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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.
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