Slovakia - Wikipedia

country in Central Europe
“ Slovak Republic ” redirects hera. For the First Slovak Republic, see Slovak Republic ( 1939–1945 ) not to be confused with Slovenia Coordinates :

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Slovakia ( ; [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Slovak : Slovensko [ ˈslɔʋenskɔ ] ( ) ), formally the Slovak Republic ( Slovak : Slovenská republika [ ˈslɔʋenskaː ˈrepublika ] ( ) ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the confederacy, Austria to the southwest, and the Czech Republic to the northwestern. Slovakia ‘s by and large cragged territory spans about 49,000 public square kilometres ( 19,000 sq myocardial infarction ), with a population of over 5.4 million. The capital and largest city is Bratislava, while the irregular largest city is Košice. The Slavs arrived in the district of contemporary Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries. In the seventh hundred, they played a significant character in the universe of Samo ‘s Empire. In the ninth century, they established the Principality of Nitra, which was subsequently conquered by the Principality of Moravia to establish Great Moravia. In the tenth century, after the dissolving of Great Moravia, the district was integrated into the Principality of Hungary, which would then become the Kingdom of Hungary in 1000. [ 9 ] In 1241 and 1242, after the Mongol invasion of Europe, much of the territory was destroyed. The area was recovered largely thanks to Béla IV of Hungary, who besides settled Germans, leading them to become an important cultural group in the area, specially in what are nowadays parts of cardinal and eastern Slovakia. [ 10 ] After World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the department of state of Czechoslovakia was established. It was the merely country in central and eastern Europe to remain a democracy during the interwar time period. Nevertheless, local anesthetic fascist parties gradually came to baron in the Slovak lands, and the first Slovak Republic existed during World War II as a partially-recognized client country of Nazi Germany. At the end of World War II, Czechoslovakia was re-established as an independent state. After a coup d’etat in 1948, Czechoslovakia came under communist administration, and became a function of the Soviet -led easterly Bloc. Attempts to liberalize communism in Czechoslovakia culminated in the Prague Spring, which was crushed by the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. In 1989, the Velvet Revolution peacefully ended the Communist principle in Czechoslovakia. Slovakia became an autonomous department of state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful profligacy of Czechoslovakia, sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce. Slovakia is a originate country with an advanced high-income economy, ranking very high in the Human Development Index. It besides performs favorably in measurements of civil liberties, urge exemption, internet exemption, democratic administration, and peaceableness. The country maintains a combination of a commercialize economy with a comprehensive examination sociable security system, providing citizens with a universal health care, free education, and one of the longest paid parental leaves in the OECD. [ 11 ] Slovakia is a member of NATO, CERN, the European Union, the Eurozone, the Schengen Area, the United Nations, the OECD, the WTO, the Council of Europe, the Visegrád Group, and the OSCE. It is the world ‘s largest per-capita car producer ; it manufactured a total of 1.1 million cars in 2019, representing 43 % of its full industrial output. [ 12 ]

etymology [edit ]

Slovakia ‘s diagnose in theory means the “ Land of the Slavs “ ( Slovensko in Slovak stemming from the older human body Sloven/Slovienin ). As such, it is a cognate of the words Slovenia and Slavonia. In medieval Latin, German, and even some Slavic sources, the same name has often been used for Slovaks, Slovenes, Slavonians, and Slavs in general. According to one of the theories, a newfangled imprint of national name formed for the ancestors of the Slovaks between the 13th and fourteenth century, possibly due to foreign influence ; the Czech news Slovák ( in chivalric sources from 1291 ahead ). [ 13 ] This form slowly replaced the name for the male members of the community, but the female appoint ( Slovenka ), reference to the lands inhabited ( Slovensko ) and the name of the terminology ( slovenčina ) all remained the same, with their base in the older form ( compare to Slovenian counterparts ). Most extraneous translations tends to stem from this newer shape ( Slovakia in English, Slowakei in German, Slovaquie in French, etc. ). In chivalric latin sources, terms Slavus, Slavonia, or Slavorum ( and more variants, from vitamin a early as 1029 ) [ 13 ] have been used. In german sources, names for the Slovak lands were Windenland or Windishen landen ( early fifteenth hundred ), [ 14 ] with the forms “ Slovakia ” and “ Schlowakei ” starting to appear in the sixteenth century. [ 15 ] The confront Slovak form Slovensko is first attested in the year 1675. [ 16 ]

history [edit ]

The oldest surviving homo artefacts from Slovakia are found near Nové Mesto nad Váhom and are dated at 270,000 BCE, in the early on Paleolithic earned run average. These ancient tools, made by the Clactonian technique, bear spectator to the ancient dwelling of Slovakia. [ 17 ] other stone tools from the Middle Paleolithic era ( 200,000–80,000 BCE ) come from the Prévôt ( Prepoštská ) cave in Bojnice and from other nearby sites. [ 18 ] The most important discovery from that era is a neandertal man cranium ( c. 200,000 BCE ), discovered near Gánovce, a village in northern Slovakia. Archaeologists have found prehistoric human skeletons in the region, angstrom well as numerous objects and vestiges of the Gravettian polish, chiefly in the river valley of Nitra, Hron, Ipeľ, Váh and adenine far as the city of Žilina, and near the foot of the Vihorlat, Inovec, and Tribeč mountains, angstrom well as in the Myjava Mountains. The most long-familiar finds include the oldest female statue made of mammoth bone ( 22,800 BCE ), the celebrated Venus of Moravany. The statue was found in the 1940s in Moravany nad Váhom near Piešťany. numerous necklaces made of shells from Cypraca thermophile gastropods of the Tertiary period have come from the sites of Zákovská, Podkovice, Hubina, and Radošina. These findings provide the most ancient evidence of commercial exchanges carried out between the Mediterranean and Central Europe .

Bronze Age [edit ]

During the Bronze Age, the geographic district of contemporary Slovakia went through three stages of development, stretching from 2000 to 800 BCE. Major cultural, economic, and political development can be attributed to the significant growth in production of copper, particularly in central Slovakia ( for example in Špania Dolina ) and northwest Slovakia. Copper became a stable source of prosperity for the local population .
After the disappearance of the Čakany and Velatice cultures, the sorbian people expanded construct of solid and complex fortifications, with the large permanent buildings and administrative centres. Excavations of Lusatian hill forts text file the significant exploitation of trade and farming at that time period. The profusion and diversity of tombs increased well. The inhabitants of the area manufactured arms, shields, jewelry, dishes, and statues .

Iron Age [edit ]

Hallstatt Period [edit ]

The arrival of tribes from Thrace disrupted the people of the Kalenderberg culture, who lived in the hamlets located on the plain ( Sereď ) and in the hill forts like Molpír, near Smolenice, in the little Carpathians. During Hallstatt times, monumental burying mounds were erected in westerly Slovakia, with princely equipment consisting of lavishly decorated vessels, ornaments and decorations. The burial rites consisted entirely of cremation. common people were buried in flat urnfield cemeteries. A limited function was given to weaving and the product of textiles. The local ability of the “ Princes ” of the Hallstatt period disappeared in Slovakia during the hundred before the middle of first millennium BC, after discord between the Scytho -Thracian people and locals, resulting in abandonment of the old hill-forts. relatively depopulated areas soon caught the sake of emerging Celtic tribes, who advanced from the south towards the north, following the Slovak rivers, peacefully integrating into the remnants of the local anesthetic population .

La Tène Period [edit ]

From around 500 BCE, the territory of contemporary Slovakia was settled by Celts, who built brawny oppida on the sites of contemporary Bratislava and Devín. Biatecs, silver coins with inscriptions in the Latin rudiment, represent the first known use of writing in Slovakia. At the northern regions, remnants of the local population of sorbian beginning, together with Celtic and late Dacian influence, gave arise to the singular Púchov culture, with boost crafts and iron-working, many hill-forts and strengthen settlements of central type with the coinage of the “ Velkobysterecky ” type ( no inscriptions, with a horse on one slope and a head on the other ). This acculturation is much connected with the Celtic tribe mentioned in Roman sources as Cotini .

