Slovakia

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. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

• temperate;
• cool summers;
• cold, cloudy, humid winters

• brown coal and lignite;
• small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore;
• salt;
• arable land

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

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:

0.6 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

noun:

Slovak(s)

adjective:

Slovak

conventional long form:

Slovak Republic

conventional short form:

Slovakia

local long form:

Slovenska Republika

local short form:

Slovensko

• ratified 1 September 1992, 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

• 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

chief of state:

President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)

head of government:

• Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998);
• Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998);
• Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998);
• Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004)

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 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009);
• 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:

• Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff;
• percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%;
• Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002

note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO

• Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council);
• Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council)

• Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY];
• Direction (Smer) [Robert FICO];
• Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA];
• Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA];
• Movement for a Democratic Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir MECIAR];
• New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO];
• Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR];
• People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI];
• Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC];
• Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA];
• Slovak National Party or SNS [Peter SULOVSKY]

• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Rastislav KACER

chancery:

3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 237-1054

FAX:

[1] (202) 237-6438

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles and New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N. THAYER

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

• 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

lowest 10%:

5.1%

highest 10%:

18.2% (1992)

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

• 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

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:

• country code - 421;
• 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

total:

3,662 km

broad gauge:

100 km 1.520-m gauge

standard gauge:

3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2004)

total:

42,970 km

paved:

37,698 km (including 302 km of expressways)

unpaved:

5,272 km (2002)

total:

24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT

by type:

bulk carrier 5, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1

foreign-owned:

18 (Bulgaria 8, Estonia 1, Greece 1, Syria 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 1) (2005)

• complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007;
• 82% of Slovak armed forces were volunteers as of January 2005;
• volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years;
• 18 years of age for compulsory military service (January 2005)

• Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested;
• consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube;
• as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules