Slovak Republic basic data: parliamentary democracy as of 1 January 1993 an independent state one of the two succession states of the former Czech and Slovak Federal Republic Member of the European Union as of 1 May 2004 area: 49 036 km2 population: 5 452 025 by 30 September 2021 language: The official language is Slovak. Hungarian, Czech, Ukrainian and Roma languages are also spoken in the Slovak Republic. capital: Bratislava currency: Euro – as of 1 January 2009 vat: 20 % time zone: CET (Central European Time) dialing code: +421 major towns (population by 30 September 2021): capital city: Bratislava 440 952 Košice 237 216, Prešov 93 147, Nitra 87 569, Žilina 86 811, Banská Bystrica 85 052, Trnava 70 202, Martin 60 917, Trenčín 59 039, Poprad 55 303 climate: moderate continental climate, average temperature -2 °C in winter and 21 °C in summer location: Central Europe, geographical center of Europe borders: Czech Republic (251 km), Hungary (655 km), Poland (541 km), Austria (107 km), Ukraine (98 km)
terrain and environment: Relatively large differences in elevation are characteristic of Slovakia. Central and northern Slovakia are more mountainous; the Carpathian bow extends across these regions. 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 metropoles – Vienna and Budapest. Seven Slovak locations are on the UNESCO World Heritage List: historical town of Banská Štiavnica and the technical monuments in its vicinity, Levoča, Spišský Castle and the associated cultural monuments, Vlkolínec, Bardejov town conservation reserve, caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst, primeval beech forest of the Carpathians and wooden churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian mountain area. the highest point: Gerlachovský štít (High Tatras / Vysoké Tatry, 2 655 m above sea level) the lowest point: Bodrog River (94 m above sea level) source: Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, www.statistics.sk
