The Slovak Republic is a small Central European country with long, complex and colorful history. The land with 5 million inhabitants is situated in the geographic heart of Europe, on the northern part of the Carpathian Valley just at the feet of the grandiose Tatra Mountains.

The region was part of the Roman Empire and later on, from the 9th century, it consisted of the central moiety of the Great Moravian Empire. Saint Constantine and Saint Methodius, the Slavic missionaries introduced Christianity as early as in 863. The territory became primarily under Hungarian rule from the 10th century. In 1526 Slovakia and Western Hungary were passed to the Habsburgs. In the 19th century there was a Slovak national revival, in part as a reaction to the Germanization of Slovakia in the previous century.

After World War I, Slovakia became (1918) part of the new state of Czechoslovakia. In 1938 Slovakia was made an autonomous unit by the Munich Pact. The Czechoslovak state was reestablished in 1945. With the end (1989) of Communist rule, Slovakia gained greater control over its affairs and budget, as well as some power sharing with the central government.

On January 1st, 1993 Czech and Slovak leaders agreed to dissolution of Czechoslovakia and Bratislava became the capital of the newly created Slovak Republic. This democratic country offers a stable political atmosphere, rich cultural life, tightly linked with the rest of Europe, and ready access from most parts of the world.