SLOVAKIA
The Slovak Republic
lies in Central Europe. The central and northern
Slovakia is a mountainous region - the Carpathian mountains cross this
area. Southern and eastern Slovakia is a lowland region, being an
important agricultural area of the country. The
Danube river connects
Slovakia with Vienna, the Rhine-Main channel, and harbours at the Black
sea.
In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely
related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War
II, Czechoslovakia became a communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern
Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more
became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on
1 January 1993. Historic, political, and geographic factors have caused
Slovakia to experience more difficulty in developing a modern market
economy than some of its Central European neighbors.
The population of
Slovakia is 5.5 million. The highest point is on the Gerlach peak (2655
m) located in Vysoke Tatry. The lowest point is on the Bodrog river, 95
m. The Slovak Republic has a border with Poland, Ukraine, Hungary,
Austria and Czech Republic. The capital of Slovakia is Bratislava.
Other big cities are :
Kosice,
Zvolen, Trencin. The official language spoken in Slovakia is the Slovak
language. Though many other countries boast of having nice natural
environments, honestly, few in this region stack up to Slovakia's
magnificent Tatra mountain range, a brawny segment of the Carpathians
that becomes a skiers paradise in winter and a nature enthusiast's
smorgasbord in summer.
Slovakia has many
natural beauties, on small area you can find high
mountains as well as lowlands. One third of the territory of the Slovak
Republic is covered by forests and we have several beautiful natural
parks. The TANAP park in Vysoke Tatry, NAPANT park in Nizke Tatry as
well as in Pieniny on the Dunajec river, Slovensky Raj and Mala Fatra.
Slovakia has many caves of which only a few are open to the public.
Frequently are visited Demanovska cave, Jasovska cave, Domica and
Dobsina. The Ochtina Aragonite Cave is very beautiful and there are only
two aragonite caves in the world. Maybe, the most famous spas of
Slovakia are Piestany are Piestany and Bardejov.The Slovak National
Gallery is located in Bratislava. You can visit also the Andy Warhol
gallery located in Eastern
Slovakia in Medzilaborce. The Slovak national
Theatre is located in Bratislava and offers opera and ballet. The most
famous castles are the Spis castle and the Bojnice castle. The most
famous Slovak Opera singer is Peter Dvorsky.
Bratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic.
It is a very old city with a history of more than 17
centuries. Today it is a modern metropolis. The best view of the old city and city
centre is from the Danube bridge from Bystrica cafe. Symbol of
Bratislava is the Bratislava castle. Another spectacular building is the
Slovak RADIO tower. Museums and galleries are open daily from 10 to five
except Monday. Bratislava is a very young city because of the presence
of many students who study at
Comenius University, Slovak Technical University, Economic University
and others located in Bratislava. In Bratislava not only Slovak but also
German and Hungarian is spoken. Many families in the past were speaking
at least two languages. Today, young people speak mainly English.
