00_Basic_SR.pdf

B ASIC I NFORMATION ABOUT THE S LOVAK R EPUBLIC

The Slovak Republic is situated in the heart of Europe between 17°-23° eastern longitude and 47°-

50°latitude, and borders the Czech Republic to the West, Austria to the South-west, Hungary to the

South-east, Poland to the North, and Ukraine to the East. Slovakia covers an area of 49 034 km 2 . In the

vicinity of the historical town of Kremnica in central Slovakia, at the top of the Krahule hill, is the

geographical centre of Europe.

The relief of country is characterised by great difference in height. The lowest lying place is the town

of Streda nad Bodrogom (95 m above sea level), the highest point being the Gerlach Peak (2 655 m

above sea level) in the High Tatras. Northern and central Slovakia is hilly-covered with the Carpathian

mountain range. In the south hills slope down to join The Danube river and East Slovakian Plans which

are both important agricultural areas. Danube is most important river, creating a waterway connecting

Slovakia with the Black Sea ports and, through the Rhein –Main –Danube canal, also with the west

European ones. In the past there were the important commercial trading routes that led across Slovakia,

i.e. the Amber Route bringing not only goods (gold, amber, furs) but also information that enabled the

various ethnic groups and nations to get to know each other. Nowadays Slovakia is becoming a

crossroad of economic and trade routes between the East and the West.

Slovakia has 5 389 180 inhabitants . In terms of its population, Slovakia ranks as the 20th country in

Europe. The ethnic breakdown of the population is 85.6 % Slovak, 10.8 % Hungarian, and remaining

3.6 % is made up of Gypsies, Czechs, Ruthenians and Germans. The average density is 109 inhabitants

per km 2 . The average life expectancy is 68 years in men and 77 years in women. The official language is

Slovak. The majority of the population is Roman-Catholic. Lutheranism comes next in importance, and a

significant part of the population of Easter Slovakia is Greek and Orthodox Catholic.

The territory of Slovakia is situated in the mild climatic belt with regular alternation of the season of the

year. The average temperature is 3.7° to 10°C. The alpine region has snow for 130 days. Vegetation in

Slovakia thrives in the differing contrasting environment of the Carpathians and the Danube basin, as well as

in various climatic conditions. There are five types of florae: the lowest is the oak, then the birch and spruce

reaching up to timber line, the mountain pine and the highest is the Alpine. Conditions similar to those affecting

plant kingdom also influence the animal kingdom. The entire territory of Slovakia is rich in fauna and most

animal species inhabit the mountainous woodland regions. The visitors of Slovakia can admire the oldest cave

in Europe as well as the beauty of another eleven accessible caves. The largest natural park is the National

Environment of the Slovak Republic

in 1990-2005 in Focus

Park Low Tatras (73 thous. hectares). The favourable natural conditions of the country that is sloping down

toward the south made the earliest human settlements possible very early on. An imprint of a Neanderthal type

human skull was found in the travertine layers of Gánovce. In the silts of the river Váh the archaeologists found

a jaw of a Neaderthal woman. Many early and late Stone age settlements were discovered in Slovakia. During

the Bronze Age Slovakia was a crossroads of many different tribes and ethnic groups. Written records

mentioned mainly the Celts, the Romans and the Germanic tribes. The Slavic tribes arrived to Carpathian

Valley in the 5 th and the 6 th centuries. At that time the oldest West Slavic national unit -Samo’s Empire –

appeared. By the end of the 8 th century there were two princedoms on the territory of Slovakia. Pribina’s

Princedom in Nitra and Mojmir’s Pricedom in western Slovakia and in southern Moravia. In years 813 to 833

the princedoms united and laid the foundations of the Great Moravian Empire, a mighty state, that became a

powerful barrier against the Frankish expansionism. At the invitation of a Great Moravian ruler, Cyril and

Methodius, the founders of the first Slavonic alphabet - Hlaholithic, arrived from Byzantium in 863 and

translated liturgical books. They developed the linguistic standard of the Old Slavonic to equal Latin and

Greek. Present archaeological excavation continuously brings further evidence of the universally high standard

of Great Moravia and their scale is a surprise for European historians. At the beginning of the 10 th century

Great Moravia Empire disintegrated as a result of Hun invasion and pressures of Frankish Empire. Great

Moravia came to the end and Slovakia became part of the early feudal Hungarian state. Hun tribes invaded

the Carpathian basin and took over from the Old Slavonic population cultivation, handicrafts and at least partly

the state organisation. In the following centuries the country went through very hard times –Tatar invasion

(1241) and Turkish invasion (1526). The Turkish invasion lasted 150 years. In the years to follow Slovakia was

the place of frequent anti-feudal and anti-Habsburg uprisings. In the revolutionary times of 1848-1849 the

Slovaks joined the struggle for the abolition of the feudal system and the national emancipation efforts of the

suppressed nationalities in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, but without any success. It was only the First

World War that brought liberation-in 1918 the Czechoslovak Republic came into being. Following the Munich

Treaty in 1938, a new state unit appeared in Slovakia -The Slovak Republic. In 1944, at the end of World War

II, Slovakia was the place of the second largest anti-fascist uprising in Europe. The history of Slovakia is a

history of a European country that has never been at the centre but has always been involved in all significant

movements in the European history. As Slovakia was never an independent country, with the exception of

short periods, its share in the history is less known.

The Slovak Republic has entered the history , as a new country, on January 1, 1993. It came into

being following the split-up of the former Czechoslovakia into two independent, sovereign states, The

Slovak and The Czech Republics. Soon afterwards, Slovakia was officially recognised by the most

important countries. As far as the foreign policy orientation of the SR is concerned, it has become a

member of the most significant international governmental organisations. It was accepted into the UN, the

Council of Europe, OECD, WHO, WTO, CSCE, IMF, EBRD, INTERPOL and further 49 international

governmental organisations.

Environment of the Slovak Republic

in 1990-2005 in Focus

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