Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about 49,000 square kilometres (almost 19,000 square miles). The Slovak Republic borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava.

The Slovak landscape is noted primarily for its mountainous scenery, with the Carpathian Mountains extending across most of the northern half of the country.

It is among the most attractive countries in the EU for foreign investors mainly because of its lower labour cost, low tax rates and well educated labour force. In recent years, Slovakia has been pursuing a policy of encouraging foreign investment.  Slovakia’s economy has been growing at a rapid pace from 4.1% in 2002 to 8.0% in 2007.

Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, OECD, WTO, and other international organizations.