Slovakia

Internet country code

.sk

Internet hosts

210,758 (2006)

Internet users

2.5 million (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added international: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services

Telephones - main lines in use

1.197 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4.54 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)

Agriculture - products

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

Budget

revenues: $22.7 billion expenditures: $23.2 billion (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Current account balance

$-4.066 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$26.94 billion (2005 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

25.8 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.9 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)

Economy - overview

Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely 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 sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-05, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 16.4% in 2005, but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

Electricity - consumption

24.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

10.59 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

8.731 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

30.57 billion kWh (2004)

Exchange rates

koruny per US dollar - 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001)

Exports

$30.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004)

Exports - partners

Germany 26.2%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Austria 7.1%, Italy 6.7%, Poland 6.3%, Hungary 5.7% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$43.07 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$88.78 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.5% industry: 29.4% services: 67.2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$16,300 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 20.9% (1992)

Imports

$32.9 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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)

Imports - partners

Germany 25.1%, Czech Republic 19.3%, Russia 10.5%, Austria 6.1%, Poland 4.7%, Hungary 4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

3.8% (2005 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.7% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

26% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

2.24 million (30 September 2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)

Natural gas - consumption

6.8 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

1 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

7.3 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

165 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2003)

Oil - consumption

74,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

2,160 bbl/day NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

59,000 bbl/day bbl/day

Oil - production

11,480 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

9 million bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line

At-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers: 21%

Public debt

42.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$14.97 billion (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

16.4% (2005 est.)

Area

total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km

Area - comparative

about twice the size of New Hampshire

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m

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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

48 40 N, 19 30 E

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

Irrigated land

1,830 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 1,524 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km

Land use

arable land: 29.23% permanent crops: 2.67% other: 68.1% (2005)

Location

Central Europe, south of Poland

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land

Terrain

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south

Administrative divisions

8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky

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

Constitution

ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership

Country name

conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Rodolphe "Skip" M. VALLEE embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER 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

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 direct, popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); 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 elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

International organization participation

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

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)

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

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 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SNS 11.7%, SMK 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SNS 20, SMK 20, LS-HZDS 15, KDH 14

National holiday

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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-ruled 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 1,351,848 females age 18-49: 1,322,647 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 1,089,645 females age 18-49: 1,093,077 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49: 41,544 females age 18-49: 40,183 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily), Training and Support Forces (Vycviku a Podpory Sily) (2005)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.87% FY05 (2005)

Military service age and obligation

complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force went into effect at the beginning of 2006 after 140 years of mandatory army service; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.7% (male 465,304/female 443,967) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 1,929,448/female 1,947,735) 65 years and over: 12% (male 244,609/female 408,385) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

10.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

9.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups

Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

less than 200 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 7.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.73 years male: 70.76 years female: 78.89 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2001 est.)

Median age

total: 35.8 years male: 34.2 years female: 37.6 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak

Net migration rate

0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

5,439,448 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

0.15% (2006 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (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 (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.33 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue 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 must implement the strict Schengen border rules

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market

Airports

36 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 8 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 8 (2006)

Heliports

1 (2006)

Merchant marine

total: 43 ships (1000 GRT or over) 217,819 GRT/309,049 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 36, chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 40 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 1, Greece 4, Israel 7, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8) registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Georgia 1) (2006)

Pipelines

gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Bratislava, Komarno

Railways

total: 3,662 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2005)

Roadways

total: 42,993 km paved: 37,533 km (including 316 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,460 km (2003)

Waterways

172 km (on Danube River) (2005)