Slovakia

Slovakia is a beautiful country with many interests and rarities centralized on the relatively small place. And this all with its nature, countryside, history and simple habitations hand is the Slovak primacy. There are treasures that are uncovered particularly people who are able to perceive them with their hearts. Slovak people are very friendly, hospitable and hardworking.

GEOGRAPHY
Slovakia is situated in the heart of Europe surrounded by Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Ukraine. Mostly mountains and rivers form the territory of the republic and its borders. Slovakia ranks among small states according to the member of inhabitants and the size of area but it has a significant strategic base in this area.
The Slovak Republic has population of about 5,5 million people. They are mostly Slovak people living together with minorities. The biggest one - Hungarian - creates more than 10% of population.
The largest part of Slovakia is mountainous. The southern part of the republic between the river Danube and the Tatra Mountains is formed by lowlands - Záhorská, Podunajská and Východoslovenská. The High Tatras are the highest mountains and are visited by many Slovak and foreign tourists. The Low Tatras and the Slovak Paradise are also beautiful and attractive. The biggest river is the Danube; the longest one is the Vah.
The place which, is marked as a geographical centre of the Europe, is situated on the territory of Slovakia. It is marked by a table on the rock near the Roman Catholic church above the village Kremnické Bane.
Slovakia has a continental climate.

INDUSTRY AND AGRICULUTURE
The most developed industrial branches are machine, metallurgic, chemical and foodstuffs industry.
The most responsible products of agriculture are cereals (wheat, sugar beet, oily and tobacco plants) and in animal production sheep-, pig-, cattle- and poultry-farming.

POLITICS
The capital city of the Slovak Republic is Bratislava. It is the seat of the President who is the head of the republic. At the head of Slovak government is the Prime Minister. The legislative power has the National Council.
Slovakia is divided into 8 counties, which are divided into 79 districts. The biggest city is Bratislava. Other big cities are Košice, Prešov, Žilina, Banská Bystrica etc.
The currency used in the Slovak Republic is the Slovak crown.

HISTORY
The Slavs came to the territory of Slovakia in the 5th century AD.

The first state was called Samo’s empire in the 7th century. In the 9th century Great Moravia Empire came to existence. Its centre was in Nitra. It is connected with spreading of Christianity. Brothers Cyril and Methodius from Solonica in Greece came to our territory for Christian mission in 864. They invented a new type of alphabet – Glagolitic and translated religious texts into Slavonic. Later Slovakia became the part of the Hungarian monarchy. After the WWI on the 28th October 1918 the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy broke down and Czechoslovak Republic was formed with the first president Tomas Garyque Masaryk. It was a democratic and prosperous state with developed industry. After the Munich dictate CSR was split and Slovak fascist state with President Jozef Tiso was created. But thanks to the Slovak National Uprising (29.8.1944) our position has changed to winners. After the WWII CSR has been renewed but under the communist dictatorship. In 1968 CSSR was changed into a federal state and new process of democratisation (known as Prague Spring) led by A. Dubcek was stopped by invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops in August. The year of normalisation followed. In November 1989 so called Velvet Revolution changed almost everything. The new Slovak republic was established on 1st of January 1993.