The Slovak Republic is situated in the Central Europe, bordered with Czech Republic on the west, Poland on the north, the Ukraine on the east, Hungary on the south and Austria on the southwest. It is a landlocked country with a total area 49,035 km2.
From its historical background we need to highlight the creation of the former Czechoslovakia as the first joining of Slovaks and Czechs into one state in 1918. After the World War II this state became a communist country within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989. On 1 January 1993 the Slovak Republic became an independent state, following the peacefully split of the Czechoslovakia. Its Constitution provides for a multiparty, multiethnic parliamentary democracy with a president as its head.
Population as of the end of 2004 was 5,385 thousands with a total increase being 0,89 ‰. Share of urban population is 56% living in 138 towns. As the 2001 Census said, nationality structure was as follows: 85,8% Slovaks, 9,7% Hungarians, 1,7% Romanies, 0,8% Czechs. The same source, on the population structure by religions said, that 84,1% is believers of which 82,0% are Roman-Catholic.
Since 1989 the Slovak Republic has been on the way to a market-based economy. Now the private sector generates 89,9% of the GDP. The economy is largely industrial with only 5% of agricultural production. Major exports are iron and steel products, vehicles and automobile parts, audio and video equipment, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products and organic chemicals.