The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join 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 Jan. 1, 1993.

Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 5,447,502 (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 16.4% (male 456,105/female 435,154) 15-64 years: 71.5% (male 1,938,846/female 1,955,382) 65 years and over: 12.2% (male 247,728/female 414,287) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 36.1 years male: 34.5 years female: 37.9 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 0.147% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 10.65 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.992 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.598 male(s)/female total population: 0.942 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 7.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.95 years male: 71 years female: 79.11 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 1.33 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 200 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2001 est.)

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Nationality: noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak

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Ethnic groups: Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

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Religions: Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)

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Languages: Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2001 est.)

Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business friendly policies such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-06 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 10.2% in 2006 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $99.19 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $47.72 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 8.3% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $18,200 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.8% industry: 31.4% services: 64.8% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 2.629 million (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)

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Unemployment rate: 10.2% (2006 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 21% (2002)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 20.9% (1996)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 25.8 (1996)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 27.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $24.57 billion expenditures: $26.14 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 36.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

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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

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Industrial production growth rate: 7.8% (2006 est.)

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Electricity - production: 31.29 billion kWh (2005)

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Electricity - consumption: 28.57 billion kWh (2005)

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Electricity - exports: 11.29 billion kWh (2005)

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Electricity - imports: 8.57 billion kWh (2005)

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Oil - production: 11,480 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 74,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: 77,660 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - imports: 138,200 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - proved reserves: 9 million bbl (1 January 2006)

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Natural gas - production: 135 million cu m (2005 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 6 billion cu m (2005 est.)

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Natural gas - exports: 1 million cu m (2005 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: 6.5 billion cu m (2005 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 15.01 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: -$3.781 billion (2006 est.)

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Exports: $39.64 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004)

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Exports - partners: Germany 23.7%, Czech Republic 14.1%, Italy 6.5%, Poland 6.2%, Austria 6%, Hungary 5.8%, France 4.3%, Netherlands 4.2% (2006)

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Imports: $41.84 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)

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Imports - partners: Germany 23.6%, Czech Republic 18.2%, Russia 11%, Hungary 6%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 4.9%, Italy 4.4% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $15.75 billion (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $31.5 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: $12.67 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2007-13)

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Currency (code): Slovak koruna (SKK)

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Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 29.611 (2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003), 45.327 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year