Slovakia

Location

• Central Europe, south of Poland
• landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Bratislava	423,737	Capital
Košice	225,044
Petržalka	112,380
Nitra	86,329
Prešov	82,927
Žilina	81,219
Banská Bystrica	74,590
Trnava	62,806
Trenčín	58,278
Martin	51,139

Size

• 18,859 square miles
• 48,845 square kilometers
• about 1.5 times the size of Maryland; about twice the size of New Hampshire

History

Slovakia traces its roots to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. The Slovaks then became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. After the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (known as "Magyarization") led to a public backlash that boosted Slovak nationalism and strengthened Slovak cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who fell administratively under the Austrian half of the empire. When the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved at the end of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939, in the wake of Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland, the newly established Slovak Republic became a German client state for the remainder of World War II. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, Warsaw Pact troops invaded and ended the efforts of Czechoslovakia's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful Velvet Revolution swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in 2004 and the euro zone in 2009.

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south

Languages

Slovak (official) 81.8%, Hungarian 8.5%, Roma 1.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2021 est.)major-language sample(s): Svetova Kniha Faktov, nenahraditelny zdroj zakladnej informacie. (Slovak)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Roman Catholic 55.8%, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession 5.3%, Greek Catholic 4%, Reformed Christian 1.6%, other 3%, none 23.8%, unspecified 6.5% (2021 est.)

Government

parliamentary republic

• Constitution: history: several previous (pre-independence); latest passed by the National Council 1 September 1992, signed 3 September 1992, effective 1 October 1992amendment process: proposed by the National Council; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote of Council members
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Peter PELLEGRINI (since 15 June 2024)head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 25 October 2023)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime ministerelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); following National Council elections, the president designates a prime minister candidate, usually the leader of the party or coalition that wins the most votes, who must win a vote of confidence in the National Councilmost recent election date: 23 March 2024, with a runoff on 6 April 2024election results: 2024: Peter PELLEGRINI elected president in the second round; percent of vote in second round Peter PELLEGRINI 53.1%; Ivan KORCOK 46.9%; percent of vote in first round - Ivan KORCOK (independent) 42.5%; Peter PELLEGRINI (Hlas-SD) 37%; Stefan HARABIN (independent) 11.7%, other 8.8%; 2019: Zuzana CAPUTOVA elected president in second round; percent of vote - Zuzana CAPUTOVA (PS) 58.4%, Maros SEFCOVIC (independent) 41.6%expected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic (consists of the court president, vice president, and approximately 80 judges organized into criminal, civil, commercial, and administrative divisions with 3- and 5-judge panels); Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic (consists of 13 judges organized into 3-judge panels)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judge candidates nominated by the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, an 18-member self-governing body that includes the Supreme Court chief justice and presidential, governmental, parliamentary, and judiciary appointees; judges appointed by the president serve for life, subject to removal by the president at age 65; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Council of the Republic and appointed by the president; judges serve 12-year termssubordinate courts: regional and district civil courts; Special Criminal Court; Higher Military Court; military district courts; Court of Audit
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Council (Narodna rada Slovenskej republiky)legislative structure: unicameralchamber name: National Council (Národná rada)number of seats: 150 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 9/30/2023parties elected and seats per party: Smer - Social Democracy (Smer-SD) (42); Progressive Slovakia (PS) (32); Hlas (“Voice”) - SD (27); Coalition OĽaNO and Friends, 'For the People' and 'Christian Union' (16); Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) (12); Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) (11); Slovak National Party (SNS) (10)percentage of women in chamber: 23.3%expected date of next election: September 2027

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income EU and eurozone economy; manufacturing and exports led by automotive sector;  growth supported by private consumption and public investment from EU funds, tempered by trade risks; increased taxes and withdrawal of energy subsidies contributing to rising but manageable inflation; strong labor demand and influx of foreign labor offsets aging workforce
• Budget: revenues: $43.882 billion (2022 est.)expenditures: $46.056 billion (2022 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: lignite, small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land
• Industries: automobiles; metal and metal products; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals, synthetic fibers, wood and paper products; machinery; earthenware and ceramics; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products; food and beverages; pharmaceutical
• Agricultural Products: wheat, sugar beets, maize, milk, barley, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, potatoes, soybeans, pork (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 38.8% (2022 est.)arable land: 27.9% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.4% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 10.6% (2022 est.)forest: 40.1% (2022 est.)other: 21.1% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: vehicle parts/accessories, broadcasting equipment, cars, plastic products, insulated wire (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 16%, Czechia 14%, Poland 8%, China 7%, Hungary 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: cars, vehicle parts/accessories, video displays, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Germany 20%, Czechia 10%, Hungary 7%, USA 6%, Poland 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports