ographic coordinates:

48 40 N, 19 30 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 48,845 sq km
land: 48,800 sq km
water: 45 sq km

Area - comparative:

about twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries:

total: 1,474 km
border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 197 km, Hungary 676
km, Poland 420 km, Ukraine 90 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain:

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in
the south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m
highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m

Natural resources:

brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and
manganese ore; salt; arable land

Land use:

arable land: 29.23%
permanent crops: 2.67%
other: 68.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,830 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

50.1 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.04
per capita: 193 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks;
acid rain damaging forests

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra
Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and
valleys

People
Slovakia

Population:

5,455,407 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.1% (male 448,083/female 427,643)
15-64 years: 71.7% (male 1,947,112/female 1,961,788)
65 years and over: 12.3% (male 250,787/female 419,994) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.5 years
male: 34.8 years
female: 38.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.143% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.5 deaths/1,000 pop