Slovakia Facts, Slovakia Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 5,382,000
Capital:: Bratislava; 425,000
Area:: 49,035 square kilometers (18,932 square miles)
Language:: Slovak, Hungarian
Religion:: Roman Catholic, athiest, Protestant
Currency:: Slovak koruna
Life Expectancy:: 74
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $12,400
Literacy Percent:: 99

A landlocked country in central Europe, Slovakia is mostly mountainous except for southern lowlands along the Danube—where the capital, Bratislava, is found. This country's split from the more affluent, industrialized Czech Republic in 1993 was prompted by Slovak nationalism and grievances over rapid economic reforms instituted by the Czechoslovak government in Prague—reforms that left many Slovaks without jobs. Slovakia's industrial economy is market oriented. It joined NATO and the European Union in 2004.

ECONOMY

Industry: Metal and metal products, food and beverages, electricity, gas
Agriculture: Grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops; pigs; forest products
Exports: Machinery and transport equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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