Slovakia - More Information
Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of
over five million and an area of about 49000 square kilometres (almost
19000 square miles). The Slovak Republic borders the Czech Republic
and Austria to the west Poland to the north Ukraine to the east and
Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava.
Slovakia is a member state of the European Union,
NATO, OECD, WTO, and other international organizations. The Slavic
people arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia between the 5th
and 6th century AD during the Migration Period (Migration of Nations).
Various parts of Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire, the first known
political unit of Slavs, Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary,
Habsburg (Austrian) monarchy, Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia
throughout history. Slovakia became independent on 1 January 1993, with
the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia in the Velvet Divorce.
Geography
The Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous nature, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country. Amongst these mountain ranges are the high peaks of the Tatra mountains. To the north, close to the Polish border, are the High Tatras home to many scenic lakes and valleys as well as the highest point in Slovakia, the Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 metres (8,711 ft).
Major Slovak rivers are the Danube, the Váh and the Hron.
The Slovak climate lies between the temperate and continental climate zones with relatively warm summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters.
Slovakia features natural landscapes, mountains, caves, medieval castles and towns, folk architecture, spas and ski resorts.