Slovakia (2001) | Jersey (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky | none (British crown dependency) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
18.86% (male 522,563; female 498,832) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 1,872,496; female 1,896,249) 65 years and over: 11.54% (male 236,996; female 387,801) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 17.7% (male 8,268; female 7,716)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 30,237; female 30,490) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 6,016; female 7,775) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products |
Airports | 35 (2000 est.) | 1 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 8 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
17 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km |
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about twice the size of New Hampshire | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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 island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 10.05 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 10.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$5.2 billion expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999) |
revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | Bratislava | Saint Helier |
Climate | temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters | temperate; mild winters and cool summers |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 70 km |
Constitution | ratified 1 September 1992, fully effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form:
Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko |
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
Currency | Slovak koruna (SKK) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound |
Death rate | 9.25 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $10.3 billion (2000 est.) | none |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Carl SPIELVOGEL embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [421] (7) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (7) 5443-0096 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Martin BUTORA chancery: Suite 250, 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; note - new chancery opening in June 2001 at International Court NW, Washington, DC telephone: [1] (202) 965-5161 FAX: [1] (202) 965-5166 |
none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | Gabcikovo/Nagymaros Dam dispute with Hungary is before the ICJ | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $421.9 million (1995) | none |
Economy - overview | Slovakia continues the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The economic slowdown in 1999 stemmed from large budget and current account deficits, fast-growing external debt, and persistent corruption. Even though GDP growth reached only 2.2% in 2000, the year was marked by positive developments such as foreign direct investment of $1.5 billion, strong export performance, restructuring and privatization in the banking sector, entry into the OECD, and initial efforts to stem corruption. Strong challenges face the government in 2001, especially the maintenance of fiscal balance, the further privatization of the economy, and the reduction of unemployment. | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. |
Electricity - consumption | 21.471 billion kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - exports | 930 million kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 1.4 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France |
Electricity - production | 22.582 billion kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
37.56% hydro: 18.27% nuclear: 44.17% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
Environment - current issues | air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Ethnic groups | Slovak 85.7%, Hungarian 10.6%, Roma 1.6% (the 1992 census figures underreport the Gypsy/Romany community, which is about 500,000), Czech, Moravian, Silesian 1.1%, Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.6%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, other 0.2% (1996) | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | koruny per US dollar - 48.09 (March 2001), 46.395 (2000), 41.363 (1999), 35.233 (1998), 33.616 (1997), 30.654 (1996) | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Rudolf SCHUSTER (since 15 June 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Mikulas DZURINDA (since 30 October 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 29 May 1999 (next to be held NA May/June 2004); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Rudolf SCHUSTER elected president in the first direct, popular election; percent of vote - Rudolf SCHUSTER 57% note: government coalition - SDK, SDL, SMK, SOP, KDH |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $12 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA |
Exports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment 39.4%, intermediate manufactured goods 27.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 13%, chemicals 8% (1999) | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
Exports - partners | EU 59.7% (Germany 27.8%, Austria 8%, Italy 8.9%), Czech Republic 18.1% (1999) | UK |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $55.3 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
4.5% industry: 29.3% services: 66.2% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.2% (2000 est.) | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 48 40 N, 19 30 E | 49 15 N, 2 10 W |
Geography - note | landlocked | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
Highways | total:
17,710 km paved: 17,533 km (including 288 km of expressways) unpaved: 177 km (1998 est.) |
total: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
5.1% highest 10%: 18.2% (1992) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe | - |
Imports | $12.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment 37.7%, intermediate manufactured goods 18%, fuels 13%, chemicals 11%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999) | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | EU 51.4% (Germany 26%, Italy 7.1%), Czech Republic 16.6%, Russia 11.9% (1999) | UK |
Independence | 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 9.3% (2000 est.) | NA |
Industries | metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products | tourism, banking and finance, dairy |
Infant mortality rate | 8.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 5.33 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 12.2% (2000 est.) | 4.7% (1998) |
International organization participation | Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC | - |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 6 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 800 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council) | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) |
Labor force | 3 million (1999) | 57,050 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | industry 29.3%, agriculture 8.9%, construction 8%, transport and communication 8.2%, services 45.6% (1994) | - |
Land boundaries | total:
1,355 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 215 km, Hungary 515 km, Poland 444 km, Ukraine 90 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
31% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 17% forests and woodland: 41% other: 8% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | Slovak (official), Hungarian | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25-26 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS 27%, SDK 26.3%, SDL 14.7%, SMK 9.1%, SNS 9.1%, SOP 8%; seats by party - governing coalition 93 (SDK 42, SDL 23, SMK 15, SOP 13), opposition 57 (HZDS 43, SNS 14) |
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 52 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
73.97 years male: 69.95 years female: 78.2 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 79.09 years
male: 76.63 years female: 81.74 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Central Europe, south of Poland | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Europe | Europe |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,041 GRT/19,517 DWT ships by type: cargo 3 (2000 est.) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, Civil Defense Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $380 million (FY00) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.71% (FY00) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,487,093 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,136,811 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
45,502 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 1 September (1992) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun:
Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak |
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | NA | NA |
Natural resources | brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land | arable land |
Net migration rate | 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 2.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | petroleum products NA km; natural gas 2,700 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Liberal Democratic Union or LDU [Jan BUDAJ]; Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or HZDS [Vladimir MECIAR]; Party of Civic Understanding or SOP [Pavol HAMZIK]; Party of the Democratic Left or SDL [Jozef MIGAS]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Bela BUGAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; note - this is DZURINDA's new party for 2002 elections; he remains chairman of a rump and splintering SDK; Slovak Democratic Coalition or SDK (loose parliamentary club grouping representing members of the smaller SSDS, SZS, and those committed to run under SDKU in 2002) [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Anna MALIKOVA] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG | none |
Population | 5,414,937 (July 2001 est.) | 90,502 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA |
Population growth rate | 0.13% (2001 est.) | 0.36% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bratislava, Komarno | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 3.12 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
3,660 km broad gauge: 102 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,507 km 1.435-m gauge (1,505 km electrified; 1,011 km double track) narrow gauge: 51 km (46 km 1,000-m gauge; 5 km 0.750-m gauge) (1998) |
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Religions | Roman Catholic 60.3%, atheist 9.7%, Protestant 8.4%, Orthodox 4.1%, other 17.5% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA years of age; universal adult |
Telephone system | general assessment:
a modernization and privatization program is increasing accessibility to telephone service, reducing the waiting time for new subscribers, and generally improving service quality domestic: predominantly an analog system that is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; mobile cellular capability has been added international: three international exchanges (one in Bratislava and two in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,934,558 (1998) | 73,900 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 736,662 (April 1999) | 61,400 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 38 (plus 864 repeaters) (1995) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast |
Total fertility rate | 1.25 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.57 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 17% (2000 est.) | 0.7% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | 172 km (all on the Danube) | - |