Slovakia Europe - Bratislava Pictures, Travel Sites

Geography

Country name: Slovak Republic (local: Slovenska Republika).

Capital: Bratislava.

Government type: parliamentary democracy.

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

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

Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south. Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys.

Total area: 48,845 km².

Highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m.

Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters.

Ports and harbors: Bratislava, Komarno.

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.