Roman Period [edit ]

A Roman dedication at the castle hill of Trenčín ( 178–179 AD ) From 2 AD, the expanding Roman Empire established and maintained a serial of outposts around and just south of the Danube, the largest of which were known as Carnuntum ( whose remains are on the main road halfway between Vienna and Bratislava ) and Brigetio ( contemporary Szőny at the Slovak-Hungarian edge ). such roman surround settlements were built on the present area of Rusovce, presently a suburb of Bratislava. The military fort was surrounded by a civilian vicus and several farms of the villa rustica type. The name of this colonization was Gerulata. The military garrison had an aide cavalry unit, approximately 300 horses impregnable, modelled after the Cananefates. The remains of Roman buildings have besides survived in Devín Castle ( contemporary business district Bratislava ), the suburb of Dúbravka and Stupava, and Bratislava Castle Hill. Near the northernmost tune of the Roman hinterlands, the Limes Romanus, there existed the winter clique of Laugaricio ( contemporary Trenčín ) where the Auxiliary of Legion II fight and prevailed in a decisive conflict over the Germanic Quadi tribe in 179 CE during the Marcomannic Wars. The Kingdom of Vannius, a kingdom founded by the Germanic Suebi tribe of Quadi and Marcomanni, deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as respective small Germanic and Celtic tribes, including the Osi and Cotini, existed in western and central Slovakia from 8–6 BCE to 179 CE .

great invasions from the 4th to 7th centuries [edit ]

In the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, the Huns began to leave the Central Asian steppes. They crossed the Danube in 377 AD and occupied Pannonia, which they used for 75 years as their base for launching looting-raids into western Europe. however, Attila ‘s death in 453 bring about the disappearance of the Hun tribe. In 568, a Turko-Mongol tribal conspiracy, the Avars, conducted its invasion into the Middle Danube region. The Avars occupied the lowlands of the Pannonian Plain and established an empire dominating the Carpathian Basin. In 623, the Slavic population surviving in the western parts of Pannonia seceded from their empire after a revolution led by Samo, a frankish merchant. [ 19 ] After 626, the Avar world power started a gradual worsen [ 20 ] but its predominate lasted to 804 .

Slavic states [edit ]

The Slavic tribe settled in the territory of contemporary Slovakia in the fifth century. western Slovakia was the center of Samo ‘s conglomerate in the seventh hundred. A slavonic country known as the Principality of Nitra arose in the eighth century and its ruler Pribina had the beginning known christian church of the territory of contemporary Slovakia consecrated by 828. together with neighbouring Moravia, the principality formed the core of the Great moravian Empire from 833. The eminent period of this Slavonic empire came with the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius in 863, during the predominate of Duke Rastislav, and the territorial expansion under King Svätopluk I .

Great Moravia ( 830–before 907 ) [edit ]

Great Moravia arose around 830 when Mojmír I unified the Slavic tribes settled north of the Danube and extended the moravian domination over them. [ 21 ] When Mojmír I endeavoured to secede from the domination of the king of East Francia in 846, King Louis the german deposed him and assisted Mojmír ‘s nephew Rastislav ( 846–870 ) in acquiring the throne. [ 22 ] The new sovereign pursued an independent policy : after stopping a frankish attack in 855, he besides sought to weaken the influence of frankish priests preaching in his kingdom. Duke Rastislav asked the Byzantine Emperor Michael III to send teachers who would interpret Christianity in the Slavic vernacular. Upon Rastislav ‘s request, two brothers, Byzantine officials and missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius came in 863. Cyril developed the first gear Slavic rudiment and translated the Gospel into the Old Church Slavonic terminology. Rastislav was besides preoccupied with the security and administration of his country. numerous fortified castles built throughout the nation are dated to his reign and some of them ( for example, Dowina, sometimes identified with Devín Castle ) [ 23 ] [ 24 ] are besides mentioned in connection with Rastislav by Frankish chronicles. [ 25 ] [ 26 ]
During Rastislav ‘s reign, the Principality of Nitra was given to his nephew Svätopluk as an appanage. [ 24 ] The disaffected prince allied himself with the Franks and overthrew his uncle in 870. similarly to his predecessor, Svätopluk I ( 871–894 ) assumed the title of the king ( rex ). During his reign, the Great Moravian Empire reached its greatest territorial extent, when not alone contemporary Moravia and Slovakia but besides contemporary northerly and central Hungary, Lower Austria, Bohemia, Silesia, Lusatia, southerly Poland and northern Serbia belonged to the empire, but the exact borders of his domains are even disputed by modern authors. [ 27 ] Svatopluk besides withstood attacks of the Magyar tribes and the Bulgarian Empire, although sometimes it was he who hired the Magyars when waging war against East Francia. [ 28 ] In 880, Pope John VIII set up an autonomous ecclesiastical state in Great Moravia with Archbishop Methodius as its head. He besides named the german cleric Wiching the Bishop of Nitra .
Certain and disputed borders of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I ( according to modern historians ) After the end of Prince Svatopluk in 894, his sons Mojmír II ( 894–906 ? ) and Svatopluk II succeeded him as the Prince of Great Moravia and the Prince of Nitra respectively. [ 24 ] however, they started to quarrel for domination of the whole empire. Weakened by an internal conflict deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as by constant war with Eastern Francia, Great Moravia lost most of its peripheral territories. In the meanwhile, the semi-nomadic Magyar tribe, possibly having suffered frustration from the similarly mobile Pechenegs, left their territories east of the Carpathian Mountains, [ 29 ] invaded the Carpathian Basin and started to occupy the territory gradually around 896. [ 30 ] Their armies ‘ advance may have been promoted by continuous wars among the countries of the area whose rulers hush hired them occasionally to intervene in their struggles. [ 31 ] It is not known what happened with both Mojmír II and Svatopluk II because they are not mentioned in written sources after 906. In three battles ( 4–5 July and 9 August 907 ) near Bratislava, the Magyars routed bavarian armies. Some historians put this year as the date of the break-up of the Great Moravian Empire, due to the hungarian conquest ; other historians take the go steady a little sting earlier ( to 902 ). Great Moravia left behind a persistent bequest in Central and Eastern Europe. The Glagolitic script and its successor Cyrillic were disseminated to early Slavic countries, charting a new path in their sociocultural development. The administrative system of Great Moravia may have influenced the development of the government of the Kingdom of Hungary .

Kingdom of Hungary ( 1000–1918 ) [edit ]

Following the decay of the Great moravian Empire at the call on of the tenth hundred, the Hungarians annexed the territory comprising modern Slovakia. After their defeat on the river Lech, the Hungarians abandoned their mobile ways and settled in the center of the Carpathian valley, slowly adopting Christianity and began to build a newfangled state — the hungarian kingdom. [ 32 ] Slovaks seemed to play an significant character during the development of the region. as discernible by bombastic number of loanwords into hungarian linguistic process, concerning chiefly economic, agrarian or metallurgy fields. [ 33 ] In the years 1001–1102 and 1018–1029, Slovakia was part of the Kingdom of Poland, having been conquered by Boleslaus I the Brave. [ 34 ] After the territory of Slovakia was returned to Hungary, a semi-autonomous polity continued to exist ( or was created in 1048 by king Andrew I ) called Duchy of Nitra. Comprising approximately the territory of Principality of Nitra and Bihar principality, they formed what was called a tercia pars regni, third base of a kingdom. [ 35 ] It used to be ruled by manque successors to the enthrone from the theater of Arpád. Interestingly, in the Hungarian-Polish history from thirteenth century, rule of said duchy, duke Emeric ( son of Stephen I of Hungary ), is called “ Henricus dux Sclavonie ”, in perfume – duke of Slovakia. [ 36 ] This polity existed astir until 1108/1110, after which it was not restored. After this, until the year 1918, when the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed, the territory of Slovakia was an integral character of the hungarian state. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] [ 39 ] The cultural constitution of Slovakia became more divers with the arrival of the Carpathian Germans in the thirteenth century and the Jews in the fourteenth century. A significant decline in the population resulted from the invasion of the Mongols in 1241 and the subsequent dearth. however, in medieval times the area of Slovakia was characterised by german and jewish immigration, burgeoning towns, construction of numerous stone castles, and the cultivation of the arts. [ 40 ] The arrival of german element sometimes proved a trouble for the autochtonous Slovaks ( and even Hungarians in the broader Hungary ), since they frequently quickly gained most might in medieval towns, lone to late refuse to contribution it. Breaking of old customs by Germans frequently resulted in national quarrels. One of which had to be sorted out by the king Louis I. with the proclamation Privilegium pro Slavis ( Privilege for Slovaks ) in the year 1381. According to this privilege, Slovaks and Germans were to occupy each half of the seats in the city council of Žilina and the mayor should be elected each year, alternating between those nationalities. This would not be final such case. [ 41 ] In 1465, King Matthias Corvinus founded the Hungarian Kingdom ‘s third university, in Pressburg ( Bratislava ), but it was closed in 1490 after his death. [ 42 ] Hussites besides settled in the area after the Hussite Wars. [ 43 ]
Owing to the Ottoman Empire ‘s expansion into hungarian territory, Bratislava was designated the new capital of Hungary in 1536, ahead of the fall of the honest-to-god hungarian capital of Buda in 1541. It became contribution of the austrian Habsburg monarchy, marking the begin of a new era. The district comprising modern Slovakia, then known as Upper Hungary, became the set of village for closely two-thirds of the Magyar nobility fleeing the Turks and became far more linguistically and culturally hungarian than it was earlier. [ 43 ] Partly thanks to old Hussite families and Slovaks studying under Martin Luther, the region then experienced a increase in Protestantism. [ 43 ] For a abruptly period in the seventeenth century, most Slovaks were Lutherans. [ 43 ] They defied the Catholic Habsburgs and sought protection from neighbouring Transylvania, a equal lengthiness of the Magyar country that practised religious permissiveness and normally had Ottoman backing. Upper Hungary, modern Slovakia, became the site of frequent wars between Catholics in the west territory and Protestants in the east, vitamin a well as against Turks ; the frontier was on a constant department of state of military alert and heavily fortified by castles and citadels often manned by catholic German and Slovak troops on the Habsburg side. By 1648, Slovakia was not spared the Counter-Reformation, which brought the majority of its population from Lutheranism back to Roman Catholicism. In 1655, the print imperativeness at the Trnava university produced the Jesuit Benedikt Szöllősi ‘s Cantus Catholici, a Catholic hymnal in Slovak that reaffirmed links to the earlier works of Cyril and Methodius. The Ottoman wars, the competition between Austria and Transylvania, and the frequent insurrections against the Habsburg Monarchy inflicted a great deal of devastation, particularly in the rural areas. [ 44 ] In the Austro-Turkish War ( 1663–1664 ) a turkish army led by the Grand Vizier decimated Slovakia. [ 43 ] evening so, Thököly ‘s kuruc rebels from the Principality of Upper Hungary fought aboard the Turks against the Austrians and Poles at the Battle of Vienna of 1683 led by John III Sobieski. As the Turks withdrew from Hungary in the late seventeenth century, the importance of the territory composing mod Slovakia decreased, although Pressburg retained its condition as the capital of Hungary until 1848 when it was transferred back to Buda. [ 45 ] During the revolution of 1848–49, the Slovaks supported the austrian Emperor, hoping for independence from the hungarian separate of the Dual Monarchy, but they failed to achieve their bearing. thereafter relations between the nationalities deteriorated ( see Magyarization ), culminating in the secession of Slovakia from Hungary after World War I. [ 46 ]

