Situated within the coronary heart of Europe, Slovakia has a historical past intently linked to its neighbors. She has managed to protect her personal language and distinctive tradition.
It was a part of Czechoslovakia till the “velvet divorce” in January 1993.
Unbiased Slovakia initially skilled a interval of political turmoil, however weathered the 2008 monetary disaster and emerged as a affluent and secure parliamentary democracy.
The nation joined NATO and the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2009 and despatched troops on peacekeeping missions to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo.
Slovakia has a major Roma inhabitants that suffers from disproportionate ranges of poverty and social drawback.
SLOVAK REPUBLIC: FACTS
- Capital metropolis: Bratislava
- Space: 49,035 km²
- Inhabitants: 5.four million
- Language: Slovak
- Life expectancy: 73 years (males) 80 years (girls)
LEADER
President: Zuzana Čaputová
The opposition candidate Zuzana Čaputová defeated authorities consultant Maros Sefcovic within the second spherical of the presidential elections in March 2019 with 58% of the vote.
A lawyer and long-time anti-corruption activist, she is understood for her decades-long battle towards a poisonous dump in her hometown of Pezinok.
Ms. Čaputová was moved to run for president throughout protests over the homicide of journalist Jan Kuciak, who was investigating hyperlinks between politicians and arranged crime when he was shot useless alongside together with his fiancée in February 2018.
In June 2023, Čaputová introduced that she wouldn’t run for re-election, citing stress attributable to the coronavirus pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the power disaster and fast worth will increase.
Prime Minister: Ludovit Odor (outgoing)
Ludovit Odor, an economist and former deputy governor of the central financial institution, grew to become Slovakia's interim prime minister in Could 2023, amid a political disaster within the nation scuffling with inflation and excessive power prices.
He’ll step down from workplace after the September 2023 elections. Since no get together or alliance has achieved the 76 seats required for a majority, a coalition authorities is required. A coalition of Smer-SD – led by Robert Fico – Hlas-SD and SNS is seen by observers because the more than likely consequence.
Slovakia actively supported Ukraine after the Russian invasion and supplied Kiev with fighter plane and air protection methods.
Nonetheless, this might change underneath a coalition authorities led by Smer-SD and former populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. Fico has taken an more and more anti-liberal and anti-Western place.
Tv is the most well-liked medium. Two Slovak monetary teams personal most of the main media firms.
In keeping with Freedom Home, the media is usually free and unbiased. However the homicide of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée in 2018 highlighted that reporters are more and more topic to intimidation and abuse, says Reporters With out Borders.
Fb is the main social community.
TIMELINE
Some necessary dates within the historical past of Slovakia:
1st century AD – The Roman Empire builds navy fortresses and border settlements alongside the Danube.
377 – Huns cross the Danube and set up a short-lived Hun empire within the area underneath Attila.
fifth century – Slavic peoples start to settle within the space.
568 – Avars invade the center Danube area and settle there.
803 – Avar Khaganate collapses because of a number of profitable navy campaigns by the Franks towards it.
825-870 – Principality of Nitra. The primary identified Christian church was consecrated in 828 underneath its ruler Pribina.
833-907 – Nice Moravia. The primary giant, predominantly West Slavic state emerges in Central Europe.
863 – Two Byzantine officers and missionaries, Saints Cyril and Methodius, arrive. Cyril developed the primary Slavic alphabet and translated the Gospel into Outdated Church Slavonic.
11th century – After the collapse of Nice Moravia, Slovakia turns into a part of the Kingdom of Hungary.
13th/14th century – Slovakia turns into extra ethnically various with the arrival of German and Jewish settlers from the Carpathians.
1536 – After the Ottoman conquests on Hungarian territory, Bratislava (traditionally Pressburg) is called the brand new capital of Hungary as a substitute of Buda. It remained the capital till 1848.
17th century – Slovakia turns into the scene of frequent wars between Catholics within the West and Protestants within the East, in addition to towards the Turks. The realm is closely fortified with castles and citadels.
1648– Finish of the Thirty Years' Conflict. In the course of the Counter-Reformation, most Slovaks switched again from Lutheranism to Catholicism.
1848-49 – Slovak rebellion towards Hungarian rule, amid bigger revolutions and political unrest all through the Austrian Empire and elsewhere in Europe.
1918 – The Habsburg Empire collapses after the defeat within the First World Conflict. Slovak and Czech lands unite to type Czechoslovakia, which turns into probably the most democratic and affluent of the Habsburg successor states.
1939 – The unbiased Slovak Republic was based after Nazi Germany and its allies dismembered Czechoslovakia. It can quickly turn out to be a German satellite tv for pc state.
1944 – The Slovak Rebellion results in the German occupation of Slovakia, which ends with the invasion of the Soviet Military and the restoration of Czechoslovakia in 1945.
1948-89 – Communist rule.
1993 – Independence after the break up of Czechoslovakia as a part of the “velvet divorce”.
1995 – Signing of a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with Hungary, which ensures present border and ethnic minority rights.
1995 – New regulation proscribing official use of language aside from Slovak sparks worldwide condemnation.
1998 – The choice to place the primary reactor into operation on the Mochovce nuclear energy plant not removed from the Austrian border angers Vienna.
1999 – Parliament ends a virtually year-long constitutional disaster by passing a brand new regulation permitting the direct election of the president by the folks.
2001 – Parliament agrees to far-reaching adjustments to the structure, an necessary step in direction of EU and NATO membership. It decentralizes energy to the areas, strengthens the judiciary and provides larger recognition to minority rights.
2003 – Slovakia votes to hitch the EU.
2004 – Slovakia has been admitted to NATO and is one among ten new states becoming a member of the EU.
2005 – Slovakia joins the European Trade Price Mechanism, an necessary step in direction of eurozone membership.
2006 – Flooding because the Danube overflows its banks.
2007 – Slovakia withdraws its final troops from Iraq.
2009 – Slovakia introduces the euro.
2009 – Parliament passes a brand new language regulation permitting fines to be imposed for the usage of a minority language in authorities buildings. Hungary condemns the brand new regulation, saying it discriminates towards the Hungarian minority.
2010 – Slovakia protests Hungary's determination to permit ethnic Hungarians dwelling overseas to use for Hungarian citizenship. They’re retaliating by threatening to revoke Slovak citizenship from any Slovak who applies for twin citizenship.
2014 – Prime Minister Robert Fico condemns EU sanctions towards Russia over the annexation of Crimea, reflecting his authorities's long-standing coverage of rapprochement with Russia.
2018 – Investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his associate Martina Kusnirova are shot. He had reported on suspected tax fraud in reference to the Inside Minister. Prime Minister Fico resigns after Kuciak case.
2019 – Professional-EU opposition candidate Zuzana Caputova beats authorities consultant Maros Sevcovic within the second spherical of presidential elections.