Slovakia

The first Slavics settled in the area in the 5th Century. In AD 833, the Great Moravian Empire was founded. After that, the area was under the Hungarian rule and adopted Roman Catholicism and the Latin alphabet. After World War I., Slovaks and Czechs formed the First Czechoslovak republic. After World War II., Czechoslovakia became a communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. In 1990, Slovaks wanted to be more independent and have their own country. In January 1993, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Its geographic coordinates are 48 40 N and 19 30 S. It has a size of 18,859 square miles. The terrain is various: mountains on the north and lowland on the south. Slovakia borders Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south and Czech Republic and Austria to the west. The capital city is Bratislava. The largest river is Danube with its two tributaries Vah and Hron. Slovakia has natural resources such as timber, copper, zinc, mercury, limestone, iron ore and more. The climate is continental, the summers are hot especially on the south and winters are cold and snowy. The Gerlach has the highest elevation of 8707 feet and the Bogrog River has the lowest elevation of 342 feet. Slovakia has a population of 5.4 million and more than 80% are Slovaks. The largest minority is Hungarians. The second largest minority is the ethnic group Romany. They are not really accepted by society, they don’t get jobs and are discriminated. Half of all people live in big towns. Most of them have access to health care and education. The language is Slovak with different accents on the east and west. Most of the people are Roman Catholics (60.4%), some are Evangelical Lutherans (6.2%) and Greek Catholics (3.4%). The country is divided into 8 regions.
Slovaks are proud of their rich culture. It is the place where the eastern and western cultures mix together. Slovaks are outgoing, have a good sense of humor and they are hard workers. They have traditional folk costumes for special occasions but people wear them only on the east part of Slovakia. Slovakia’s national holiday is the Constitution day, that’s 1st September. Slovaks celebrate Christmas and Easter as well. Slovakia is a republic, the head of state is the president. The legislative organ is the National Council and the governing organ is the Government. The head of the government is the Prime Minister.

President serves a 5-year term. The Prime Minister recommends cabinet members to the president. The Slovak National Council has 150 members who serve 4-year terms. The voting age is 18. Slovakia’s military branches are Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Forces and Civil Defense Force.
Slovakia continues the transition to a modern market economy. Many large firms and organizations are in state control. Slovakia has glass, ceramics, steel, paper and printing, chemical, textile and cement factories. The economy rate grew 4.4% in 1998 and is still growing. Slovakia has a high unemployment rate (around 13%) and suffers from inflation. Germany and Czech Republic are the biggest trade partners. The currency is a Slovak Crown (SK).
Most of the families have cars, but the gas is expensive so they use public transportation – buses, streetcars and trains. New superhighways are built. Education is free at public institutions. Kids start to go to school at age 6. Public universities charge no tuition but the admission is limited and very competitive. The oldest of Slovakia’s 13 universities is Comenius University in Bratislava. Healthcare is free. Nearly all people have access to physicians and medical advances have lowered the infant mortality rate. Slovakia’s tourism industry has grown since independence. By the late 1990s the country was receiving more than 500,000 visitors each year.