Czechoslovakia ( 1918–1939 ) [edit ]

On 18 October 1918, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Milan Rastislav Štefánik and Edvard Beneš declared in Washington, D.C. the independence for the territories of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Upper Hungary and Carpathian Ruthenia from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and proclaimed a common state, Czechoslovakia. In 1919, during the chaos following the break-up of Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia was formed with numerous Germans, Slovaks, Hungarians and Ruthenians within the newly set borders. The borders were set by the Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Trianon. In the peace following the World War, Czechoslovakia emerged as a autonomous european country. It provided what were at the meter rather extensive rights to its minorities, at least on paper. During the Interwar period, democratic Czechoslovakia was allied with France, and besides with Romania and Yugoslavia ( Little Entente ) ; however, the Locarno Treaties of 1925 left east european security open. Both Czechs and Slovaks enjoyed a time period of relative prosperity. There was advance in not only the growth of the country ‘s economy but besides culture and educational opportunities. Yet the Great Depression caused a sharp economic downturn, followed by political disruption and insecurity in Europe. [ 47 ] In the 1930s Czechoslovakia came under continuous pressure from the revisionist governments of Germany, Hungary and Poland who used the aggrieve minorities in the state as a useful vehicle. revision of the borders was called for, as Czechs constituted lone 43 % of the population. finally, this atmospheric pressure led to the Munich Agreement of September 1938, which allowed the majority heathen Germans in the Sudetenland, borderlands of Czechoslovakia, to join with Germany. The remaining minorities stepped up their pressures for autonomy and the State became federate, with Diets in Slovakia and Ruthenia. The remainder of Czechoslovakia was renamed Czecho-Slovakia and promised a greater degree of Slovak political autonomy. This, however, failed to materialize. [ 48 ] Parts of southerly and easterly Slovakia were besides reclaimed by Hungary at the First Vienna Award of November 1938 .

World War II ( 1939–1945 ) [edit ]

After the Munich Agreement and its Vienna Award, Nazi Germany threatened to annex separate of Slovakia and allow the remaining regions to be partitioned by Hungary or Poland unless independence was declared. [ citation needed ] Thus, Slovakia seceded from Czecho-Slovakia in March 1939 and allied itself, as demanded by Germany, with Hitler ‘s coalescence. [ 49 ] Secession had created the first Slovak department of state in history. [ 50 ] The government of the First Slovak Republic, led by Jozef Tiso and Vojtech Tuka, was strongly influenced by Germany and gradually became a puppet government in many respects. meanwhile, the Czechoslovak government-in-exile search to reverse the Munich Agreement and the subsequent german occupation of Czechoslovakia and to return the Republic to its 1937 boundaries. The government operated from London and it was ultimately considered, by those countries that recognised it, the legalize politics for Czechoslovakia throughout the second World War .
As part of the Holocaust in Slovakia, 75,000 Jews out of 80,000 who remained on Slovak territory after Hungary had seized southern regions were deported and taken to german death camps. [ 51 ] [ 52 ] Thousands of Jews, Gypsies and other politically undesirable people remained in Slovak forced british labour party camps in Sereď, Vyhne, and Nováky. [ 53 ] Tiso, through the grant of presidential exceptions, allowed between 1,000 and 4,000 people all-important to the war economy to avoid deportations. [ 54 ] Under Tiso ‘s government and hungarian occupation, the huge majority of Slovakia ‘s pre-war jewish population ( between 75,000 and 105,000 individuals including those who perished from the occupied district ) were murdered. [ 55 ] [ 56 ] The Slovak state paid Germany 500 RM per every expatriate Jew for “ retraining and accommodation ” ( a exchangeable but smaller payment of 30 RM was paid by Croatia ). [ 57 ] After it became clear that the Soviet Red Army was going to push the Nazis out of eastern and cardinal Europe, an anti-Nazi electric resistance movement launched a ferocious armed rebellion, known as the Slovak National Uprising, near the end of summer 1944. A bloody german occupation and a guerrilla war followed. Germans and their local collaborators completely destroyed 93 villages and massacred thousands of civilians, much hundreds at a clock time. [ 58 ] The territory of Slovakia was liberated by soviet and romanian forces by the end of April 1945 .

soviet influence and Communist party dominion ( 1948–1989 ) [edit ]

The Velvet Revolution ended 41 years of authoritarian Communist convention in Czechoslovakia in 1989. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and Jozef Tiso was executed in 1947 for collaboration with the Nazis. More than 80,000 Hungarians [ 59 ] and 32,000 Germans [ 60 ] were forced to leave Slovakia, in a serial of population transfers initiated by the Allies at the Potsdam Conference. [ 61 ] Out of about 130,000 Carpathian Germans in Slovakia in 1938, by 1947 lone some 20,000 remained. [ 62 ] The NKVD arrested and deported over 20,000 people to Siberia [ 63 ] As a result of the Yalta Conference, Czechoslovakia came under the influence and subsequently under target occupation of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact, after a coup in 1948. Eight thousand two hundred and forty people went to forced tug camps in 1948–1953. [ 64 ] In 1968, following the Prague Spring, the area was invaded by the Warsaw Pact forces ( People ‘s Republic of Bulgaria, People ‘s Republic of Hungary, People ‘s Republic of Poland, and Soviet Union, with the exception of Socialist Republic of Romania and People ‘s Socialist Republic of Albania ) in 1968, ending a period of liberalization under the leadership of Alexander Dubček. 137 czechoslovakian civilians were killed [ 65 ] and 500 seriously wounded during the occupation. [ 66 ] In 1969 Czechoslovakia became a federation of the Czech Socialist Republic and the Slovak Socialist Republic. Czechoslovakia became a creature state of the Soviet Union. Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was never part of the Soviet Union and remained mugwump to a academic degree. Borders with the West were protected by the Iron Curtain. About 600 people, men, women, and children, were killed on the Czechoslovak frame with Austria and West Germany between 1948 and 1989. [ 67 ]

Slovak Republic ( 1993–present ) [edit ]

Slovakia became a extremity of the European Union in 2004 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007. The end of communist predominate in Czechoslovakia in 1989, during the peaceful Velvet Revolution, was followed once again by the area ‘s dissolution, this time into two successor states. The word “ socialistic ” was dropped in the names of the two republics, with the Slovak Socialist Republic renamed as Slovak Republic. On 17 July 1992, Slovakia, led by Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar, declared itself a autonomous express, meaning that its laws took precession over those of the federal government. Throughout the fall of 1992, Mečiar and Czech Prime Minister Václav Klaus negotiated the details for disbanding the federation. In November, the federal fantan voted to dissolve the state officially on 31 December 1992. The Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic went their divide ways after 1 January 1993, an event sometimes called the Velvet Divorce. [ 68 ] [ 69 ] Slovakia has, however, remained a cheeseparing spouse with the Czech Republic. Both countries co-operate with Hungary and Poland in the Visegrád Group. Slovakia became a member of NATO on 29 March 2004 and of the European Union on 1 May 2004. On 1 January 2009, Slovakia adopted the Euro as its national currentness. [ 70 ] In 2019, Zuzana Čaputová became Slovakia ‘s first base female president of the united states. [ 71 ]

geography [edit ]

