Name: The Slovak Republic

State formation date: 1st January 1993

Location: Central Europe. Borders Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and The Ukraine.

Population: 5.4 million (UN, 2005)

Capital: Bratislava

Area: 49,033 sq km (18,932 sq miles)

Major language: Slovak (official) and Hungarian

Major religion: Christianity

Monetary unit: Slovak crown (ISO code SKK, local acronym Sk), 1 SKK=100 hallers, from 1.1. 2009 the EURO should be used

Internet domain: .sk

International dialling code: +421

Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
Summer time/daylight- saving time from March to November is + 2 hours from GMT

Climate: temperate cool summers, cold, couldy, humid winters

Entry: A valid passport is required.

Airports:

Bratislava (M. R. Štefánik) Airport (BTS) Located 9Km North East of Bratislava, western Slovakia, 55Km from Vienna in Austria. Bratislava airport has 3 adjoining terminals, with terminal A being for departures, Terminals B for non Schengen arrivals and Terminal C for Schengen arrivals.

A bus service runs from Bratislava to the airport every 10 or 20 minutes during the day and the journey takes 25 minutes.
Terravision run a non-stop bus service to and from Vienna dedicated to the Ryanair flights (journey time 90 mins) priced from 6 Euros.

Kosice Airport (KSC) Located 6Km south of Kosice, eastern Slovakia. A bus service operates between the airport and Kosice city centre, and taxis are available.

Poprad-Tatry Airport (TAT) Located 4 Km north west of Poprad, northern Slovaki. This tiny airport has the distinction of being the highest international airport in Europe at 718m above sea level.

11 October 2007