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Geography |
Location: Central Europe, south of Poland
Geographic coordinates: 48 40 N, 19 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 48,845 sq km
land: 48,800 sq km
water: 45 sq km
Area - comparative: about twice the size of New
Hampshire
Land boundaries:
total: 1,355 km
border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic
215 km, Hungary 515 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 90 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy,
humid winters
Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and
northern part and lowlands in the south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m
highest point: Gerlachovka 2,655 m
Natural resources: brown coal and lignite; small
amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt;
arable land
Land use:
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 17%
forests and woodland: 41%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked
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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 has
experienced more difficulty than the Czech Republic in
developing a modern market economy.
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People |
Population: 5,407,956 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 538,780; female 514,427)
15-64 years: 69% (male 1,854,779; female
1,880,584)
65 years and over: 12% (male 236,072; female
383,314) (2000 est.)
Population
growth rate: 0.12% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 10 births/1,000 population (2000
est.)
Death rate: 9.29 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2000 est.)
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: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 9.18 deaths/1,000 live
births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.74 years
male: 69.71 years
female: 77.98 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2000
est.)
Nationality:
noun: Slovak(s)
adjective: Slovak
Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Gypsy
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)
Religions: Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%,
Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%
Languages: Slovak (official), Hungarian
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Communications |
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.557 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 641,000 (1998)
Telephone system:
domestic: predominantly an analog system which 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: 3 international exchanges, 1 in
Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica, are available;
Slovakia is participating in several international
telecommunications projects which will increase the
availability of external services
Radio broadcast stations: AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2
(1998)
Radios: 3.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 41 (1998)
Televisions: 2.62 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 11 (1999)
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Transportation |
Railways:
total: 3,660 km
broad gauge: 102 km 1.520-m gauge
standard gauge: 3,507 km 1.435-m gauge (1505 km
electrified; 1,011 km double track)
narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km
0.750-m gauge) (1998)
Highways:
total: 17,710 km
paved: 17,533 km (including 288 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 177 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 172 km on the Danube
Pipelines: petroleum products NA km; natural gas
2,700 km
Ports and harbors: Bratislava, Komarno
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
15,041 GRT/19,517 DWT
ships by type: cargo 3 (1999 est.)
Airports: 36 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 18
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 8 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 8 (1999 est.) |
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