About Slovakia

Full name: Slovak Republic. Capital City: Bratislava Language: Slovak, Hungarian, Czech and German. Currency: Euro Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. National Anthem: "Nad Tatrou Sa Blyska" meaning 'Over Tatra it lightens'. Newspaper: Slovak News Agency, Praca, Pravda, The Slovak Spectator, Slovak Sun, Slovakia Daily Surveyor and Slovakia Today. Places to Visit: Bratislava, Trencianske Teplice, Vysoke Tatry, Cachtice Castle, Devin Castle, Mala Fatra National Park, St James Church in Levo, Museum of Jewish Culture and Spis Castle. Transport: Airways: daily flights by Sky Europe to Bratislava. Czech Airlines and Slovak Airlines are other service providers; Roadways: hourly buses between Vienna International Airport and Bratislava's; Waterways: hydrofoils available between April and September, from Bratislava to Vienna and Budapest; Railways: Direct trains from Prague, Budapest and Vienna. Daily train between Bratislava with Moscow every night. Shopping: woodcarvings, pottery, hand-embroidered clothing, porcelain, glass and crystal

Introduction the lesser half of the composite country of Czechoslovakia, it split in the year 1993 to become an autonomous country in its own right. In fact, Slovakia achieved independence after almost a thousand years of continuous struggle with first the Magyars and then several other empires like the Austro-Hungarian and the Habsburg Empire.

Physical Map of Slovakia
the country of Slovakia is a typically landlocked Alpine country which is divided into 8 provinces. In fact, more than a third of the country comprises of mountains. Other elevated land forms like plateaus too mark the landscape of the country.
Some of the important mountains of the country are the Ore Mountains, the Carpathian Mountains and the Tatra Mountains; in fact, it is in the Tatra Mountains that Slovakia's highest point is to be found - it is known as the Gerlach Peak. The base of all these mountains and plateaus subside to form the plains and lowlands. The chief of the plains is the Danube River plain, as it is also the most fertile region in the country. Aside of the Danube River, the other important rivers are Hornad, Hron, Morava and Vah.

Location of Slovakia
the primary feature of Slovakia is the fact that it is landlocked. Slovakia is located precisely in the central region of Europe.

Because of this, Slovakia is termed as the "Country at the Heart of Europe". The country has five immediate political neighbors. They are Hungary to the south; Austria to the southwest; Czech Republic to the northwest; Poland to the north; and Ukraine to the east.

Flag of Slovakia
The rectangular flag of the country of Slovakia is dominated by the pan-Slavic colors of white, blue and red (top to bottom). The colors appear in three equal horizontal bands running from end to end. Off-center left is the country's insignia, which falls midway on the white, blue and red stripes and is also dominated by the same colors. The coat of arms in Slovakia Flag, is a shield with a red backdrop on which is superimposed a three blue hills and a white double armed Lorraine cross in white.


Climate of Slovakia
being landlocked, Slovakia has distinctly demarcated climatic conditions. In general, though, the country has a continental type of climate. The summers are generally warm and humid, but pleasant nevertheless, while the winters are cold, cloudy and record immense precipitation in the form of snowfall. However, the dampness prevails throughout the winters. The summer months last from May to September, while the winter months fall between October and April. The average temperature in the summers is around 26°C; and in winters, the temperature remains at an average of 0°C to -1°C. Another feature of the country is that though the summers are equally pleasant throughout the country, winter chills vary depending on the landscape. So, it is colder up on the mountains and plateaus than in the plains.

Flora and Fauna of Slovakia
given that almost a third of the land mass of Slovakia is blanketed with forests, there is plenty of plant and animal life to be witnessed in the country. Slovakia also has steppe vegetation. Some of the most popular varieties of flora found in Slovakia are oaks, beech, pine, Lichens, mosses and bracken. Slovakia is also renowned for housing innumerable species of mushrooms. Animal varieties are not as diverse in Slovakia. The most commonly found animals found in Slovakia are foxes, rabbits, hamsters, hares, wild cats, wild boars, dormouse, brown bears, lynx, otter, beaver and wolves. Reptile and amphibian life in Slovakia includes species like European tree frog, tree snake, field frog, Carpathian newt, crested newt and marsh tortoise. The country also has quite a considerable number of birds within its borders. They are cormorant, avocet, little bittern, night heron, green woodpecker, golden oriole, quail, partridge, black kite and white-tailed eagle. Whatever fishes are to be found in the country, are present in the rivers and streams of the land; as the country is landlocked. So, most of the marine life belongs to the river variety. You can find such fishes as: huchen, brown trout, umber, burbot, sturgeon, crab, fairy shrimp, carp and pike.

People of Slovakia
the country is chiefly comprised of a Slavic populace like the Ruthenians, Sorbs and Wends. The Slaves are broadly categorized under three heads: West, East and South. According to this division, the Slovaks fall in the Western group which also has the Czechs and the Poles. There are plenty of ethnic minorities in the country. These include nationalities such as the Croats, Hungarians, Byelorussians, Russians, Bosnians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Serbs and Ukrainians. There is a small but significant Roma Gypsy population too.

Arts, Culture and Music of Slovakia

Art: art in Slovakia comprises of both modern types as well as traditional varieties. So, in Slovakia, modern paintings and sculptures rub shoulders with the more traditional forms of wood carvings, fabric weavings and glass painting. Much of the Slovakian culture is also to be detected in the country's intricate and artistic buildings and other forms of architecture.

Culture: the culture of the country of Slovakia is a quaint amalgam of European modernity and a deep-seated pastoral lifestyle. In general, though, Slovakia is a land that is moving progressively towards modernity while also keeping its essence intact. Slovakia also has its own personalized "Traditional Slovak Calendar" to record events.

Music: traditional Slovakian music is essentially folk in nature; which survived despite the presence of several other genres, like Hungarian music. In fact, it is due to these folk songs that the language of Slovakis was preserved and propagated. The chief musical instruments used in the country are flutes called "Fujara" and "Koncovka"; and bagpipes called "Gajdy".



Economy of Slovakia
Slovakia is currently in the process of becoming a full-fledged market economy. The country has a number of natural resources; they include: lignite, brown coal, copper, iron ore, salt and manganese ore. Another natural resource of the country is its fertile land on which grows crops like hops, grains, sugar beets and potatoes and other forest products. The industrial sector in the country is huge and includes textiles, metal processing, ceramics, metal products, paper, food processing and packaging, machinery, beverage brewing, transport vehicles, chemicals, nuclear fuel, coke, optical apparatus and rubber products. Most of these are exported from the country and bring in a lot of revenue for the country.