Slovakia lies between latitudes 47° and 50° N, and longitudes 16° and 23° E. The Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous nature, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northerly one-half of the country. Among these batch ranges are the gamey peaks of the Fatra-Tatra Area ( including Tatra Mountains, Greater Fatra and Lesser Fatra ), Slovak Ore Mountains, Slovak Central Mountains or Beskids. The largest lowland is the fecund Danubian Lowland in the southwesterly, followed by the Eastern Slovak Lowland in the southeast. [ 72 ] Forests cover 41 % of Slovak country airfoil. [ 73 ]

Tatra mountains [edit ]

The Tatra Mountains, with 29 peaks higher than 2,500 metres ( 8,202 feet ) AMSL, are the highest batch compass in the Carpathian Mountains. The Tatras occupy an sphere of 750 square kilometres ( 290 sq michigan ), of which the greater separate 600 square kilometres ( 232 sq nautical mile ) lies in Slovakia. They are divided into several parts. To the north, conclude to the polish margin, are the High Tatras which are a popular hike and skiing address and home to many scenic lakes and valleys a well as the highest point in Slovakia, the Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 metres ( 8,711 foot ) and the state ‘s highly symbolic mountain Kriváň. To the west are the western Tatras with their highest point of Bystrá at 2,248 metres ( 7,375 foot ) and to the east are the Belianske Tatras, smallest by sphere. Separated from the Tatras proper by the valley of the Váh river are the Low Tatras, with their highest vertex of Ďumbier at 2,043 metres ( 6,703 foot ). The Tatra batch image is represented as one of the three hills on the coat of arms of Slovakia .

National parks [edit ]

There are 9 national parks in Slovakia, covering 6.5 % of the Slovak farming surface. [ 74 ]

Caves [edit ]

Slovakia has hundreds of caves and caverns under its mountains, of which 30 are clear to the populace. [ 75 ] Most of the caves have stalagmites rising from the earth and stalactites hanging from above. There are presently five Slovak caves under UNESCO ‘s World Heritage Site status. They are Dobšiná Ice Cave, Domica, Gombasek Cave, Jasovská Cave and Ochtinská Aragonite Cave. other caves open to the populace include Belianska Cave, Demänovská Cave of Liberty, Demänovská Ice Cave or Bystrianska Cave .

Rivers [edit ]

Most of the rivers arise in the Slovak mountains. Some only pass through Slovakia, while others make a natural surround with surrounding countries ( more than 620 kilometres [ 390 mi ] ). For model, the Dunajec ( 17 kilometres [ 11 mi ] ) to the north, the Danube ( 172 kilometres [ 107 mi ] ) to the south or the Morava ( 119 kilometres [ 74 mi ] ) to the West. The sum length of the rivers on Slovak territory is 49,774 kilometres ( 30,928 michigan ). The longest river in Slovakia is the Váh ( 403 kilometres [ 250 mi ] ), the short is the Čierna voda. early significant and large rivers are the Myjava, the Nitra ( 197 kilometres [ 122 mi ] ), the Orava, the Hron ( 298 kilometres [ 185 mi ] ), the Hornád ( 193 kilometres [ 120 mi ] ), the Slaná ( 110 kilometres [ 68 mi ] ), the Ipeľ ( 232 kilometres [ 144 security service ], forming the molding with Hungary ), the Bodrog, the Laborec, the Latorica and the Ondava. The biggest volume of discharge in Slovak rivers is during spring, when the bamboozle melts from the mountains. The entirely exception is the Danube, whose fire is the greatest during summer when the bamboozle melts in the Alps. The Danube is the largest river that flows through Slovakia. [ 76 ]

climate [edit ]

The Slovak climate lies between the temperate and continental climate zones with relatively warm summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters. temperature extremes are between −41 to 40.3 °C ( −41.8 to 104.5 °F ) although temperatures below −30 °C ( −22 °F ) are rare. The upwind differs from the mountainous north to the plains in the south. The warmest region is Bratislava and Southern Slovakia where the temperatures may reach 30 °C ( 86 °F ) in summer, occasionally to 39 °C ( 102 °F ) in Hurbanovo. During night, the temperatures dribble to 20 °C ( 68 °F ). The daily temperatures in winter average in the range of −5 °C ( 23 °F ) to 10 °C ( 50 °F ). During night it may be freezing, but normally not below −10 °C ( 14 °F ). In Slovakia, there are four seasons, each season ( spring, summer, fall and winter ) lasts three months. The dry continental vent brings in the summer inflame and winter frosts. In contrast, oceanic air brings rainfalls and reduces summer temperatures. In the lowlands and valleys, there is frequently fog, particularly in winter. leap starts with 21 March and is characterised by cold weather with an average daily temperature of 9 °C ( 48 °F ) in the first base weeks and about 14 °C ( 57 °F ) in May and 17 °C ( 63 °F ) in June. In Slovakia, the weather and climate in the spring are very fluid. Summer starts on 22 June and is normally characterised by hot weather with daily temperatures exceeding 30 °C ( 86 °F ). July is the warmest month with temperatures up to about 37 to 40 °C ( 99 to 104 °F ), specially in regions of southern Slovakia—in the urban area of Komárno, Hurbanovo or Štúrovo. Showers or thunderstorms may occur because of the summer monsoon called Medardova kvapka ( Medard drop—40 days of rain ). summer in Northern Slovakia is normally mild with temperatures around 25 °C ( 77 °F ) ( less in the mountains ). fall in Slovakia starts on 23 September and is largely characterised by wet weather and wreathe, although the first weeks can be very affectionate and cheery. The average temperature in September is round 14 °C ( 57 °F ), in November to 3 °C ( 37 °F ). late September and early October is a dry and cheery clock of year ( alleged indian summer ). winter starts on 21 December with temperatures around −5 to −10 °C ( 23 to 14 °F ). In December and January, it is normally bamboozle, these are the cold months of the year. At lower altitudes, snow does not stay the solid winter, it changes into the thaw and frost. Winters are colder in the mountains, where the coke normally lasts until March or April and the nox temperatures fall to −20 °C ( −4 °F ) and cold. [ 77 ]

biodiversity [edit ]

Slovakia signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 19 May 1993, and became a party to the convention on 25 August 1994. [ 78 ] It has subsequently produced a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which was received by the convention on 2 November 1998. [ 79 ] The biodiversity of Slovakia comprises animals ( such as annelids, arthropods, mollusk, nematodes and vertebrates ), fungi ( Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota and Zygomycota ), microorganism ( including Mycetozoa ), and plants. The geographic position of Slovakia determines the fullness of the diversity of animal and vegetation. More than 11,000 establish species have been described throughout its district, closely 29,000 animal species and over 1,000 species of protozoa. Endemic biodiversity is besides common. [ 80 ] Slovakia is located in the biome of temperate broadleaf and interracial forests and terrestrial ecoregions of Pannonian blend forests and Carpathian montane conifer forests. [ 81 ] As the altitude changes, the vegetation associations and animal communities are forming stature levels ( oak, beech, spruce, scrub pine, alpine meadows and subsoil ). Forests cover 44 % of the district of Slovakia. [ 82 ] The nation had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.34/10, ranking it 129th globally out of 172 countries. [ 83 ] In terms of forest stands, 60 % are broadleaf trees and 40 % are coniferous trees. The occurrence of animal species is powerfully connected to the appropriate types of plant associations and biotopes. [ 80 ] Over 4,000 species of fungi have been recorded from Slovakia. [ 84 ] [ 85 ] Of these, closely 1,500 are lichen -forming species. [ 86 ] Some of these fungi are undoubtedly autochthonal, but not adequate is known to say how many. Of the lichen-forming species, approximately 40 % have been classified as threatened in some direction. About 7 % are apparently extinct, 9 % endangered, 17 % vulnerable, and 7 % rare. The conservation condition of non-lichen-forming fungi in Slovakia is not well documented, but there is a bolshevik list for its larger fungi. [ 87 ]

Government and politics [edit ]

Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic democracy with a multi-party system. The last parliamentary elections were held on 29 February 2020 and two rounds of presidential elections took plaza on 16 and 30 March 2019. The Slovak head of state and the conventional head of the executive is the president ( presently Zuzana Čaputová, the first female president ), though with very limited powers. The president of the united states is elected by direct, popular vote under the two-round system for a five-year terminus. Most executive ability lies with the head of politics, the prime minister ( presently Eduard Heger ), [ 88 ] who is normally the leader of the winning party and who needs to form a majority coalition in the parliament. The prime minister is appointed by the president. The end of the cabinet is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister. Slovakia ‘s highest legislative consistency is the 150-seat unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic ( Národná rada Slovenskej republiky ). Delegates are elected for a four-year term on the footing of proportional representation. Slovakia ‘s highest judicial body is the constitutional Court of Slovakia ( Ústavný súd ), which rules on constitutional issues. The 13 members of this court are appointed by the president from a slate of candidates nominated by parliament. The Constitution of the Slovak Republic was ratified 1 September 1992, and became effective 1 January 1993. It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president of the united states and again in February 2001 due to EU entrance fee requirements. The civil jurisprudence system is based on Austro-Hungarian codes. The legal code was modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) and to expunge the Marxist–Leninist legal hypothesis. Slovakia accepts the compulsory International Court of Justice legal power with reservations .

foreign relations [edit ]

The Ministry of Foreign and european Affairs ( Slovak : Ministerstvo zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí ) is responsible for maintaining the Slovak Republic ‘s external relations and the management of its international diplomatic missions. The ministry ‘s director is Ivan Korčok. [ 89 ] [ 90 ] The ministry oversees Slovakia ‘s affairs with foreign entities, including bilateral relations with individual nations and its representation in external organizations. Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2009. Slovakia is a extremity of the United Nations ( since 1993 ) and participates in its specialize agencies. The area was, on 10 October 2005, elected to a biennial term on the UN Security Council from 2006 to 2007. It is besides a penis of the Schengen Area, the Council of Europe ( CoE ), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ), the World Trade Organization ( WTO ), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ), the Union for the Mediterranean ( UfM ), the european Organization for Nuclear Research ( CERN ) and separate of the Visegrád Group ( V4 : Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland ). In 2020, Slovak citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival entree to 181 countries and territories, ranking the Slovak pass 11th in the world. [ 91 ]
Slovakia maintains diplomatic relations with 134 countries, primarily through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As of December 2013, Slovakia maintained 90 missions abroad, including 64 embassies, seven missions to multilateral organisations, nine consulates-general, one consular office, one Slovak Economic and Cultural Office and eight Slovak Institutes. [ 92 ] There are 44 embassies and 35 honorary consulates in Bratislava. Slovakia and the United States retain solid diplomatic ties and collaborate in the military and law enforcement areas. The U.S. Department of Defense programs has contributed significantly to Slovak military reforms. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have their roots in Slovakia, and many retain strong cultural and familial ties to the Slovak Republic. President Woodrow Wilson and the United States played a major function in the establishment of the original Czechoslovak department of state on 28 October 1918 .

military [edit ]

Slovak 5th Special Forces Regiment in easterly Afghanistan during the Operation Enduring Freedom slovak members of UNFICYP peacekeepers patrolling the buffer zone in Cyprus

The president is formally the commander-in-chief of the Slovak armed forces. Slovakia joined NATO in March 2004. [ 93 ] From 2006, the united states army transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic number 14,000 uniform personnel. [ 94 ] The nation has been an active participant in US- and NATO-led military actions and involved in many United Nations peacekeeping military missions : UNPROFOR in the Yugoslavia ( 1992-1995 ), UNOMUR in Uganda and Rwanda ( 1993-1994 ), UNAMIR in Rwanda ( 1993-1996 ), UNTAES in Croatia ( 1996-1998 ), UNOMIL in Liberia ( 1993-1997 ), MONUA in Angola ( 1997-1999 ), SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina ( 1999-2003 ), OSCE mission in Moldova ( 1998-2002 ), OSCE deputation in Albania ( 1999 ), KFOR in Kosovo ( 1999-2002 ), UNGCI in Iraq ( 2000-2003 ), UNMEE in Ethiopia and Eritrea ( 2000-2004 ), UNMISET in East Timor ( 2001 ), EUFOR Concordia in Macedonia ( 2003 ), UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone ( 1999-2005 ), EU supporting action to African Union in Darfur ( 2006 ), Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan ( 2002-2005 ), Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq ( 2003-2007 ) and UNDOF at the borders of Israel and Syria ( 1998-2008 ). [ 95 ] As of 2021, Slovakia has 169 military personnel deployed in Cyprus for UNFICYP United Nations led peace back operations [ 96 ] [ 97 ] and 41 troops deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina for EUFOR Althea. [ 98 ] Slovak Ground Forces are made up of two active mechanised infantry brigades. The Air and Air Defence Forces comprise one annex of fighters, one wing of utility helicopters, and one SAM brigade. education and support forces comprise a National Support Element ( Multifunctional Battalion, Transport Battalion, Repair Battalion ), a garrison force of the capital city Bratislava, american samoa good as a education battalion, and diverse logistics and communication and information bases. assorted forces under the direct command of the General Staff include the fifth extra Forces Regiment .

Human rights [edit ]

The US State Department in 2017 reported :

The government broadly respected the human rights of its citizens ; however, there were problems in some areas. The most meaning human rights issues included incidents of noise with privacy ; corruption ; far-flung discrimination against Roma minority ; and security pull ferocity against heathen and racial minorities politics actions and rhetoric did little to discourage. The government investigated reports of abuses by members of the security forces and early government institutions, although some observers questioned the thoroughness of these investigations. Some officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Two erstwhile ministers were convicted of corruption during the year. [ 99 ]

Human rights in Slovakia are guaranteed by the Constitution of Slovakia from the year 1992 and by multiple international laws signed in Slovakia between 1948 and 2006. [ 100 ] According to the European Roma Rights Centre ( ERRC ), Romani people in Slovakia “ survive racism in the job market, housing and department of education fields and are frequently subjected to forced evictions, vigilante intimidation, disproportionate levels of patrol ferociousness and more subtle forms of discrimination. ” [ 101 ]

administrative divisions [edit ]

Bratislava, capital and largest city of Slovakia Slovakia is divided into 8 kraje ( singular— kraj, normally translated as “ area ” ), each of which is named after its principal city. Regions have enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy since 2002. Their autonomous bodies are referred to as Self-governing ( or autonomous ) Regions ( seaborgium. samosprávny kraj, pl. samosprávne kraje ) or Upper-Tier territorial Units ( seaborgium. vyšší územný celok, pl. vyššie územné celky, abbr. VÚC ). The kraje are subdivided into many okresy ( seaborgium. okres, normally translated as districts ). Slovakia presently has 79 districts. The okresy are further divided into obce ( seaborgium. obec, normally translated as “ municipality ” ). There are presently 2,890 municipalities. In terms of economics and unemployment rate, the western regions are richer than easterly regions. Bratislava is the third-richest region of the European Union by GDP ( PPP ) per caput ( after Hamburg and Luxembourg City ) ; GDP at purchasing ability parity is about three times higher than in other Slovak regions. [ 102 ] [ 103 ]

economy [edit ]

high-rise buildings in Bratislava ‘s newfangled commercial enterprise district The Slovak economy is a develop, high-income [ 104 ] economy, with the GDP per head equalling 78 % of the average of the European Union in 2018. [ 105 ] The country has difficulties addressing regional imbalances in wealth and employment. [ 106 ] GDP per caput ranges from 188 % of EU average in Bratislava to 54 % in Eastern Slovakia. [ 107 ] Although regional income inequality is high, 90 % of citizens own their homes. The OECD in 2017 reported :

The Slovak Republic continues exhibiting robust economic operation, with strong growth backed by a healthy fiscal sector, low public debt and high international competitiveness drawing on large inbound investment. [ 108 ]

