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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.sk

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

89,592 (2004)

Internet users [time series]

1,375,800 (2003)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality domestic: predominantly an analog system that 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: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

1,294,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

3,678,800 (2003)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

6 national broadcasting, 7 regional, 67 local (2004)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

Budget [time series]

revenues: $12.03 billion expenditures: $13.69 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

SKK

Current account balance [time series]

$-277.4 million (2003)

Debt - external [time series]

$18.31 billion (2003 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

26.3 (1996)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

ODA $113 million (2000),; $92 million EU structural adjustment funds (2000 est.)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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 2001-03 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and foreign investment has picked up. Slovakia's economy exceeded expectations in 2001-03, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003, remains the economy's Achilles heel. The government faces other strong challenges in 2004, especially cutting the budget deficit, containing inflation, and strengthening the health care system.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

24.41 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports [time series]

5.141 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports [time series]

1.381 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production [time series]

30.29 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates [time series]

koruny per US dollar - 36.7729 (2003), 45.3267 (2002), 48.3548 (2001), 46.0352 (2000), 41.3628 (1999)

Exports [time series]

$21.25 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

machinery and transport equipment 39.4%, intermediate manufactured goods 27.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8% (1999)

Exports - partners [time series]

Germany 37.2%, Czech Republic 12%, Austria 9.8%, Italy 5.4%, Poland 4.7%, US 4.7%, Hungary 4.2% (2003)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $72.29 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 5.9% industry: 47.9% services: 46.2% (2003)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $13,300 (2003 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

3.9% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 5.1% highest 10%: 18.2% (1992)

Imports [time series]

$21.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

machinery and transport equipment 37.7%, intermediate manufactured goods 18%, fuels 13%, chemicals 11%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)

Imports - partners [time series]

Germany 27.5%, Czech Republic 18.3%, Russia 10.8%, Austria 6.4%, Italy 5.6%, Poland 4.1%, Hungary 4% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

7.2% (2003 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

8.6% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

25.8% of GDP (2003)

Labor force [time series]

2.58 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 8.9%, industry 29.3%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

7.932 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

7.205 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

292 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

7.504 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption [time series]

82,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - imports [time series]

NA (2001)

Oil - production [time series]

1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

4.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line [time series]

Public debt [time series]

37.6% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold (Reserves of foreign exchange & gold) [time series]

$11.74 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate [time series]

15.2% (2003 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

about twice the size of New Hampshire

Climate [time series]

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, 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 signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geographic coordinates [time series]

48 40 N, 19 30 E

Geography - note [time series]

landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys

Irrigated land [time series]

1,740 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 1,524 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 30.16% permanent crops: 2.62% other: 67.22% (2001)

Location [time series]

Central Europe, south of Poland

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

Natural resources [time series]

brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land

Terrain [time series]

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky

Capital [time series]

Bratislava

Constitution [time series]

ratified 1 September 1992, fully 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

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Scott N. THAYER embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Ivan MIKLOS (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pal CSAKY (since 30 October 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Pavol RUSKO (since May 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held 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 election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%; Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002 note: government coalition - SDKU, SMK, KDH, ANO

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue

Government type [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Independence [time series]

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

International organization participation [time series]

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council)

Legal system [time series]

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Legislative branch [time series]

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) elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held NA September 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU 15.1%, SMER 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12), opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union 5, and independents 10)

National holiday [time series]

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction (Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Movement for a Democratic Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Peter SULOVSKY]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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 joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Ground Forces (including Home Guard [Domobrana]), Air and Air Defense Forces (January 2003)

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$406 million (2002)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1.89% (2002)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,477,017 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 1,129,935 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age (conscripts serve nine months of basic military service; term of service will be reduced to six months effective 2004) complete transition to an all-volunteer professional force is planned for 1 January 2007; 82% of Slovak armed forces will be volunteers by December 2004; volunteers include women, with minimum age of 17 years; 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscripts serve 9 months of basic military service; service obligation reduced to 6 months effective 2004 (October 2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 43,029 (2004 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 17.5% (male 485,523; female 463,173) 15-64 years: 70.8% (male 1,908,425; female 1,929,861) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 239,081; female 397,504) (2004 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

10.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate [time series]

9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Roma 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)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

less than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

less than 200 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 7.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages [time series]

Slovak (official), Hungarian

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 74.19 years male: 70.21 years female: 78.37 years (2004 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA

Median age [time series]

total: 35.1 years male: 33.5 years female: 36.9 years (2004 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak

Net migration rate [time series]

0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population [time series]

5,423,567 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.14% (2004 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5%

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, many of whom had protested the law; Slovakia and Hungary have renewed discussions on ways to resolve differences over the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam on the Danube, with possible resort again to the ICJ for final resolution

Illicit drugs [time series]

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market

Transportation

Airports [time series]

34 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Heliports [time series]

1 (2003 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 42,717 km paved: 37,036 km (including 296 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,681 km (2000)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 41,891 GRT/63,185 DWT by type: bulk 4, cargo 4 foreign-owned: Bulgaria 3, Estonia 1, Greece 1, India 1, Liberia 1, Panama 1 (2004 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 6,769 km; oil 449 km (2004)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Bratislava, Komarno

Railways [time series]

total: 3,661 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 49 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2003)

Waterways [time series]

172 km (on Danube River) (2004)