Slovakia

Geography

Location: Central Europe, south of Poland. Area: 48,845 sq. km, Terrain: Rugged mountains in the central and northern parts and lowlands in the south. Natural resources: Brown coal and lignite, iron ore, copper and manganese ore, salt, arable land. Climate: Temperate climate with cool summers and cold, cloudy, and humid winters. Principal cities: Bratislava, Kosice, Presov, Banska Bystrica, and •ilina. Tourist attractions: Eachtice Castle, Devin Castle, Mala Fatra National Park, Museum of Jewish Culture, and Spis Castle. Time zone: GMT+I hours.

People

Population: 5,447,502 (July 2007 est.). Population growth rate: 0.147% (2007 est.). Sex ratio: 0.942 male(s)/ female (2007 est.). Religions: Roman Catholic, atheist, Protestant, Orthodox, others. Languages: Slovak (official), Hungarian. Infant mortality rate: 7.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.). Life expectancy: Total 74.95 years, Male 71 years, Female 79.11 years (2007 est.).

Government

Capital: Bratislava. National anthem: Nad Jatrou sa blyska. Government type: Parliamentary democracy. Inde­pendence: I January 1993 (date on which Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia). Legal system: Civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes. Executive branch: Chief of state: President Ivan Gasparovic (since 15 June 2004). Head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda (since 30 October 1998). Legislative branch: Slovakia has a unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky. Judicial branch: Supreme court; Special Court.

Economy

Currency: Slovak koruna. Currency conversion: Slovak Koruna per Indian rupee—0.6061 (June 2007 est.). GDP: Purchasing power parity—$99.19 billion (2006 est.). GDP—real growth rate: 8.3% (2006 est.). GDP—per capita: Purchasing power parity—$1 8,200 (2006 est.). Inflation rate: 4.4% (2006 est.). Exports: $39.64 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). Imports: $41.84 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.). External debt: $31.5 billion (2006 est.).

Transport and Communications

Railways: 3,661 km. Roads: 42,970 km. Airports: Kosice International Air­port. Telephones: 1.197 million (2005). Mobile cellular: 4.54 million (2005). Internet users: 2.5 million (2005). Internet country code: .sk. ISD code: 421.