Slovakia
Introduction Slovakia
---------------------
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. Historic, political,
and geographic factors have caused
Slovakia to experience more
difficulty in developing a modern
market economy than some of its
Central European neighbors.
Geography Slovakia
------------------
Location: Central Europe, south of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N, 19 30 E
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)
Maritime claims: none (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 party to: Air Pollution, Air
agreements: Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-
Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
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
People Slovakia
---------------
Population: 5,422,366 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 508,256;
female 484,739)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 1,888,705;
female 1,910,842)
65 years and over: 11.6% (male
237,770; female 392,054) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.14% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 10.09 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 9.22 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 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: 0.61 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.2 years
female: 78.41 years (2002 est.)
male: 70.19 years
Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 400 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 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%
Government Slovakia
-------------------
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
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 29 May 1999
(next to be held NA May/June 2004);
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 - SDK,
SDL, SMK, SOP, KDH
election results: Rudolf SCHUSTER
elected president in the first
direct, popular election; percent of
vote - Rudolf SCHUSTER 57%
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 27%, SDK 26.3%, SDL
14.7%, SMK 9.1%, SNS 9.1%, SOP 8%;
seats by party - governing coalition
93 (SDK 42, SDL 23, SMK 15, SOP 13),
opposition 57 (HZDS 43, SNS 14);
note - seating as of January 2002 -
governing coalition 90 (SDK 23, SDL
21, SOP 16, SMK 15, KDH 9, DS 6),
opposition 51 (HZDS 43, SNS 8), PSNS
6, independents 3
elections: last held 25-26 September
1998 (next to be held NA September
2002)
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]; Democratic Party
or DS [Ludovit KANIK]; Direction
(Smer) [Robert FICO]; Liberal
Democratic Union or LDU [Jan BUDAJ];
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia-
People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir
MECIAR]; Party of Civic
Understanding or SOP [Pavol HAMZIK];
note - SSDS and SZS joined the SOP
parliamentary caucus; Party of the
Democratic Left or SDL [Pvel
KONCOS]; Party of the Hungarian
Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; Real
Slovak National Party or PSNS [Jan
SLOTA]; Slovak Democratic and
Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas
DZURINDA]; note - this is DZURINDA's
new party for the 2002 elections; he
remains chairman of a rump and
splintering SDK; Slovak Democratic
Coalition or SDK (loose
parliamentary club grouping,
representing members of the smaller
SSDS, SZS, and those committed to
run under SDKU in 2002) [Mikulas
DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or
SNS [Anna MALIKOVA]; Yes (ANO)
[Paval RUSKO]
Political pressure groups and Association of Employers of
leaders: Slovakia; Association of Towns and
Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of
Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers
Unions or KOVO and METALURG
International organization Australia Group, BIS, BSEC
participation: (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant),
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE,
PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU
(associate partner), WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Martin
BUTORA
chancery: 3523 International Court
NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438
telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald
US: WEISER
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4,
81102 Bratislava
mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814
99 Bratislava
telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338
FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of
white (top), blue, and red
superimposed with the Slovak cross
in a shield centered on the hoist
side; the cross is white centered on
a background of red and blue
Economy Slovakia
----------------
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
in 2001 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, despite
recession in key export markets.
Revival of domestic demand, partly
due to a rise in real wages, offset
slowing export growth to help drive
the economy to its strongest
expansion since 1998. Solid domestic
demand is expected to boost economic
growth to 3.4% in 2002, and about 4%
in 2003. Unemployment, rising to
19.8% at the end of 2001, remained
the economy's Achilles' heel. The
government faces other strong
challenges in 2002, especially the
maintenance of fiscal balance ahead
of the September 2002 parliamentary
election, cutting budget and current
account deficits, and privatization
of the Slovak energy and power
monopolies.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $62
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,500
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4%
industry: 32%
services: 64% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 5.1%
percentage share: highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)
Distribution of family income - Gini 26.3 (1996)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.4% (2001 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: 19.8% (yearend 2001 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: 4% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 27.53 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 35.34%
hydro: 17.11%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 47.55%
Electricity - consumption: 25.203 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 4.9 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 4.5 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops,
fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest
products
Exports: $12.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment
39.4%, intermediate manufactured
goods 27.5%, miscellaneous
manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8%
(1999)
Exports - partners: EU 59.0% (Germany 26.8%, Italy 9.2%,
Austria 8.4%), Czech Republic 17.4%
(2000)
Imports: $14.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001 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: EU 48.9% (Germany 25.1%, Italy
6.2%), Russia 17.0%, Czech Republic
14.7% (2000)
Debt - external: $7.8 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $421.9 million (1995)
Currency: Slovak koruna (SKK)
Currency code: SKK
Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 47.792
(September 2001), 46.035 (2000),
41.363 (1999), 35.233 (1998), 33.616
(1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Slovakia
-----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 1,934,558 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 736,662 (April 1999)
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: 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)
Radios: 3.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 38 (plus 864 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 2.62 million (1997)
Internet country code: .sk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 700,000 (2000)
Transportation Slovakia
-----------------------
Railways: total: 3,660 km
broad gauge: 102 km 1.520-m gauge
narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-
m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (2001)
standard gauge: 3,507 km 1.435-
m gauge (1,505 km electrified; 1,011
km double-tracked)
Highways: total: 17,710 km
paved: 17,533 km (including 288 km
of expressways)
unpaved: 177 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 172 km (all on the Danube)
Pipelines: petroleum products NA km; natural
gas 2,700 km
Ports and harbors: Bratislava, Komarno
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 15,191 GRT/19,489 DWT
ships by type: cargo 3 (2002 est.)
Airports: 34 (2001)
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 (2001)
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 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Slovakia
-----------------
Military branches: Army (Ground Forces), Air and Air
Defense Forces, Home Guards
(Territorial Defense Forces), Civil
Defense Force, Railway Armed Forces
(subordinate to the Ministry of
Transportation, Post, and
Telecommunications)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,486,728 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 1,136,775 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 45,502 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $406 million (2002)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.89% (2002)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Slovakia
-----------------------------
Disputes - international: Slovakia requested additional ICJ
judgment in 1998, and talks continue
to set modalities to assure
Hungarian compliance with 1997 ICJ
decision to proceed with
construction of Gabcikovo-Nagymaros
Dam, abandoned by Hungary in 1989
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest
Asian heroin bound for Western
Europe; producer of synthetic drugs
for regional market
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