History, Geography and Politics
History
Slovakia can trace her own distinct cultural and political identity from 450BC, which was then settled by the Celts, who built their area of influence around modern day Bratislava!
The Slavic population settled in the territory of Slovakia in the 5th century. Being in the center of Europe saw much conflict and changes of rulers up till the 10th century. By then, a distinct Slovak culture was apparent and even when Slovakia was subdued by Hungary from the 11th to the14th century, Slovakia was able to maintain her importance and place.
A huge population loss arising from an invasion by the Mongols in 1241 and the subsequent famine were largely shrugged off by Slovakia once the events were over. Medieval Slovakia was characterized by burgeoning towns, construction of numerous stone castles, and the development of art.
From the 16th to early 20th century, Slovakia’s development and history mirrored that of the 5th to 10th centuries! In 1918, Slovakia joined the regions of Bohemia and neighbouring Moravia to form Czechoslovakia. After World War II, Czechoslovakia came under the influence of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact from 1945 onwards. The end of communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989 was followed by the country’s dissolution, this time into two states – Slovakia and the Czech Republic after Jan 1, 1993; an event sometimes called the Velvet Divorce. Slovakia has remained a close partner of the Czech Republic, as well as with other Central European countries. Slovakia became a member of the European Union in May 2004.
Geography
The Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous nature, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country. Amongst them are the high peaks of the Tatra mountains, where High Tatras are a popular skiing destination and home to many scenic lakes and valleys as well as the highest point in Slovakia, the Gerlachovský štít at 2,655 metres (8,711 ft). Lowlands are found in the southwestern (along the Danube) and southeastern parts of Slovakia. Major Slovak rivers, besides the Danube, are the Váh and the Hron.
The Slovak climate is temperate, with relatively warm summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters.
Demographics
The majority of the inhabitants of Slovakia are ethnically Slovak (86 %). Hungarians are the largest ethnic minority (10 %) and are concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of the country.
The Slovak constitution guarantees freedom of religion. The majority of Slovak citizens (68.9 %) identify themselves with the Roman Catholicism (although church attendance is lower); the second-largest group are people without confession (12.96 %).
The official state language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic languages, but Hungarian is also widely spoken in the south of the country and enjoys a co-official status in some (southern) regions of Slovakia. English enjoys the unofficial status of a second language as 95.3% of the high school graduates understands it.
Politics
Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. The last parliamentary elections were held on June 17, 2006 and two rounds of presidential elections took place on April 3, 2004 and April 17, 2004.
The Slovak head of state is the president, elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term. Most executive power lies with the head of government, the prime minister, who is usually the leader of the winning party, but he/she needs to form a majority coalition in the parliament. The prime minister is appointed by the president. The remainder of the cabinet is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister.
Source: Wikipedia
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