]! ^! The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. 
]" ^" Central Europe, south of Poland ^# 48 40 N, 19 30 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 48,845 sq km `" 48,800 sq km `# 45 sq km ^& about twice the size of New Hampshire ^' `! 1,524 km `Y Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km ^( 0 km (landlocked) ^) none (landlocked) ^* temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters ^+ rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south ^, `% Bodrok River 94 m `& Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m ^- brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land ^. `' 29.23% `( 2.67% `) 68.1% (2005) ^/ 1,830 sq km (2003) ^0 NA ^1 air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests _P `P Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys 
]# ^3 5,447,502 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 16.4% (male 456,105/female 435,154) `, 71.5% (male 1,938,846/female 1,955,382) `- 12.2% (male 247,728/female 414,287) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 36.1 years `. 34.5 years `/ 37.9 years (2007 est.) ^6 0.147% (2007 est.) ^7 10.65 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.048 male(s)/female `, 0.992 male(s)/female `- 0.598 male(s)/female `2 0.942 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 7.12 deaths/1,000 live births `. 8.32 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 5.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 74.95 years `. 71 years `/ 79.11 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.33 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? less than 200 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 100 (2001 est.) ^A `3 Slovak(s) `4 Slovak ^B Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census) ^C Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census) ^D Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 99.6% `. 99.7% `/ 99.6% (2001 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Slovak Republic `7 Slovakia `Z Slovenska Republika `[ Slovensko ^H parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Bratislava `9 48 09 N, 17 07 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky kraj, Bratislavsky kraj, Kosicky kraj, Nitriansky kraj, Presovsky kraj, Trenciansky kraj, Trnavsky kraj, Zilinsky kraj ^K 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) ^L Constitution Day, 1 September (1992) ^M ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership ^N civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) `< Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006) `= Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president `? Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1% ^Q 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) `> last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010) `? percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SMK 11.7%, SNS 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%, other 12%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14 ^R Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president) ^S Parties in the Parliament: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert FICO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU-DS [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]; Parties outside the Parliament: Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Jozef VASKEBA]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter TATAR]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Hope or NADEJ [Alexandra NOVOTNA]; Left-wing Bloc or LB [Jozef KALMAN]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak National Coalition or SLNKO [Vitazoslav MORIC]; Slovak People's Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS [Jan LUPTAK] ^T Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; National Union of Employers or RUZ; Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry or SOPK; Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS; The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS ^U ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Rastislav KACER `S 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 237-1054 `U [1] (202) 237-6438 `V Los Angeles, New York ^W `R Ambassador Rodolphe "Skip" M. VALLEE `_ Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava `` P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava `T [421] (2) 5443-3338 `U [421] (2) 5443-0096 ^X three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills); the coat of arms is centered vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side 
]% ^Y Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business friendly policies such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-06 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 10.2% in 2006 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004. ^Z $96.35 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $46.9 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 6.4% (2006 est.) ^] $17,700 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 3.8% `A 31.4% `B 64.8% (2006 est.) ^_ 2.629 million (2006 est.) ^` agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003) ^a 10.2% (2006 est.) _! 21% (2002) _" `C 3.1% `D 20.9% (1996) _d 25.8 (1996) _# 4.4% (2006 est.) _V 27.6% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $24.57 billion `F $26.14 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 36.1% of GDP (2006 est.) _& grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products _' 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 _( 7.8% (2006 est.) _) 31.29 billion kWh (2005) _* 28.57 billion kWh (2005) _+ 11.29 billion kWh (2005) _, 8.57 billion kWh (2005) _- 11,480 bbl/day (2005 est.) _. 74,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ 2,160 bbl/day (2004) _0 59,000 bbl/day (2004) _W 9 million bbl (1 January 2006) _1 135 million cu m (2005 est.) _2 6 billion cu m (2005 est.) _X 1 million cu m (2005 est.) _Y 6.5 billion cu m (2005 est.) _Z 15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $-3.781 billion (2006 est.) _3 $39.64 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004) _5 Germany 26.2%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Austria 7.1%, Italy 6.7%, Poland 6.3%, Hungary 5.7% (2005) _6 $41.84 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003) _8 Germany 25.1%, Czech Republic 19.3%, Russia 10.5%, Austria 6.1%, Poland 4.7%, Hungary 4.6%, Italy 4.5% (2005) _[ $15.75 billion (2006 est.) _9 $31.5 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _: $12.67 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2007-13) _; Slovak koruna (SKK) _< koruny per US dollar - 29.611 (2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 1.197 million (2005) _? 4.54 million (2005) _@ `G Slovakia has a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth in cellular services `H analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services `I country code - 421; 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services _A AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998) _B 80 (national broadcasting 6, regional 7, local 67) (2004) _C .sk _D 210,758 (2006) _E 2.5 million (2005) 
]' _F 36 (2006) _G `! 18 `a 2 `J 2 `b 3 `c 3 `W 8 (2006) _R `! 18 `J 1 `c 9 `W 8 (2006) _] 1 (2006) _^ gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2006) _e `! 3,662 km `r 100 km 1.520-m gauge `m 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) `n 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2005) _H `! 42,993 km `K 37,533 km (includes 316 km of expressways) `L 5,460 km (2004) _b 172 km (on Danube River) (2005) _S `! 43 ships (1000 GRT or over) 217,819 GRT/309,049 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 36, chemical tanker 1 `X 40 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 1, Greece 4, Israel 7, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8) `d 2 (Cyprus 1, Georgia 1) (2006) _I Bratislava, Komarno 
]( _J Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily), Training and Support Forces (Vycviku a Podpory Sily) (2005) _T complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force went into effect at the beginning of 2006; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years (2005) _K males age 18-49: 1,351,848 females age 18-49: 1,322,647 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,089,645 females age 18-49: 1,093,077 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 41,544 females age 18-49: 40,183 (2005 est.) _U 1.87% (2005 est.) 
]) _N bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continued in 2006 between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules _O transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market; consumer of ecstasy 