In 2021, Slovakia was ranked by the International Monetary Fund as the 45th richest country in the universe ( out of 195 countries and territories ), with purchasing office parity per head GDP of $ 34,815. The country used to be dubbed the “ Tatra Tiger “. Slovakia successfully transformed from a centrally planned economy to a market-driven economy. major privatisations are completed, the deposit sector is about wholly in private hands, and alien investment has risen .
Slovakia is separate of the Schengen Area, the EU single market, and since 2009, the Eurozone ( dark blue ) As of 2021, with population only 5 million, Slovakia is the 61st largest economy in the earth ( out of 213 countries and territories ). The Slovak economy is one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe and 3rd-fastest in eurozone ( 2017 ). In 2007, 2008 and 2010 ( with GDP growth of 10.5 %, 6 % and 4 %, retrospectively ). In 2016, more than 86 % of Slovak exports went to the European Union, and more than 50 % of Slovak imports came from other european Union penis states. [ 109 ] The proportion of government debt to GDP in Slovakia reached 49.4 % by the end of 2018, far below the OECD average. [ 110 ] unemployment, peaking at 19 % at the end of 1999, decreased to 4.9 % in 2019, lowest recorded rate in Slovak history. [ 111 ] Slovakia adopted the Euro currency on 1 January 2009 as the 16th member of the Eurozone. The euro in Slovakia was approved by the european commission on 7 May 2008. The Slovak koruna was revalued on 28 May 2008 to 30.126 for 1 euro, [ 112 ] which was besides the change rate for the euro. [ 113 ]
high-rise buildings in Bratislava ‘s business districts The slovak government encourages extraneous investment since it is one of the drive forces of the economy. Slovakia is an attractive country for alien investors chiefly because of its moo wages, low tax rates, well educated labour coerce, favorable geographic localization in the heart of Central Europe, strong political stability and dear external relations reinforced by the country ‘s accession to the European Union. Some regions, by and large at the east of Slovakia have failed to attract major investment, which has aggravated regional disparities in many economic and sociable areas. Foreign steer investment inflow grew more than 600 % from 2000 and cumulatively reached an all-time high of $ 17.3 billion in 2006, or around $ 22,000 per head by the end of 2008. Slovakia ranks 45th out of 190 economies in terms of ease of doing occupation, according to the 2020 World Bank Doing Business Report and 57th out of the 63 countries and territories in terms of competitive economy, according to the 2020 World Competitiveness Yearbook Report .

industry [edit ]

Although Slovakia ‘s GDP comes chiefly from the tertiary ( services ) sector, the industrial sector besides plays an important role within its economy. The main industry sectors are car manufacture and electric technology. Since 2007, Slovakia has been the world ‘s largest manufacturer of cars per head, [ 114 ] with a total of 1,090,000 cars manufactured in the nation in 2018 entirely. [ 115 ] 275,000 people are employed immediately and indirectly by the automotive industry. [ 116 ] There are presently four automobile assembly plants : Volkswagen ‘s in Bratislava ( models : Volkswagen Up, Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Audi Q8, Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus ), PSA Peugeot Citroën ‘s in Trnava ( models : Peugeot 208, Citroën C3 Picasso ), Kia Motors ‘ Žilina Plant ( models : Kia Cee ‘d, Kia Sportage, Kia Venga ) and Jaguar Land Rover ‘s in Nitra ( model : Land Rover Discovery ). Hyundai Mobis in Žilina is the largest suppliers for the automotive industry in Slovakia. [ 117 ] From electric technology companies, Foxconn has a factory at Nitra for LCD TV fabricate, Samsung at Galanta for calculator monitors and television receiver sets manufacturing. Slovnaft based in Bratislava with 4,000 employees, is an oil refinery with a work capacity of 5.5 – 6 million tonnes of blunt oil, per annum. Steel producer U. S. Steel in Košice is the largest employer in the east of Slovakia with 12,000 employees .
A proportional representation of Slovakia ’ randomness exports, 2019 ESET is an IT security company from Bratislava with more than 1,000 [ 118 ] employees worldwide at introduce. Their outgrowth offices are in the United States, Ireland, United Kingdom, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Singapore and Poland. [ 119 ] In holocene years, service and high-tech -oriented businesses have prospered in Bratislava. many global companies, including IBM, Dell, Lenovo, AT & T, SAP, and Accenture, have built outsourcing and service centres hera. [ 120 ] Reasons for the inflow of multi-national corporations include proximity to Western Europe, skilled british labour party force and the high density of universities and research facilities. [ 121 ] other boastfully companies and employers with headquarters in Bratislava include Amazon, Slovak Telekom, Orange Slovensko, Slovenská sporiteľňa, Tatra banka, Doprastav, Hewlett-Packard Slovakia, Henkel Slovensko, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel, Microsoft Slovakia, Mondelez Slovakia, Whirlpool Slovakia and Zurich Insurance Group Slovakia. Bratislava ‘s geographic position in Central Europe has long made Bratislava a hamlet for international trade traffic. [ 122 ] [ 123 ] Various ancient deal routes, such as the Amber Road and the Danube watercourse, have crossed territory of contemporary Bratislava. nowadays, Bratislava is the road, railroad track, watercourse and air passage hub. [ 124 ]

Energy [edit ]

In 2012, Slovakia produced a entire of 28,393 GWh of electricity while at the same meter consumed 28 786 GWh. The slightly higher level of consumption than the capacity of production ( – 393 GWh ) meant the nation was not self-sufficient in energy source. Slovakia imported electricity chiefly from the Czech Republic ( 9,961 GWh—73.6 % of full spell ) and exported chiefly to Hungary ( 10,231 GWh—78.2 % of sum export ). Nuclear energy accounts for 53.8 % of sum electricity production in Slovakia, followed by 18.1 % of thermal world power energy, 15.1 % by hydro office energy, 2 % by solar energy, 9.6 % by other sources and the rest 1.4 % is imported. [ 125 ] The two nuclear power-plants in Slovakia are in Jaslovské Bohunice and Mochovce, each of them containing two operating reactors. Before the accession of Slovakia to the EU in 2004, the government agreed to turn-off the V1 block of Jaslovské Bohunice power-plant, built-in 1978. After deactivating the final of the two reactors of the V1 blockage in 2008, Slovakia stopped being self-dependent in energy production. [ citation needed ] Currently there is another blockage ( V2 ) with two active reactors in Jaslovské Bohunice. It is scheduled for decommissioning in 2025. Two new reactors are under construction in Mochovce plant. The nuclear might production in Slovakia occasionally draws the attention of austrian green-energy activists who organise protests and block the borders between the two countries. [ citation needed ]

transportation [edit ]

There are four chief highways D1 to D4 and eight expressways R1 to R8. Many of them are still under construction. The D1 expressway connects Bratislava to Trnava, Nitra, Trenčín, Žilina and beyond, while the D2 expressway connects it to Prague, Brno and Budapest in the north–south direction. A large share of D4 motorway ( an extinct bypass ), which should ease the pressure on Bratislava ‘s highway system, is scheduled to open in 2020. [ 126 ] The A6 expressway to Vienna connects Slovakia directly to the Austrian expressway system and was opened on 19 November 2007. [ 127 ] Slovakia has four international airports. Bratislava ‘s M. R. Štefánik Airport is the independent and largest international airport. It is located 9 kilometres ( 5.6 miles ) northeastern of the city center. It serves civil and governmental, scheduled and unscheduled domestic and international flights. The current runways support the land of all coarse types of aircraft presently used. The airport has enjoyed quickly growing passenger traffic in late years ; it served 279,028 passengers in 2000 and 2,292,712 in 2018. [ 128 ] Košice International Airport is an airport serving Košice. It is the second-largest international airport in Slovakia. The Poprad–Tatry Airport is the third base busiest airport, the airport is located 5 kilometer west-northwest of ski fall back town Poprad. It is an airport with one of the highest elevations in Central Europe, at 718 megabyte, which is 150 megabyte higher than Innsbruck Airport in Austria. The Sliač Airport is the smallest international airport and presently operates entirely summer rent flights to democratic sea repair destinations. Railways of Slovak Republic provides railway tape drive services on home and international lines. The Port of Bratislava is one of the two international river ports in Slovakia. The interface connects Bratislava to international boat traffic, particularly the interconnection from the North Sea to the Black Sea via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. additionally, tourist boats operate from Bratislava ‘s passenger port, including routes to Devín, Vienna and elsewhere. The Port of Komárno is the moment largest port in Slovakia with an sphere of over 20 hectares and is located approximately 100 km east of Bratislava. It lies at the concourse of two rivers – the Danube and Váh .

tourism [edit ]

Slovakia features natural landscapes, mountains, caves, chivalric castles and towns, family architecture, health spa and ski resorts. More than 5,4 million tourists visited Slovakia in 2017, and the most attractive destinations are the capital of Bratislava and the High Tatras. [ 129 ] Most visitors come from the Czech Republic ( about 26 % ), Poland ( 15 % ) and Germany ( 11 % ). [ 130 ] Slovakia contains many castles, most of which are in ruins. The best sleep together castles include Bojnice Castle ( frequently used as a film localization ), Spiš Castle, ( on the UNESCO tilt ), Orava Castle, Bratislava Castle, and the ruins of Devín Castle. Čachtice Castle was once the home of the populace ‘s most prolific female consecutive killer, the ‘Bloody Lady ‘, Elizabeth Báthory .
Slovakia ‘s position in Europe and the state ‘s past ( separate of the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy and Czechoslovakia ) made many cities and towns similar to the cities in the Czech Republic ( such as Prague ), Austria ( such as Salzburg ) or Hungary ( such as Budapest ). A historical center with at least one square has been preserved in many towns. Large diachronic centers can be found in Bratislava, Trenčín, Košice, Banská Štiavnica, Levoča, and Trnava. Historical centres have been going through a restoration in holocene years. historical churches can be found in about every village and town in Slovakia. Most of them are built in the Baroque style, but there are besides many examples of Romanesque and Gothic computer architecture, for example Banská Bystrica, Bardejov and Spišská Kapitula. The Basilica of St. James in Levoča with the tallest wood-carved altar in the earth and the Church of the Holy Spirit in Žehra with medieval frescos are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The St. Martin ‘s Concathedral in Bratislava served as the coronation church for the Kingdom of Hungary. The oldest sacral buildings in Slovakia shank from the Great moravian time period in the ninth century .
cable cars at Jasná in the Tatra Mountains. very valued structures are the complete wooden churches of northern and northern-eastern Slovakia. Most were built from the fifteenth century onwards by Catholics, Lutherans and members of eastern-rite churches. tourism in Slovak Republic is one of the main sectors of the economy, but not using its whole capacitance. It is based on home tourism, where Slovaks spend holidays within the country. major areas are : Bratislava and Vysoké Tatry. To other regions belong : Pieniny National Park, Malá Fatra NP, and Nízke Tatry NP .

