The Slovak Republic, also called Slovakia, is a member of the United Nations, European Union and NATO. It lies in the very heart of central Europe and covers an area of almost 50,000 km2 – which is somewhat larger than Switzerland. Its population of around 5.5 million people is predominantly Christian, and the national language is Slovak. The capital, Bratislava, has a population of about 500,000. The service sector accounts for over half of the work force followed by industry, construction, and agriculture. The local currency is the Slovak Koruna (Skk).

10% of Slovakians speak Hungarian, and a few speak Romany, Ukranian, and Ruthenian. Countries bordering Slovakia are: Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Ukraine.

The weather in Slovakia is, generally, quite mild and temperate – getting chilly and damp in the winter.

Local infrastructure is fair to good – comparable to neighbouring Hungary.

The history of the Slovaks can be traced back to the Great Moravian Empire which dominated this part of central Europe in the ninth century. It was at this time that missionaries brought Christianity to the land. Upon the collapse of the empire Slovaks were united with the Hungarian Kingdom with whom they remained for a thousand years. Bratislava was, for many years, the Hungarian capital after Ottoman Turks invaded Hungary in the mid 16th century.

1867 saw the beginning of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy during which there was growing resentment towards the adoption of Hungarian in national institutions. As a result, Slovaks drew closer to their neighbouring Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. And when the Austro-Hungarian empire fell after WW1, an agreement led to Czechs and Slovaks forming a new state – Czechoslovakia – with Tomas Masaryk as its first president.

In the first half of the 20th century, up to and during the upheavals of WW2 and the onset of communism, the Slovaks separated and then reunited with the Czechs. In 1989 Chechoslovakia was freed from Soviet control and shortly afterwards, in 1993, Slovaks and Czechs went their separate ways.

Freed from years of foreign control the Slovak Republic has seen in the last few years an interesting, though not always easy, period of cultural reassertion.

The Slovak Republic entered NATO and the European Union in 2004.

Slovakia is a country of outstanding natural beauty. Whether you are a skier, hiker, or excursionist with a family, you will not fail to be impressed by Slovakia's abundance of forests, lakes – both natural and man-made, and its mountains.

The cuisine is quite substantial. The mainstays of the local diet are chicken, fish, pork, and beef, served with various combinations of potatoes, onion, garlic, cabbage, and cheese. If you feel adventurous try the 'bryndzove halusky'. There is also a wide variety of seasonal fruit.

The Slovak language is tricky, but not impossible. It is grammatically difficult, but the orthography is straightforward - unlike English!