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Background: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join 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.
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Common Name: Slovakia
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Local Official Name: Slovensko
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Abbreviated Name: Slovak Republic
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Official Name: Slovenska Republika
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Official Script Name: Slovakia
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Local Common Name: Slovakia
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Former Name: Slovakia
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Ivan GASPAROVIC
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Government Type: parliamentary democracy
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Independence: 1993 January 1 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
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Constitution: ratified 1992 September 1, fully effective 1993 January 1; changed in 1998 September to allow direct election of the president; amended 2001 February to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership
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National Holiday: Constitution Day, 1 September
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International Organization Participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
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Administrative Divisions: 8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%
Legislative Branch:
unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SNS 11.7%, SMK 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SNS 20, SMK 20, LS-HZDS 15, KDH 14
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president)
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Party Leaders: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]
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International Disputes: Hungary amended its status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to which Slovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
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Illicit Drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market
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Location of Slovakia: Central Europe, south of Poland
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Continent: Europe
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Land Area Total: 48,845 sq km
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Region: Eastern Europe |
Land Area Land: 48,800 sq km
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Capitol City: Bratislava
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Land Area Water: 45 sq km
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Current: +1
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Latitude: 048 40 N
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Border Boundary Land: 1,524 km
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Longitude: 019 30 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 0 km
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Arable Land: 29.23 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 2.67 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,655 m
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Location: Gerlachovsky Stit
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Lowest Elevation: 94 m
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Location: Bodrok River
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Largest City in Slovakia: Bratislava
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Bratislava Largest City Population: 460,000
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Threatened Species: 443
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Environmental Issues: air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 1,830
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Bordering Countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 677 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 97 km
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Natural Resources: brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land
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Geographical Terrain: rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south
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Comparative Area of Slovakia: about twice the size of New Hampshire
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Slovakia's Geography: landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Slovakia.
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General Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
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Natural Hazards: NA
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Economic Overview: Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business-friendly policies, such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-05, despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 15% in 2003-04, dropped to 11.4% in 2005, but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
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GDP: $88,780,000,000 USD
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Currency: Slovak koruna
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GDP per Capita: $16,300 USD
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Currency Code: SKK
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GDP Growth Rate: 6.10 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% SKK
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Currency Exchange Rate History: koruny per US dollar - 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002), 48.355 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 3.50 %
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GDP of Industry: 29.40 %
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GDP of Services: 67.20 % |
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Inflation Rate: 2.70 % |
Population in Poverty: 21.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 11.70 %
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Tourism: 975,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 5.10 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $22,700,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 18.20 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $23,200,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 30,570,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 10,590,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 24,800,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 8,731,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 35.34%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 47.55%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 17.11%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 3,808 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 165,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 71,400 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 6,720,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 2,160 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 1,000,000 cu m
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Oil Imports: 117,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 6,949,000,000 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 4,500,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 15,010,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $26,940,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $12,670,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products
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Primary Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products
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Industrial Growth Rate: 3.70 %
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Import Amount in USD: $34,480,000,000 USD - machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2%
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Import Partners: machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2%
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Export Amount in USD: $32,390,000,000 USD - vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4%
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Export Partners: Germany 26.2%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Austria 7.1%, Italy 6.7%, Poland 6.3%, Hungary 5.7%
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GINI Index: 25.80%
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Labor Force Number of People: 2,240,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 95 |
Number of People with Radios: 3,120,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 80 |
Number of People with Televisions: 2,620,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 1,197,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 4,540,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 135,991 |
Internet Users: 2,500,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .sk |
Newspapers: 131 |
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Two Letter Country Code: LO |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 421 |
Electricity Voltage: 230 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality
domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added
international: country code - 421; three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services
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Highways: 37,533 km |
Railways: 3,662 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 7,218 km |
Waterways: 172 km
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Airports: 18 |
Heliports: 1
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Motor Vehicles: 257 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 43,772,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 6.90 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 43 ships (1000 GRT or over) 217,819 GRT/309,049 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 36, chemical tanker 1
foreign-owned: 40 (Bulgaria 7, Estonia 1, Greece 4, Israel 7, Poland 2, Syria 2, Turkey 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8)
registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Georgia 1)
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Ports and Harbors: Bratislava, Komarno
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Population: 5,439,448 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 10.65 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 110.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 9.45 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.15% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.33 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 465,304 |
Population Female 0-14: 443,967 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,929,448 |
Population Female 15-64: 1,947,735 |
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Population Male 65+: 244,609 |
Population Female 65+: 408,385 |
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Population 0-14: 16.70% |
Literacy Rate: 99.60% |
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Population 15-64: 71.30% |
Literacy rate of Males: 99.70% |
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Population 65+: 12.00% |
Literacy rate of Females: 99.60% |
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Population that is Male: 47.00
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Population that is Female: 43.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 74.73 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 7.26 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 70.76 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 78.89 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.00%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 0.30
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Nationality: SLOVAK
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Ethnic Groups: Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8%
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Primary Language: Slovak
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Other Languages: Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6%
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13%
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Branches: Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily), Training and Support Forces (Vycviku a Podpory Sily)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 17 years
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Manpower Available: 2,674,495 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 2,182,722 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 81,727 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 1.87
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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