This former Soviet nation in the very centre of Europe is small by comparison to its neighbours but the country enjoys a high quality of living and is perceived as a peacable and moderately conservative one. A mountainous and beautiful country, it is known for its preservation of traditional folk culture and has an abundance of rich and diverse landscapes. With glacier lakes, mineral springs, caves and castles, it has a lot packed in to one small country.
Yet the country never really hits any international headlines for much else which means most Europeans know very little about this nation and its peopleโฆ. With a population of just 5. Almost half the size of its neighbours Czechia, Austria and Hungary, it has a medium population density of around people per sq km; more than half that of the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.
This landlocked Central European country is bordered to the north by Poland, to the east by Ukraine, the west by Czechia and by Austria and Hungary to the south. A former Soviet nation until just a few decades ago, Slovakia became an independent state in following the Velvet Revolution in that saw an end to the communist rule of Czechoslovakia. The two countries Czech Republic and Slovakia went their separate ways in what became known as the Velvet Divorce.
Since the peaceful dissolution of the two countries, Slovakia has emerged with a high income and advanced economy which affords its people a very high standard of living. The country also ranks well on the following indexes:. As well as receiving free education, comprehensive social security and universal health care, citizens also enjoy one of the longest paid parental leaves in Europe. The constitution of Slovakia is also more liberal than some other Central European states and offers total freedom of religion.
Hungarians make up the largest ethnic minority of the country with around 8. Despite a relatively recent past association with communism, the revolution came peacefully for Slovaks and the country has enjoyed a very stable modern history since. Data taken from the Durex Global Sex Survey in reveals some interesting facts about sex in Slovakia. Slovakians are one of the youngest citizens in Europe to receive sex education with the average age being The only countries where this tends to start earlier are the Scandi nations of Sweden, Finland and Iceland as well as Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
