 2004: Slovakia joined the NATO Alliance and the European Union

GEOGRAPHY

• Slovakia is the geographic center of Europe – near Kremnica
• Maximum length and width: 258 miles x 129 miles
• Area: Slovakia is less than half the size of Pennsylvania
• Terrain: rolling hills and mountains, similar to Pennsylvania
• Forests cover approximately 40% of Slovakia

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

• Skiing and hiking, especially in the Tatra Mountains
• Twelve caves open to the public, including two ice caves and an aragonite cave
• Nearly 200 castles & 1,500 mineral springs
• 1,141 protected areas (national parks, virgin forest, nature reserves, natural sites, etc.)
• Over 50 wooden churches are still standing (some nearly 500 years old)

POLITICAL

• Democratically elected unicameral National Council with President, Prime Minister, and Judicial branch
• Slovakia is divided into eight administrative regions
• Capital city is Bratislava located in the southwestern corner of the country
• Slovakia is bounded by Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine

CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

• Slovaks are very hospitable and generous
• They welcome guests with bread and salt
• Their main meal, which begins with soup, is at noon 
• They take their shoes off when entering a house

OTHER

• Population: approximately 5.4 million people
• Currency: Slovak crown (plan to change to the euro in 2009)
• Religions: Roman Catholic 69%, Protestant 11%, Greek Catholic 4%, other 3%, none 13% (World Factbook)
• Time zone: Central European (GMT + 1:00)
• Official Language: Slovak (one of 17 Slavic languages)
• To learn more about Slovakia, click here