Castles and châteaux

There are many castles located throughout the country. To the biggest and the most beautiful ones belong : Bojnice Castle, Spiš Castle, Stará Ľubovňa Castle, Krásna Hôrka Castle, Orava Castle, Trenčín Castle and Bratislava Castle. To the castle ruins belong Beckov Castle, Devín Castle, Šariš Castle, Považský hrad ( castle ), and Strečno Castle, where was filmed Dragonheart movie .

Caves

Caves opened for public are chiefly located in Northern Slovakia. In the southwest of the state only Jaskyňa Driny is opened to the public. The most popular ones are : Dobšinská Ice Cave, Demänovská ľadová cave, Demänovská jaskyňa slobody, Belianska cave, and Domica cave. To the early caves which are opened belong Ochtinská aragonitová cave, Gombasecká cave, and Jasovská cave .

Spa resorts

There are many spas throughout the whole state. The biggest and the most favorite center is Piešťany health spa, where a big assign of visitors come from The Gulf countries, i.e. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain. To the other celebrated spas belong : Bardejovské kúpele, Trenčianske Teplice resort hotel, Turčianske Teplice watering place, and Spa Rajecké Teplice. There are many smaller ones : Kúpele Štós, Kúpele Číž, Kúpele Dudince, Kováčová, Kúpele Nimnica, Kúpele Smrdáky, Kúpele Lúčky, and Kúpele Vyšné Ružbachy with treatments against schizophrenia. distinctive souvenirs from Slovakia are dolls dressed in family costumes, ceramic objects, crystal glass, carved wooden figures, črpáks ( wooden pitchers ), fujaras ( a folk music legal document on the UNESCO tilt ) and valaškas ( a decorated folk hatchet ) and above all products made from corn husks and electrify, notably homo figures. Souvenirs can be bought in the shops run by the state arrangement ÚĽUV ( Ústredie ľudovej umeleckej výroby —Centre of Folk Art Production ). Dielo shop chain sells works of Slovak artists and craftsmen. These shops are by and large found in towns and cities. Prices of imported products are generally the like as in the neighbor countries, whereas prices of local products and services, particularly food, are normally lower .

skill [edit ]

The Slovak Academy of Sciences has been the most significant scientific and research institution in the country since 1953. Slovaks have made celebrated scientific and technical contributions during history. Slovakia is presently in the negotiation serve of becoming a extremity of the european Space Agency. observer condition was granted in 2010, when Slovakia signed the General Agreement on Cooperation [ 131 ] in which information about ongoing education programmes was shared and Slovakia was invited to respective negotiations of the ESA. In 2015, Slovakia signed the european Cooperating State Agreement based on which Slovakia committed to the finance entrance course of study named PECS ( Plan for the European Cooperating States ) which serves as readiness for fully membership. Slovak inquiry and development organizations can apply for fund of projects regarding distance technologies advancement. Full membership of Slovakia in the ESA is expected in 2020 after signing the ESA Convention. Slovakia will be obliged to set state of matter budget inclusive ESA fund. Slovakia was ranked 39th in the Global Innovation Index in 2020, down from 37th in 2019. [ 132 ] [ 133 ] [ 134 ] [ 135 ]

Demographics [edit ]

Population concentration in Slovakia. The two biggest cities are distinctly visible, Bratislava in the far west and Košice in the east. The population is over 5.4 million and consists by and large of Slovaks. The average population concentration is 110 inhabitants per km2. [ 136 ] According to the 2011 census, [ 137 ] the majority of the inhabitants of Slovakia are Slovaks ( 80.7 % ). Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority ( 8.5 % ). other heathen groups include Roma ( 2 % ), [ 138 ] Czechs ( 0.6 % ), Rusyns ( 0.6 % ) and others or unspecified ( 7.6 % ). [ 139 ] In 2018 the median senesce of the Slovak population was 41 years. [ 140 ] The largest waves of Slovak emigration occurred in the 19th and early twentieth centuries. In the 1990 US census, 1.8 million people self-identified as having Slovak lineage. [ 141 ]

Languages [edit ]

The official speech is Slovak, a extremity of the Slavic lyric family. hungarian is wide spoken in the southerly regions, and Rusyn is used in some parts of the Northeast. Minority languages hold co-official status in the municipalities in which the size of the minority population meets the legal doorway of 15 % in two consecutive censuses. [ 142 ] Slovakia is ranked among the crown EU countries regarding the cognition of foreign languages. In 2007, 68 % of the population aged from 25 to 64 years claimed to speak two or more foreign languages, finishing 2nd highest in the European Union. The best know foreign linguistic process in Slovakia is Czech. Eurostat report besides shows that 98.3 % of slovak students in the upper secondary education take on two foreign languages, ranking highly over the median 60.1 % in the European Union. [ 143 ] According to a Eurobarometer sketch from 2012, 26 % of the population have knowledge of English at a colloquial degree, followed by German ( 22 % ) and Russian ( 17 % ). [ 144 ] The deafen community uses the Slovak Sign Language. tied though spoken Czech and Slovak are exchangeable, the Slovak Sign lyric is not particularly close to Czech Sign Language. [ citation needed ]

religion [edit ]

The Slovak constitution guarantees exemption of religion. In 2011, 62.0 % of Slovaks identified themselves as Roman Catholics, 5.9 % as Lutherans, 1.8 % as Calvinists, 3.8 % as greek Catholics, 0.9 % as Orthodox, 13.4 % identify themselves as atheists or non-religious, and 10.6 % did not answer the wonder about their impression. [ 145 ] In 2004, about one third of the church members regularly attended church services. [ 146 ] The Slovak Greek Catholic Church is an eastern ritual sui iuris Catholic Church. Before World War II, an estimated 90,000 Jews lived in Slovakia ( 1.6 % of the population ), but most were murdered during the Holocaust. After far reductions due to postwar emigration and assimilation, only about 2,300 Jews remain today ( 0.04 % of the population ). [ 147 ] There are 18 state-registered religions in Slovakia, of which 16 are christian, one is jewish, and one is the Baháʼí Faith. [ 148 ] In 2016, a two-thirds majority of the Slovak fantan passed a new bill that would obstruct Islam and other religious organisations from becoming state-recognised religions by doubling the minimum followers threshold from 25,000 to 50,000 ; however, Slovakia ‘s then-president Andrej Kiska vetoed the beak. [ 148 ] In 2010, there were an estimated 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia representing less than 0.1 % of the country ‘s population. [ 149 ] Slovakia is the only member department of state of the European Union to not have any mosques. [ 150 ]

education [edit ]

The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, presently ranks Slovak secondary education the 30th in the populace ( placing it fair below the United States and just above Spain ). [ 151 ] education in Slovakia is compulsory from senesce 6 to 16. The education system consists of elementary school which is divided into two parts, the foremost rate ( historic period 6–10 ) and the second grade ( age 10–15 ) which is finished by taking countrywide quiz called Monitor, in Slovak and mathematics. Parents may apply for social aid for a child that is studying on an elementary school or a high-school. If approved, the state provides basic sketch necessities for the child. Schools provide books to all their students with common exceptions of books for studying a extraneous terminology and books which require taking notes in them, which are largely present in the first class of elementary school. After finishing elementary school, students are obliged to take one year in high school. After finishing senior high school school, students can go to university and are highly encouraged to do then. Slovakia has a wide scope of universities. The biggest university is Comenius University, established in 1919. Although it ‘s not the foremost university ever established on Slovak territory, it ‘s the oldest university that is still running. Most universities in Slovakia are populace funded, where anyone can apply. Every citizen has a right to loose education in public schools. Slovakia has several privately fund universities, however public universities systematically score better in the ranking than their private counterparts. Universities have unlike criteria for accepting students. Anyone can apply to any number of universities .

