Slovakia (Slovak: Slovensko, Hungarian: Szlovákia), officially the State of Slovakia (Slovak: Krajina Slovenská, Hungarian: Szlovákia tartománya) is the easternmost of the four states of Czechoslovakia. With an area of 49,035 km² and a population of ___ million people, Slovakia is the second-largest and second-most populous state in Czechoslovakia. Slovakia is bordered in the south by Hungary, in the northwest by Moravia and Silesia (also parts of Czechoslovakia), in the north by Poland, and in the east by the Soviet Union (Ukraine). Slovakia's territory spans about 49,035 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi) and is mostly mountainous, with the Carpathian Mountains (including the Tatra Mountains) extending across most of the northern half of the country. Major cities include Bratislava (its capital and largest city, which is also the second-largest city in Czechoslovakia), Košice, Prešov, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Nitra, Trnava, and Trenčín.
In the ninth century, the Principality of Nitra was formed in the territory of the present-day Slovakia, which was later conquered by the Principality of Moravia to establish Great Moravia. In the 10th century, after the dissolution of Great Moravia, the territory was integrated into the Principality of Hungary, which would become the {{w|Kingdom of Hungary} in 1000. In 1241 and 1242, much of the territory was destroyed by the Mongols during their invasion of Central and Eastern Europe. The area was recovered largely thanks to Béla IV of Hungary who also settled Germans who became an important ethnic group in the area, especially in what are today parts of central and eastern Slovakia. After World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the state of Czechoslovakia was established, incorporating Slovakia. During the 1930s, local fascist parties gradually gained influence, seeking autonomy from the central government in Prague. When World War II broke out in 1938, Slovakia was annexed by Hungary, with a small part being under German occupation. In 1945, after the end of the war, a large part of the Hungarian-speaking population was expelled. Upon Czechoslovakia's adaption of the new federal constitution in 1948, Slovakia became one of the four federal states on 1 January 1949.
The population is over 5.4 million and consists mostly of Slovaks.
Slovakia has the second-largest economy of the four states of Czechoslovakia. Slovakia's main industries are tourism, industry (automotive and electronics), and agriculture. Southern Slovakia is known being one of the centers of the country's wine industry, the other being Moravia.
Czechoslovakia
Bratislava
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