Slovakia

Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko

parliamentary democracy

Slovakia as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBratislava

Position48 40 N, 19 30 E

Area48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km

LocationCentral Europe, south of Poland

Populationas each edition published it

5.41 million July 2001 est. · 5.38m in 1993

Population growth% a year

0.13% 2001 est. · 0.51% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 35 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

73.97 years 2001 est. · 72.39 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.25 children per woman 2001 est. · 1.99 in 1993

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

8.97 deaths per 1,000 live births 2001 est. · 10.8 in 1993

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$10,200 2000 est. · $6,100 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2.2% 2000 est. · -7% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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

Central Europe, south of Poland

18 fields

Coastline

0km

(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Irrigated land

800sq km

(1993 est.)

Location

Central Europe, south of Poland

Geographic coordinates

48 40 N, 19 30 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km

Land boundaries

total: 1,355 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 515 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 90 km

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: 31% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 17% forests and woodland: 41% other: 8% (1993 est.)

Natural hazards

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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

People

18 fields

Population

5,414,937

(July 2001 est.)growth rate: 0.13% (2001 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2001 est.)

Birth

10.05Death

9.25Net migration

0.53

Religions

Roman Catholic 60.3%atheist 9.7%Protestant 8.4%Orthodox 4.1%other 17.5%

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.86% (male 522,563; female 498,832) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 1,872,496; female 1,896,249) 65 years and over: 11.54% (male 236,996; female 387,801) (2001 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 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

8.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.97 years male: 69.95 years female: 78.2 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.25 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

400 (1999 est.)

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)

Languages

Slovak (official), Hungarian

Literacy

definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%

Government

Parliamentary democracy

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

27%

HZDS 27%SDK 26.3%SDL 14.7%SMK 9.1%SNS 9.1%SOP 8%

Legislature, 150 seatsone dot, one seat

governing coalition (SDK 42, SDL 23, SMK 15, SOP 13) 93opposition (HZDS 43, SNS 14) 57

Country name

conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko

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 election results: Rudolf SCHUSTER elected president in the first direct, popular election;
percent of vote - Rudolf SCHUSTER 57% note: government coalition - SDK, SDL, SMK, SOP, KDH

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) elections: last held 25-26 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002) 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)

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];
Liberal Democratic Union or LDU [Jan BUDAJ];
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR];
Party of Civic Understanding or SOP [Pavol HAMZIK];
Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Jozef MIGAS];
Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR];
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA];
note - this is DZURINDA's new party for 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]

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

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, 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: Suite 250, 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007;
note - new chancery opening in June 2001 at International Court NW, Washington, DC telephone: [1] (202) 965-5161

FAX

[1] (202) 965-5166

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Carl SPIELVOGEL embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [421] (7) 5443-3338

FAX

[421] (7) 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 continues the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy.

32 fields

Real growth rate

2.2%

(2000 est.)industrial production growth: 9.3% (2000 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

12.2%

(2000 est.)

Unemployment rate

17%

(2000 est.)

Labor force

3million

(1999)

Electricity

Electricity production

22.582 billion (1999)Electricity consumption

21.471 billion (1999)Electricity exports

930 million (1999)Electricity imports

1.4 billion (1999)

Economy - overview

Slovakia continues the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The economic slowdown in 1999 stemmed from large budget and current account deficits, fast-growing external debt, and persistent corruption. Even though GDP growth reached only 2.2% in 2000, the year was marked by positive developments such as foreign direct investment of $1.5 billion, strong export performance, restructuring and privatization in the banking sector, entry into the OECD, and initial efforts to stem corruption.

Strong challenges face the government in 2001, especially the maintenance of fiscal balance, the further privatization of the economy, and the reduction of unemployment.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $55.3 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 4.5% industry: 29.3% services: 66.2% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Labor force - by occupation

industry 29.3%, agriculture 8.9%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)

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

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 37.56% hydro: 18.27% nuclear: 44.17% other: 0% (1999)

Agriculture - products

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit;
pigs, cattle, poultry;
forest products

Exports

$12 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 39.4%, intermediate manufactured goods 27.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8% (1999)

Exports - partners

EU 59.7% (Germany 27.8%, Austria 8%, Italy 8.9%), Czech Republic 18.1% (1999)

Imports

$12.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 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 51.4% (Germany 26%, Italy 7.1%), Czech Republic 16.6%, Russia 11.9% (1999)

Debt - external

$10.3 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$421.9 million (1995)

Currency

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Currency code

SKK

Exchange rates

koruny per US dollar - 48.09 (March 2001), 46.395 (2000), 41.363 (1999), 35.233 (1998), 33.616 (1997), 30.654 (1996)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

10 fields

Mobile cellular

736,662

(April 1999)

Internet users

(2000)

Fixed lines

1,934,558

(1998) · country code .sk

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