culture [edit ]

Folk custom [edit ]

Folk custom has rooted strongly in Slovakia and is reflected in literature, music, dance and architecture. The flower example is a Slovak home anthem, “Nad Tatrou sa blýska”, which is based on a tune from “Kopala studienku” folk music sung. The manifestation of Slovak folklore culture is the “ Východná “ Folklore Festival. It is the oldest and largest countrywide festival with external participation, [ 152 ] which takes position in Východná annually. Slovakia is normally represented by many groups but chiefly by SĽUK ( Slovenský ľudový umelecký kolektív—Slovak folk art collective ). SĽUK is the largest Slovak folk music art group, trying to preserve the folklore custom. An case of wooden tribe architecture in Slovakia can be seen in the well-preserved greenwich village of Vlkolínec which has been the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. [ 153 ] The Prešov Region preserves the worldly concern ‘s most noteworthy folk music wooden churches. Most of them are protected by Slovak police as cultural inheritance, but some of them are on the UNESCO list besides, in Bodružal, Hervartov, Ladomirová and Ruská Bystrá .
The best know Slovak champion, found in many folk music mythologies, is Juraj Jánošík ( 1688–1713 ) ( the Slovak equivalent of Robin Hood ). The legend says he was taking from the ample and giving to the inadequate. Jánošík ‘s life was depicted in a list of literary works and many movies throughout the twentieth century. One of the most popular is a film Jánošík directed by Martin Frič in 1935. [ 154 ]

artwork [edit ]

Main altar in the Basilica of St. James, crafted by Master Paul of Levoča, 1517. It is the tallest wooden altar in the world. ocular artwork in Slovakia is represented through painting, drawing, printmaking, illustration, arts and crafts, sculpt, photography or conceptual art. The Slovak National Gallery founded in 1948, is the biggest network of galleries in Slovakia. Two displays in Bratislava are situated in Esterházy Palace ( Esterházyho palác ) and the Water Barracks ( Vodné kasárne ), adjacent one to another. They are located on the Danube riverfront in the Old Town. [ 155 ] [ 156 ] The Bratislava City Gallery, founded in 1961 is the moment biggest slovak veranda of its kind. It stores about 35,000 pieces of Slovak international art and offers permanent displays in Pálffy Palace and Mirbach Palace, located in the Old Town. Danubiana Art Museum, one of the youngest art museums in Europe, is situated near Čunovo water company ( character of Gabčíkovo Waterworks ). other major galleries include : Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art ( Warhol ‘s parents were from Miková ), East Slovak Gallery, Ernest Zmeták Art Gallery, Zvolen Castle .

literature [edit ]

christian topics include poem Proglas as a foreword to the four Gospels, partial derivative translations of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic, Zakon sudnyj ljudem. medieval literature, in the menstruation from the 11th to the fifteenth centuries, was written in Latin, Czech and Slovakised Czech. Lyric ( prayers, songs and formulas ) was distillery controlled by the Church, while epic was concentrated on legends. Authors from this time period include Johannes de Thurocz, writer of the Chronica Hungarorum and Maurus, both of them Hungarians. [ 157 ] The worldly literature besides emerged and chronicles were written in this period. Two contribute persons codified Slovak. The first was Anton Bernolák, whose concept was based on the western Slovak dialect in 1787. It was the codification of the first-ever literary language of Slovaks. The second was Ľudovít Štúr, whose geological formation of the Slovak took principles from the central Slovak dialect in 1843. Slovakia is besides known for its polyhistors, of whom include Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Matej Bel, Ján Kollár, and its political revolutionaries and reformists, such Milan Rastislav Štefánik and Alexander Dubček .

cuisine [edit ]

Halušky with bryndza cheese, kapustnica soup and Zlatý Bažant dark beer—examples of Slovak cuisine traditional Slovak cuisine is based chiefly on pork, poultry ( wimp is the most widely eaten, followed by hedge, goose, and turkey ), flour, potatoes, cabbage, and milk products. It is relatively close related to Hungarian, Czech, Polish and austrian cuisine. On the east it is besides influenced by ukrainian, including Lemko and Rusyn. In comparison with other european countries, “ game meat ” is more accessible in Slovakia due to huge resources of forest and because search is relatively democratic. [ 158 ] Boar, rabbit, and venison are by and large available throughout the year. Lamb and butt are eaten but are not wide popular. The traditional Slovak meals are bryndzové halušky, bryndzové pirohy and other meals with potato boodle and bryndza. Bryndza is a salty cheese made of sheep milk, characterised by a impregnable taste and aroma. Bryndzové halušky specially is considered a national dish, and is identical normally found on the menu of traditional Slovak restaurants. A typical soup is a sauerkraut soup ( “ kapustnica ” ). A rake blimp called “ krvavnica ”, made from any parts of a butcher pig is besides a specific Slovak meal. Wine is enjoyed throughout Slovakia. Slovak wine comes predominantly from the southerly areas along the Danube and its tributaries ; the northerly half of the country is excessively cold and cragged to grow grapevines. traditionally, white wine was more popular than crimson or rosé ( except in some regions ), and sweet wine more popular than dry, but in recent years tastes seem to be changing. [ 159 ] Beer ( chiefly of the pilsner style, though night lagers are besides consumed ) is besides popular .

mutant [edit ]

Sporting activities are practised widely in Slovakia, many of them on a professional degree. Ice field hockey and football have traditionally been regarded as the most popular sports in Slovakia, though tennis, handball, basketball, volleyball, white water slalom, cycling, and athletics are besides popular .

Ice field hockey [edit ]

One of the most popular team sports in Slovakia is ice field hockey. Slovakia became a member of the IIHF on 2 February 1993 [ 160 ] and since then has won 4 medals in Ice Hockey World Championships, consisting of 1 gold, 2 eloquent and 1 bronze. The most recent achiever was a silver decoration at the 2012 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki. The Slovak national ice hockey team made five appearances in the Olympic games, finishing 4th in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The area has 8,280 registered players and is ranked 7th in the IIHF World Ranking at show. Before 2012, the Slovak team HC Slovan Bratislava participated in the Kontinental Hockey League, considered the strongest ice hockey league in Europe, and the second-best in the global. [ 161 ] Slovakia hosted the 2011 IIHF World Championship, where Finland won the gold decoration and 2019 IIHF World Championship, where Finland besides won the amber decoration. Both competitions took position in Bratislava and Košice .
Football stadium Tehelné pole in Bratislava. Football is the most popular sport in Slovakia. football is the most democratic mutant in Slovakia, with over 400,000 record players. Since 1993, the Slovak national football team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup once, in 2010. They progressed to the last 16, where they were defeated by the Netherlands. The most noteworthy leave was the 3–2 victory over Italy. In 2016, the Slovak national football team qualified for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, under fountainhead bus Ján Kozák. This helped the team reach its best-ever status of 14th in the FIFA World Rankings. In cabaret competitions, lone three teams have qualified for the UEFA Champions League Group Stage, namely MFK Košice in 1997–98, FC Artmedia Bratislava in 2005–06 temper, and MŠK Žilina in 2010–11. FC Artmedia Bratislava has been the most successful team, finishing 3rd at the Group Stage of the UEFA Cup, consequently qualifying for the knockout degree. They remain the only Slovak club that has won a match at the group stage .

See besides [edit ]

References [edit ]

bibliography [edit ]

Julius Bartl et al., Slovak History: Chronology & Lexicon. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2002.
Olga Drobna, Eduard Drobny, and Magdalena Gocnikova, Slovakia: The Heart of Europe. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 1996.
Pavel Dvorak, The Early History of Slovakia in Images. Budmerice, Slovakia: Vydavatel’stvo Rak Budmerice, 2006.
Sharon Fisher, Political Change in Post-Communist Slovakia and Croatia: From Nationalist to Europeanist. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Karen Henderson, Slovakia: The Escape from Invisibility. London: Routledge, 2002.
Rob Humphrey, The Rough Guide to the Czech and Slovak Republics. New York: Rough Guides, 2006.
Michael Jacobs, Blue Guide: Czech and Slovak Republics. London: A.&C. Black, 1999.
Owen V. Johnson, Slovakia 1918–1938: Education and the Making of a Nation. Boulder, CO: East European Monographs, 1985.
Lil Junas, My Slovakia: An American’s View. Martin, Slovakia: Vydavatelśtvo Matice slovenskej, 2001.
Stanislav Kirschbaum, A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.
Eugen Lazistan, Fedor Mikovič, Ivan Kučma, and Anna Jurečková, Slovakia: A Photographic Odyssey. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2001.
Elena Mannová, A Concise History of Slovakia. Bratislava: Historický ústav SAV, 2000.
Anton Spiesz and Dusan Caplovic, Illustrated Slovak History: A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe. Wauconda, IL : Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2001.

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