ABOUT SLOVAKIA
Established form: Republic
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
EU member since: 1. May 2004
Currency: Slovak Crown (SKK) ; 1 SKK = 100 hallers (h)
Area: 49,035 km2
Population: 5,379,450 (2001 census)
Capital: Bratislava (population: 452,288)
Geographical location: The Slovak Republic lies in central Europe.
Borders: Hungary (679 km), Poland (597.5 km), Czech Republic (265 km), Austria (127.2 km), Ukraine (98 km)
Nationalities: Slovak (85.6%), Hungarian (10.8%), Roma (1.8%), Czech (1.2%), Ruthenian (0.3%), Ukranian (0.3%), German (0.1%), Polish (0.1%), other (0.2%)
Religion: Roman Catholic (60.3%), Greek Orthodox (3.4%), Evangelic(6.2%), Orthodox (0.6%), non-denominational (9.7%), no data (18.2%)
Climate: The Slovak Republic is located in a moderate zone with characteristic changes of season. The average daily temperature is -2oC in winter and 21oC in summer. The coldest month is January; the warmest are July and August. Snow remains on the ground an average of 130 days per year in the highest elevations
Time zone: Central European time (GMT +1 hour), daylight savings beginning on the last Sunday in March and ending on the last Sunday in October - GMT+2t
Telephone: Direct international telephone connection is possible with numerous countries in the world. IDD is possible. Calls in Slovakia – SR country code: +421 and the area code of the given city/region (e.g. Bratislava 02)
Calls abroad – use code: 00 + the appropriate country code + local area code + telephone/fax number.
Important phone numbers: SOS, emergency calls 112, Police 112, Ambulance/Rescue 112, 16155 Fire/Rescue 112, telegram 12 127
State holidays: 1. January Day of Establishment of the Slovak Republic
6. January Epiphany (and orthodox Christian Christmas)
April Good Friday
April Easter Monday
8. May Victory over Fascism Day
5. July St. Cyril and Methodius Holiday
29. August Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising
1. September Slovak Constitution Day
15. September Our Lady of Sorrows
1. November All Saints Day
17. November Fight for Freedom and Democracy Day
24. December Christmas Eve
25. December Christmas Day
26. December Boxing Day
Visa: A visa is required of all except: a) EU citizens,
b) citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Chile, Croatia, Israel, Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, Salvador, Uruguay, USA and Venezuela for visits up to 90 days,
c) citizens of Monaco and New Zealand up to 3 months,
d) citizens of San Marino and the Vatican up to 30 days.
Shopping – shop hours: Most shops are open Monday – Friday from 9:00 to 18:00; the large department stores and shopping centers until 19:00 or 21:00on Thursday and Friday. In general, shops are open from 9:00 to 13:00 on Saturday. The chains TESCO, Carrefour, BILLA and others are open Saturday and Sunday. The TESCO hypermarkets (Banská Bystrica, Bratislava, Košice, Nitra, Trnava, Žilina) are open non-stop.
