Slovakia: historic towns, plains and the Tatra Mountains

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Slovakia (Slovenská republika) was established on 1 January 1993, when Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech and Slovak republics. The new state is a parliamentary republic. Slovakia is administratively divided into eight autonomous regions (Bratislava / Pressburg, Nitra / Neutra, Trnava / Tyrnau, Banská Bystrica / Neusohl, Trenčín / Trentschin, Žilina / Sillein, Prešov / Preschau, Košice / Kaschau). In 2004 Slovakia became a member of the European Union.

A COUNTRY BORN BY THE DISMANTLING OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Slovakia is bordered to the northwest by Czechia and the mountains of the Western Carpathians to the north are the border with Poland. Along this border the impressive Tatra Mountains are to be found. For a short distance Slovakia has a common border with Ukraine in the east. To the south the country is bordering Hungary and to the west Austria.

The Slovak territory largely consists of hills and mountainous areas. The highest mountains are located along the border with Poland: It are the chains of the Western Carpathians and the High Tatra. In this region is located the highest mountain of Slovakia: the Gerlachovsky Stit/die Gerlsdorfer Spitze with 2,655 meters in the High Tatra. Farther south rises the Low Tatra, reaching 2,024 meters with Mount Chopok.

The south-western part of Slovakia is characterized by the presence of low-lying areas where the Danube and its tributaries are flowing. The largest and most fertile plain in Slovakia is the Bratislava/Pressburg plain. To the southeast on the border with Hungary and Ukraine the smaller plain of Michalovce is to be found. The main Slovak rivers are flowing into the Danube, which for a long stretch marks the border with Hungary and Austria.

The climate of Slovakia.

English text correction by Dietrich Köster.

Area: 49,035 sq km
Population: 5,384,822: Slovaks 85,8%, Hungarians 9,7%, Roma (Gypsies) 1,7%, Czechs 0,8%, Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Germans, Poles and other 2%
State Capital: Bratislava / Pressburg
Official Language: Slovak. English and German are the most used foreign languages.
Religion: Roman Catholics 68,9%, Lutherans 6,9%, Greek-Catholics 4,1%, Calvinists 2% and other 2,2%.
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Time: Central European Time (UTC+1 hour, Summer Daylight Saving Time from March to October is UTC+2 hours.