Slovakia

Internet country code

.sk

Internet hosts

89,592 (2004)

Internet users

1,375,800 (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)

Telephone system

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

Telephones - main lines in use

1,294,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

3,678,800 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

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

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $12.03 billion expenditures: $13.69 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)

Currency

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Currency code

SKK

Current account balance

$-277.4 million (2003)

Debt - external

$18.31 billion (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

26.3 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

ODA $113 million (2000),; $92 million EU structural adjustment funds (2000 est.)

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 2001-03 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded expectations in 2001-03, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003, remains the economy's Achilles heel. The government faces other strong challenges in 2004, especially cutting the budget deficit, containing inflation, and strengthening the health care system.

Electricity - consumption

24.41 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

5.141 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

1.381 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

30.29 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

koruny per US dollar - 36.7729 (2003), 45.3267 (2002), 48.3548 (2001), 46.0352 (2000), 41.3628 (1999)

Exports

$21.25 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 39.4%, intermediate manufactured goods 27.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8% (1999)

Exports - partners

Germany 37.2%, Czech Republic 12%, Austria 9.8%, Italy 5.4%, Poland 4.7%, US 4.7%, Hungary 4.2% (2003)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $72.29 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 5.9% industry: 47.9% services: 46.2% (2003)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $13,300 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.9% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)

Imports

$21.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 37.7%, intermediate manufactured goods 18%, fuels 13%, chemicals 11%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)

Imports - partners

Germany 27.5%, Czech Republic 18.3%, Russia 10.8%, Austria 6.4%, Italy 5.6%, Poland 4.1%, Hungary 4% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

7.2% (2003 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)

8.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

25.8% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

2.58 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 8.9%, industry 29.3%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)

Natural gas - consumption

7.932 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

7.205 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

292 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

7.504 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

82,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

37.6% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$11.74 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

15.2% (2003 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-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

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

1,740 sq km (1998 est.)

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: 30.16% permanent crops: 2.62% other: 67.22% (2001)

Location

Central Europe, south of Poland

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Bratislava

Constitution

ratified 1 September 1992, fully 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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N. THAYER embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002 note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

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

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council)

Legal system

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; 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 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU 15.1%, SMER 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12), opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union 5, and independents 10)

National holiday

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Political parties and leaders

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

Political pressure groups and leaders

Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

In 1918 the Slovaks joined 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.

Military branches

Ground Forces (including Home Guard [Domobrana]), Air and Air Defense Forces (January 2003)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$406 million (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.89% (2002)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,477,017 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,129,935 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

18 years of age (conscripts serve nine months of basic military service; term of service will be reduced to six months effective 2004) complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces will be volunteers by December 2004; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscripts serve 9 months of basic military service; service obligation reduced to 6 months effective 2004 (October 2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 43,029 (2004 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.5% (male 485,523; female 463,173) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 1,908,425; female 1,929,861) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 239,081; female 397,504) (2004 est.)

Birth rate

10.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups

Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Roma 1.6% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which is about 500,000), Czech, Moravian, Silesian 1.1%, Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.6%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.2% (1996)

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: 7.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

Slovak (official), Hungarian

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 74.19 years male: 70.21 years female: 78.37 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Median age

total: 35.1 years male: 33.5 years female: 36.9 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak

Net migration rate

0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

5,423,567 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

0.14% (2004 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, many of whom had protested the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the ICJ for final resolution

Illicit drugs

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

Airports

34 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 17 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: 7 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Heliports

1 (2003 est.)

Highways

total: 42,717 km paved: 37,036 km (including 296 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,681 km (2000)

Merchant marine

total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT by type: bulk 4, cargo 4 foreign-owned: Bulgaria 3, Estonia 1, Greece 1, India 1, Liberia 1, Panama 1 (2004 est.)

Pipelines

gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Bratislava, Komarno

Railways

total: 3,661 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 49 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2003)

Waterways

172 km (on Danube River) (2004)