Slovenská republika
Slovak Republic
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Afferant Montes Pacem Populo"
"May mountains bring people peace"
Anthem: Nad Tatrou sa blŭska
"Lightning over the Tatras"

               Location of  Slovakia  (orange)

– on the European continent  (camel & white)
– in the European Union  (camel)[Legend]
Capital
(and largest city)		 Bratislava
48°09′N, 17°07′E
Official languages Slovak
Demonym Slovak
Government Parliamentary republic
 -  President Ivan Gašparovič
 -  Prime Minister Robert Fico
 -  President of National Council Pavol Paška
Independence Peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia 
 -  Date January 1, 19931 
EU accession May 1, 2004[1]
Area
 -  Total 49,035 km² (130th)
18,932 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) negligible
Population
 -  2001 census 5,379,455 
 -  Density 111/km² (88th)
287/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
 -  Total $109.587 billion (59th)
 -  Per capita $20,251 (41st)
GDP (nominal) 2007 IMF estimate
 -  Total $74.103 billion (60th)
 -  Per capita $13,857 (44th)
HDI (2004) ▲ 0.863 (high) (42nd)
Currency Slovak koruna2 (1 koruna = 100 haliers) (SKK)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 -  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD .sk²
Calling code +421³
1 Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; see Velvet Divorce.
2Slovakia will adopt the Euro as its currency on January 1, 2009 at a rate of €1 = 30.126SKK.
² Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.
³ Shared code 42 with Czech Republic until 1997.

Slovakia (long form: Slovak Republic; Slovak: Slovensko (help·info), long form Slovenská republika (help·info)) is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (almost 19,000 square miles). The Slovak Republic borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava. Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, OECD, WTO, and other international organizations.

The Slavic people arrived in the territory of present day Slovakia between the 5th and 6th century AD during the Migration Period (Migration of Nations). Various parts of Slovakia belonged to Samo's Empire, the first known political unit of Slavs, Great Moravia, the Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg (Austrian) monarchy, Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia throughout history. Slovakia became independent on January 1, 1993 with the peaceful division of Czechoslovakia in the Velvet Divorce.

Slovakia is a high-income economy[2] with one of the fastest rates of growth in the EU and OECD. It joined the European Union in 2004 and will join the Eurozone on 1 January 2009.