The Slovak Republic

Slovakia is one of the smallest countries and it is situated in the heart of Europe.

The Slovak Republic borders:
-  In the north on Poland
-  In the south on Hungary and Austria
- In the west on the Czech Republic
-  In the east on Ukraine
The capital of Slovakia is Bratislava and it lies on the banks of the river Danube.
 
Geography
-  Slovak territory isn’t big. Its area is about 49,000 square kilometres. It is divided into 3 parts/regions: West Slovakia, Middle Slovakia and East Slovakia.

Mountains:
Slovakia is a mountainous country. A large part of territory is formed by THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAIN RANGE. Carpathians consists of several smaller ranges:
·  The Small Carpathians
- The White Carpathians
- The Small Fatra
- The High Fatra
- The Low Tatras
- The High Tatras

The highest point of the Tatras is the peak Gerlach (2.655 m). Our forests are full of coniferous trees as well as oak and beech trees.
 
Rivers:
Our country is rich in the water resources:
-  The Danube – is a short but the largest river. It flows into the Black Sea.
-  The Váh is the longest river, which flows into the river Danube
-  The Hron, the Ipeľ...

Dams:
There are a lot of man-made water dams in Slovakia. They are exploited as a natural source of energy and prevent from the floods. Well-known are:
-  Orava Dam *  Liptovská Mara
-  Zemplín Dam  *  Domaša
-  Gabčíkovo

Spas:
The territory of Slovakia is full of mineral and thermal springs. Many healing springs enabled to built up famous spas in the towns:
* Piešťany  * Trenčín  *Bardejov *Dudince  *Turčianske Teplice
 
 Climate
Climate is mild. There is the alternation of four seasons (spring, summer, autumn or fall and winter). The warmest regions are in the south of Slovakia and the coldest ones are in the north of the country. The hottest month is July when it is very hot and sunny. The coldest month is January with the temperatures about minus 20*C (minus 20 degrees). There is a lot of rainfall during a year especially in Orava region.

Population
Slovakia has about 5.4 million inhabitants. The density of population is 109 people per square kilometre.
Nationalities in Slovakia
-  The strongest nationality are the Slovaks they form 85.7% of all inhabitants
-  The strongest minority are the Hungarians, form 11 % of all inhabitants
-  The remaining nationalities are made up of the Czech, the Ukrainians, the Germans, the Poles
About three quarters of the Slovak population are believers. The main religion is the Roman – Catholic.

System of government
Slovakia came to being on the 1st of January 1993 after the collapse of the Czech-Slovakia Republic. It ranks among the modern states with the parliamentary democracy.
-  The head of state is the president. He is elected for 5-year term
-  The head of government is the Prime Minister
-  The National Council of the Slovak Republic is the only parliamentary body. It has 150 deputies who are elected for 4-year term in universal, direct ballot.
 
The Slovak flag
- It is form by three parallel stripes (white, blue and red) and the Slovak state emblem, cross.

Economy
Economy is under development and it consists of industry, agriculture and tourism.

Industry:
- We are rich in such natural resources as: brown coal, iron ore, copper, and zinc
- The main role has * car industry* engineering* chemical i. * rubber i. * food i.

Agriculture:
The most significant agricultural branches are: *pig breeding *sheep breeding *cattle breeding * poultry farming
- We grow especially: * wheat * barley *potatoes *sugar beat *fruit *vegetable

Tourism:
Tourists are attracted by many historical monuments and amazing scenery /landscape. There are over 270 castles in Slovakia, e.g.:
*Orava Castle * Bojnice * Trenčín Castle *Zvolen Castle *Nitra *Krásna Hôrka
 
Some facts about Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia
It is situated in the southwestern part of Slovakia, on the banks of the river Danube. Bratislava is cultural, social, business and political centre.
 
Cultural and historical monuments:
-  BRATISLAVA CASTLE – is the most typical symbol of the city. The castle has a shape of the upside-down table. The first written accounts about the castle date from the 13th century. At present there is the Slovak National Museum.
 
-  St. MARTIN´S CATHEDRAL – is situated below Bratislava Castle and it was built in the 13th century in the Gothic style. Former Hungarian kings and queens were crowned there.
-  GRASSALKOVICH PALACE – is other interesting monument. It is the residence of the president.
 
-  MICHAEL´S GATE *DEVÍN CASTLE*THE SLOVAK NATIONAL MUSEUM
Bratislava is also called „ the students city“. There are many universities, e.g.
-  Matias Corvine founded the 1st humanistic university in 1467. It was Academia Istropolitana
-  Comenius University
-  Economical University
-  Slovak Technical University
 
One of the reasons why Bratislava is a dream town for so many people is the opportunity for entertainment, e.g. cinemas, discos, theatres and of course a good job possibilities.