Slovakia

GEOGRAPHY
The Slovak republic is an independent state situated in the Central Europe. Slovakia is bordered in the west by the Czech republic, in the north by Poland, in the east by Ukraine and in the south by Hungary and Austria.
The most important rivers are The Danube, The Váh, The Hron, The Moravia and The Hornád. The Danube is the only river for transport. There are beautiful lakes in Slovakia and the country is also rich in thermal springs.
Slovakia is mainly a mountainous country with many natural beauties. There are many caves and canyon valleys. There are several national parks in Slovakia. The Low and High Tatras are the highest mountain of the country (the highest peak is the Gerlach Peak).
National parks are the Little and Giant Fatra and the Slovak Paradise in the south-east of the country.
The season change quite regularly. The weather is changeable. The coldest month of the year is January and the warmest July. The mountain regions in the north are colder and more rainy than the south of the country.
The history of Slovakia is very rich. There are many historical towns: Trnava, Kremnica, Bratislava, Košice, Levoča, Bardejov.
There are a lot of historical castles: Bojnice, Spišský castle, Zvolen, Krásna Hôrka ...
ECONOMY
Slovakia has a population of about 5.5 (five point five) million, so it belongs to smaller countries in Europe. Nearly 50% of land is arable and it ias used for growing wheat, corn, sugar beet and hops. In Slovakia there are resources of raw materials and fuel resources : copper, iron ore, coal, gas, .. nowadays the main industries are engineering, energetic, steel and chemical industry. The East Slovakian Iron Works (US Steel in Košice produces) in Košice produce steel, iron and tin. Chemical industry is concentrated especially in Bratislavy (Slovnaft).
The Slovak language is the official language of this country and 1 Slovak Crown is its basic currency unit.
POPULATION AND TOWNS
People of different nations and ethnic groups live here. 85% are Slovak. The most numerous minority Hungarians live in the south, the Ukrainians and Russians in the east. The Gypsies live dispersed on the whole territory. The Czech, German and Polish people form the smallest minority. The two biggest towns are KE and BA. The capital BA is an important political, cultural and industrial centre. Other bigger towns and villages are frequently visited by tourists from all over the world.

They are rich in cultural history and have beatiful architecture e. g. Bojnice, Levoča, Bardejov, Banská Bystrica .. In the High Tatras there are a lot of opportunities for walking, skiing, hiking, snowboarding. There are many holiday resorts – hotels, cottages, centres – because of good air and climate. Slovakia is a beautiful country with friendly and hospitable people.