Slovakia

Internet country code

.sk

Internet hosts

821,816 (2007)

Internet users

2.256 million (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: Slovakia has a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth in cellular services domestic: analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services international: country code - 421; 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 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

1.167 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4.893 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

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

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $25.63 billion expenditures: $27.02 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Current account balance

$-4.579 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$28.95 billion (2006 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

25.8 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$235 million in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)

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 2001-06 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 10.2% in 2006 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

Electricity - consumption

24.93 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

11.27 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

8.005 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

29.89 billion kWh (2005)

Exchange rates

koruny per US dollar - 29.611 (2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002)

Exports

$41.86 billion f.o.b. (2006 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 23.7%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Italy 6.5%, Poland 6.2%, Austria 6%, Hungary 5.8%, France 4.3%, Netherlands 4.2% (2006)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$47.72 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$99.19 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 31.6% services: 64.8% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$18,200 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

8.3% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 20.9% (1996)

Imports

$44.95 billion f.o.b. (2006 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 23.6%, Czech Republic 18.2%, Russia 11%, Hungary 6%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 4.9%, Italy 4.4% (2006)

Industrial production growth rate

7.8% (2006 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)

4.5% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

26.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Labor force

2.658 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Market value of publicly traded shares

$5.574 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

6.231 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

354.9 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

6.396 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - production

141.9 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

14.39 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

74,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

77,660 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

138,200 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - production

11,480 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

9 million bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line

21% (2002)

Public debt

35% of GDP (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$13.36 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$987.1 million (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$19.08 billion (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

10.2% (2006 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, Whaling 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 kraj, Bratislavsky kraj, Kosicky kraj, Nitriansky kraj, Presovsky kraj, Trenciansky kraj, Trnavsky kraj, Zilinsky kraj

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) 5441-8861

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 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 in 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, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, 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, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, 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 in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SMK 11.7%, SNS 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%, other 12%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14

National holiday

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Political parties and leaders

Parties in the Parliament: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU-DS [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]; Parties outside the Parliament: Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Jozef VASKEBA]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter TATAR]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Hope or NADEJ [Alexandra NOVOTNA]; Left-wing Bloc or LB [Jozef KALMAN]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak National Coalition or SLNKO [Vitazoslav MORIC]; Slovak People's Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK]

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; National Union of Employers or RUZ; Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry or SOPK; Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS; The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS

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) (2005)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.87% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve (2006)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.4% (male 456,105/female 435,154) 15-64 years: 71.5% (male 1,938,846/female 1,955,382) 65 years and over: 12.2% (male 247,728/female 414,287) (2007 est.)

Birth rate

10.65 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate

9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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: 7.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 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: 74.95 years male: 71 years female: 79.11 years (2007 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: 36.1 years male: 34.5 years female: 37.9 years (2007 est.)

Nationality

noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak

Net migration rate

0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population

5,447,502 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate

0.147% (2007 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: 1.048 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.992 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.598 male(s)/female total population: 0.942 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.33 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Disputes - international

bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continued in 2006 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; consumer of ecstasy

Airports

35 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 20 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: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports

1 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 260,766 GRT/361,651 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 45, refrigerated cargo 3 foreign-owned: 46 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 2, Greece 4, Israel 6, Italy 1, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 11, Ukraine 10, UK 1) (2007)

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) (2006)

Roadways

total: 42,993 km paved: 37,533 km (includes 316 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,460 km (2004)

Waterways

172 km (on Danube River) (2005)