Slovakia: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. Its capital, Bratislava, lies on the Danube River right next to the borders of both Austria and Hungary, which makes it the only capital in the world that borders two other countries.

Slovakia is known for the jagged peaks of the High Tatras, deep caves, folk traditions and a huge number of castles for its size. On the globe you can find Bratislava Castle, a big white rectangular castle with a tower at each corner that sits on a hill above the Danube.

Geography and nature

Much of Slovakia is mountainous, part of the Carpathian range. The High Tatras on the Polish border are the tallest mountains in the Carpathians, with Gerlachovský štít at about 2,655 metres. Thick forests cover around 40 per cent of the country and shelter brown bears, wolves, lynx and chamois. Slovakia has many caves, including the Dobšiná Ice Cave, which stays full of ice all year. The south has warm, flat lowlands along the Danube, where farms and vineyards grow.

People, languages and culture

People speak Slovak, a Slavic language very close to Czech. There is also a large Hungarian-speaking community in the south. Most Slovaks are Catholic. Folk culture is strong, with embroidered costumes, wooden churches and shepherds' music; the fujara, a giant shepherd's flute, is listed by UNESCO. The national dish is bryndzové halušky, small potato dumplings with sheep's cheese and bacon. Ice hockey is the favourite sport, and Slovakia also loves football and cross-country skiing.

History in a nutshell

In the 800s the region was part of Great Moravia, where the missionaries Cyril and Methodius brought Christianity and a new alphabet for Slavic languages. For about a thousand years after that it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, and Bratislava was where Hungarian kings were crowned for over 250 years. In 1918 Slovaks and Czechs formed Czechoslovakia. After the peaceful Velvet Revolution of 1989, the two nations split peacefully, and Slovakia became independent on 1 January 1993. It joined the European Union in 2004.