Slovakia
Slovak RepublicSlovenska Republika
parliamentary democracy
Slovakia as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 138 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-dominated 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 and the euro area on 1 January 2009.
Geography
Central Europe, south of Poland
20 fieldsLand useshare of 49,035 sq km
Natural resources
- brown coal and lignite;
- small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore;
- salt;
- arable land
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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
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
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2001 census)
Religions(2001 census)
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:
- 0.6 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 157
Languages
Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004); Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 150 seats, elected 17 June 2006one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Slovak Republic
- conventional short form:
- Slovakia
- local long form:
- Slovenska Republika
- local short form:
- Slovensko
Capital
- name:
- Bratislava
- geographic coordinates:
- 48 09 N, 17 07 E
- time difference:
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
Constitution
- ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993;
- changed in September 1998;
- amended February 2001
note: the change in September 1998 allowed direct election of the president; the amendment of February 2001 allowed Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership
Legal system
- civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes;
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations;
- legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006)
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
- election last held 21 March and 4 April 2009 (next to be held no later than April 2014);
- 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 reelected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 55.5%, Iveta RADICOVA 44.5%
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 17 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SMK 11.7%, SNS 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%, other 12%;
- seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU-DS 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14;
- note - seats by party as of December 2008 - Smer 50, SDKU-DS 28, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 15, KDH 9, nonaffiliated 9
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);
- Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president)
Political parties and leaders
parties in the Parliament::
Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Pal CSAKY]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-Democratic Party or SDKU-DS [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]
selected parties outside the Parliament::
Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Vladimir GOZORA]; Alliance of the New Citizen or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter ZAJAC]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA];
Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef HRDLICKA]; Slovak People's Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS;
- Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ;
- Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS;
- Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic;
- National Union of Employers or RUZ;
- Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry or SOPK;
- The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS
International organization participation
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Peter BURIAN
- chancery:
- 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 237-1054
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 237-6438
- consulate(s) general:
- Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Keith EDDINS
- embassy:
- Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
- mailing address:
- P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava
- telephone:
- [421] (2) 5443-3338
- FAX:
- [421] (2) 5441-8861
Flag description
- three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills);
- the coat of arms is centered vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side
Economy
Slovakia has made significant economic reforms since its separation from the Czech Republic in 1993.
51 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2008 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Slovakia has made significant economic reforms since its separation from the Czech Republic in 1993. Reforms to the taxation, healthcare, pension, and social welfare systems helped Slovakia to consolidate its budget and get on track to join the EU in 2004 and to adopt the euro in January 2009.
Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost entirely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business friendly policies such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive and electronic sectors has been strong.
Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-08 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 8.4% in 2008 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Despite its 2006 pre-election promises to loosen fiscal policy and reverse the previous DZURINDA government's pro-market reforms, FICO's cabinet has thus far been careful to keep a lid on spending in order to meet euro adoption criteria and has focused on regulating energy and food prices instead. The OECD expects Slovakia's GDP growth to be positive in 2009.
Distribution of family income - Gini index
26 (2005) · 26.3 (1996) country comparison to the world: 128
Central bank discount rate
3% (31 December 2008) · 4.25% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 115 note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks from the euro area; as of 1 January 2009 Slovakia became a member of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU)
Stock of money
$25.52 billion (31 December 2008) · $26.17 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 32 note: this figure represents the US dollar value of Slovak koruny in circulation prior to Slovakia joining the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money
$27.71 billion (31 December 2008) · $21.11 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 38
Stock of domestic credit
$50.94 billion (31 December 2008) · $41.76 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 46
Agriculture - products
- grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit;
- pigs, cattle, poultry;
- forest products
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
Natural gas - proved reserves
14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Current account balance
-$6.43 billion (2008 est.) · -$4.482 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 163
Exports - commodities
vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004)
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$18.78 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $18.96 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Debt - external
$52.53 billion (31 December 2008) · $44.31 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 52
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$44.12 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $40.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$1.867 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $1.609 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Exchange rates
Slovak koruny (SKK) per US dollar - 21.05 (2008 est.), 24.919 (2007), 29.611 (2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004) note: on 1 January 2009 Slovakia adopted the euro as legal tender
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- Slovakia has a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth in cellular services
- domestic:
- analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities;
- 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services
- international:
- country code - 421;
- 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available;
- Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services
Transportation
10 fieldsMerchant marine, 51 ships by typeone square, one ship
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 3,622 km
country comparison to the world: 48
- broad gauge:
- 99 km 1.520-m gauge
- standard gauge:
- 3,473 km 1.435-m gauge (1,577 km electrified)
- narrow gauge:
- 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2008)
Roadways
- total:
- 43,761 km
country comparison to the world: 83
- paved:
- 38,085 km (includes 316 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 5,676 km (2006)
Military
Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily) (2009)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily) (2009)
Military service age and obligation
- 17-30 years of age for voluntary military service;
- conscription abolished in 2006;
- women are eligible to serve (2007)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 1,420,966
- females age 16-49:
- 1,386,259 (2008 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continued in 2006 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 has implemented the strict Schengen border rules
Illicit drugs
- transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe;
- producer of synthetic drugs for regional market;
- consumer of ecstasy
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Slovakia.” The World Factbook 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/slovakia/2009.