Slovakia, officially named the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million and an area
of about 49,000 square
kilometres. The largest
city is
Bratislava,
its capital.
Slovakia is divided into 8 regions, each of which is named after its regional capital. The regions are subdivided into many districts. In the past, Slovakia had 79 districts, which are no longer part of the official administrative system, but the country has maintained them for different purposes.
In terms of economy and unemployment rate, the western regions are more prosperous than the east. Slovakia is best known for its pistine nature in the countryside: mountains make up two-thirds of its land, 40 percent of which is covered by forests.
The region of Bratislava is the country's smallest in terms of area, but its most densely settled and urbanised, with 296 inhabitants per square kilometre, about three times the Slovak average. Bratislava, the capital, had a population of 426,091, or 70 percent of the total inhabitants of the region. The Bratislava region is bordered by the Danube to the south and the Morava to the west. It consists of the Záhorie lowlands in the far west of the country and the Podunajská nížina (Danube lowlands) towards the Hungarian south, divided by the heavily forested Malé Karpaty (Small Carpathian mountains) range.
The south-west Trnava region is a strangely shaped body of land that encloses Bratislava region and borders on the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. It is the second smallest region after Bratislava, and the smallest in terms of area.
The south-central Nitra region is Slovakia's agricultural heartland. Flatter and warmer than the rest of the country, its soil and terrain are best suited to farming.
The north-west Žilina region is a rugged area that borders on the Czech Republic and Poland. It includes no fewer than seven mountain ranges: the Tatry and Nízke tatry (Tatras and the Low Tatras), the Veľká and Malá Fatra (Greater and Lesser Fatras), the Chočské vrchy (Choč Mountains), the Javorníky and the Strážovské vrchy (Strážov Mountains). The region is also dominated by national parks
Banská Bystrica region, the country's largest in terms of area, lies in the southern part of Central Slovakia. With its extensive forests and hilly terrain, it is the least densely settled region.
The north-east Prešov region is Slovakia's most physically spectacular, but poor and sparsely settled as well. It borders on Poland and Ukraine, and contains five national parks. Less than half of the inhabitants of the region live in urban settings.
Košice region is a largely flat and poor area in the southeast of Slovakia bordering on Ukraine and Hungary. With a population of 773,000, it is the second largest region while with about one third of the total inhabitants of the region, the capital Košice is Slovakia's second largest city and is the industrial anchor of the east of the country.
The north-west Trenčín region is a relatively wealthy and developed part of Slovakia, bordering on the Czech Republic. It is hilly but not rugged, and has an unusually high (55 percent) proportion of inhabitants employed in industry, making it the second most heavily industrialised region after Bratislava.
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Aupark Tower changes hands
Published: 1 week ago
The Aupark Tower office building adjacent to Aupark Shopping Center changed hands in December. Its developer, HB Reavis Group, sold it to Heitman European Property Partners IV for €85.6 million, the SITA newswire reported.
Košice’s Terasa housing complex celebrates 50 years
Published: 2 weeks ago
The construction of Košice’s largest housing development called Terasa (Terrace in English) started 50 years ago, primarily to accommodate employees of the new steelworks then called Východoslovenské Železiarne and now named U.S. Steel Košice (USSK).
Exhibition of 20 years of Finnish architecture
Published: 3 weeks ago
The exhibition entitled 20 Years of Finnish Architecture on show in Bratislava gives an overview of Finnish architecture between 1988 and 2008, presenting one building of outstanding quality for each of the 20 years. The selected buildings attempt to capture architectural works that are typical, illustrative and descriptive of the atmosphere prevailing for each particular year.
Higher real estate rates passed by Bratislava city council
Published: 1 month ago
Municipalities across Slovakia have been increasing tax rates on real estate in their jurisdictions to raise more local revenue. The Bratislava city council approved an average 20-percent jump in real estate tax rates as of January 1, 2012.
Speculative construction of logistics premises resumes
Published: 1 month ago
Karimpol Group, one of the leadings firms in the construction of commercial real estate – office, retail and logistics premises – in central Europe, has announced the launch of a speculative development, i.e. a project without pre-lease contracts. It will make the company the first in Slovakia to build on a speculative basis since the start of the crisis and, the company said in a press release, will fill a gap in the Slovak market, which is currently reporting the biggest shortage of modern industrial real estate of any country in central and eastern Europe.
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Banks remain reluctant to finance new building projects
Published: 4 days ago, Compiled by Spectator staff
The approach to Slovak banks in financing new real estate projects has not changed much since 2008 and since the arrival of the financial crisis banks have retained consistently tight lending conditions for developers.
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