Language: Slovak (official); Hungarian

Capital: Bratislava

Population: 5.4 million

Area: 49,034 km²

Natural Features: Carpathian Mountain Range in north and central Slovakia; Slovakian Plains in the south (important agricultural area); Danube River Valley

President: Rudolf Schuster

Type of Government: Republic founded on a parliamentary democracy;

Religion: Roman Catholic:60.3%; Atheist:9.7%; Protestant:8.4%; Orthodox:4.1%; Other:17.5%

Currency: Koruna

Economy: Has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. However, unemployment, at 17.2% in 2002, remains a real problem.

Life Expectancy:
Probability of reaching 65 (female): 85.4%
Probability of reaching 65 (male): 66.4%

Education: 10 years compulsary education
Duration of education – primary level: 4
Duration of education – secondary level: 9
Enrollment ratio – secondary level: 74.9
Average years of schooling: 9.3
Food:

History:
Overview:
Officially, The Slovak Republic came into existence on January 1, 1993. Except for a brief period during World War II, during which Slovakia was a protectorate state of Nazi Germany, the Slovak people have been subjected to domination by stronger political entities, such as the Czechs of the Czechoslovakia federation, the Magyars of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the rulers of the Habsburg Empire.

Although the nation-state of Slovakia has existed for only one decade, Slovaks have had a unique identity for over 1500 years.

Detailled History:

The beginnings:
Roman and German history suggests that the habitation of Central and Western Europe by the Slavs only began in the 6th century AD. However, newer evidence suggests a Slav population was already occupying vast territories in the region by the beginning of this century.

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the Huns crossed the Danube and conducted looting raids in Western Europe. In 451, under the command of Attila, they crossed the Rhine and devastated Gaul. However, the death of Attila in 453 brought about the disappearance of the Hun tribe. Then, in 568, the Avars invaded the Middle Danube region.

The insurrected Slav population settled in the region. The supremacy of the Avars in these countries only came to an end in 803, the year when Charlemagne, with help from the Slavs in regions north of the Danube beat, once and for all, the Avars, who were eventually assimilated into the local Slav populations.

The Slavs of the Danube suffered heavy losses by containing two large invasions by Asian tribes. A third invasion of Asian nomads in Europe – the six Magyar tribes – took place in this territory at the end of the 9th century.

The first recorded mention of Slav princes near Pannonia goes back to 803 AD. The Christianization of the Slavs in the Middle Danube goes back to the 7th century. In 902 and in 906, the Slavs twice pushed back attacks from the Magyar armies which resulted in their fleeing. However, during their next raid in the south, the Magyars pillaged the southern regions of Slovakia. This was the beginning of the progressive disappearance of the independent Slav State.

18th and 19th centuries:
During the 18th century, a Slovak national movement was founded and advanced mainly by Slovak religious leaders with the aim of fostering a sense of national identity among the Slovak people. The movement grew during the 19th century, but Hungarian control remained strict and a large Slovak movement did not emerge until the 20th century.

The Federation of Czechoslovakia:
In 1867 the Habsburg domains in central Europe were reconstituted as the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. During World War I, Czechs, Slovaks, and other national groups of Austria-Hungary campaigned for an independent state. At the end of the war, Slovakia announced its independence from the empire and incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. The new republic included the lands of Bohemia and Moravia; within these boundaries were areas inhabited by hundreds of thousands of Hungarians. A parliamentary democratic government was formed and a capital was established in the Czech city of Prague.

The Slovaks, greatly outnumbered by the Czechs, differed in many ways from their neighbors. The Slovak economy was more agrarian and less developed; the majority of Slovaks were practicing Catholics while the Czech leadership believed in limiting the power of the church; and the Slovaks generally had less education and experience with self-government. These differences, compounded by centralized governmental control from Prague, produced discontent among Slovaks.

In the period between the two world wars, the Czechoslovakian government attempted to industrialize Slovakia. These efforts were not successful, however. Slovak resentment over what was perceived to be economic and political domination by the Czechs led to increasing dissatisfaction with the federation and growing support for extreme nationalist movements.

World War II:
In addition to Czechoslovakia s internal conflicts, the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s led to the demise of Czechoslovakia. In 1938 the leaders of Great Britain, France, and Italy negotiated with Hitler and the Munich Pact forced the government of Czechoslovakia to cede land to Germany. Faced with the threat of being divided between Germany, Poland, and Hungary, the Slovak government decided to withdraw from the federation and declare its independence. On March 14, 1939, the first independent Slovak Republic was established.

With independence, Slovakia came under heavy German influence and protection. It entered the war as Germany s ally, and at the end of the war, the republic of Czechoslovakia was resurrected. Between 1945 and 1948, Communists and representatives of other political parties ruled the country in a coalition government, and a free press existed.

The Communist Regime:
In February 1948 the Communists provoked a political crisis and took over the government in Prague. The Communist Party became the only effective party in Czechoslovakia, taking control of the country s factories and businesses, privatizing private property, and forcing farmers to join collective farms.

Slovakia after Communism:
In 1989 revolts against the Communist governments swept through the country and Slovaks joined with Czechs in mass protests against government. Less than one month later, the government resigned and non-Communists took control of the country.

Czechoslovakia started the process of reestablishing an economy based on free enterprise and the country began a mass privatization program. As these and other reforms got underway, however, tensions developed between the two republics. The transition to a market economy resulted in greater unemployment and economic hardship in Slovakia than it did in the more economically advantaged Czech lands. Because of their economic differences, Czechs and Slovaks held opposing views about the appropriate pace and nature of economic reform. These and other differences complicated the reform process and prevented the adoption of a new federal constitution.

The results of the elections of June 1992 reflected the growing split between the two lands. In July 1992 Slovakia declared itself a sovereign state, meaning that its laws took precedence over those of the federal government. In November the federal parliament voted to dissolve the country officially on December 31, despite polls indicating that the majority of citizens opposed the split. In January 1993, Czechoslovakia was replaced by two independent states: Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Since becoming independent, one of the priorities of Slovak foreign policy has been to maintain good relations with the Czech Republic and other central European nations. However, Slovakia s relations with Hungary have been strained by the status of Slovakia s large Hungarian population, and by fear among Slovaks of Hungarian expansionism. In March 1995 the two governments took an important step toward peaceful relations when the prime ministers of both countries signed an historic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation; the treaty reaffirmed the Slovak-Hungarian border, and contained pledges on the part of both governments to protect and foster the rights of ethnic minorities residing in their countries.

Since the establishment of the Slovak Republic, the accession of the European Union has been one of the priorities of Slovak foreign policy. It is currently engaged in the extension process of the EU.