General information
| Location: | The Slovak Republic lies in central Europe. | |
| Relatively large diferences in elevation are | ||
| characteristic of Slovakia. Central and | ||
| northern Slovakia is more mountainous. The | ||
| south and east of the country lie in the | ||
| lowlands. The most important river is the | ||
| Danube, which connects the capital Bratislava | ||
| with two European metropolis: Vienna and | ||
| Budapest. | ||
| Borders: | Hungary (679 km), Poland (597,5 km), | |
| Czech Republic (265 km), Austria (127,2 | ||
| km), Ukraine (98 km). | ||
| Established form: | Republic | |
| Government: | Parliamentary democracy | |
| Formation date: | 1. January 1993 | |
| EU member since: | 1. May 2004 | |
| Membership in: | UN, OECD, WTO, V4, NATO, EU | |
| Currency: | Euro (EUR) | |
| Area: | 49 035 km2 | |
| Population: | 5 379 450 (2001 census) | |
| Popul. density: | 109,9 inhabitants per sq km | |
| Official language: | Slovak | |
| Capital: | Bratislava | |
| Largest cities: | Bratislava (population 452 288), Košice | |
| (249 915), Prešov (92 687), Nitra (87 357), | ||
| Žilina (86 685), Banská Bystrica (84 919). | ||
| Climate: | The Slovak Republic is located in a moderate | |
| zone. The average daily temperature is -2ºC | ||
| in winter and 21ºC in summer. The coldest | ||
| month is January; the warmest are July and | ||
| August. Snow remains on the ground an | ||
| average of 130 days per year in the highest | ||
| elevations. |
