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WORLD FACTBOOK (US)
Introduction: Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were themselves ruled by the Austrians. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the...
COUNTRY BRIEF (AU)
Economic Overview: Over the past 20 years, the Slovak Republic has made a successful transition from a centrally planned economy dominated by heavy industry to an open market dominated by a steadily growing services sector. It is now among the best-performing in the European Union, with a GDP per capita of approximately 70 per cent of the EU average.
Slovakia achieved consistently high rates of economic growth over the past decade, with real GDP growth peaking at 10.6 per cent in 2007. Growth remained strong at 6.2 per cent in 2008, but as an export oriented economy, Slovakia’s growth slowed in 2009 with the onset of the global financial ...
BACKGROUND NOTES (US)
History: Historians usually trace Slovakia's roots to the Great Moravian Empire, founded in the early ninth century. The territory of Great Moravia included all of present western and central Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and parts of neighboring Poland, Hungary, and Germany. Saints Cyril and Methodius, known for the creation of a Cyrillic alphabet, came to Great Moravia as missionaries upon the
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COUNTRY PROFILE (UK)
Geography: Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe and shares common borders with Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Mountains dominate the central and northern parts of the country while the south is mainly lowland. It has a temperate climate.
Longer Historical Perspective
The earliest records of Slavic inhabitants in present-day Slovakia date from the fifth century AD. Following their invasion in 907, the Magyars established the Kingdom of Hungary, which included much of modern-day Slovakia. This invasion had profound long-term consequences as it meant that the Slavic people of ...
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