2. General Information
• Capital- Bratislava
• Population- 5,483,088 and
growing!
• Area- 18,933 sq. mi. (About
the size of West Virginia
• Adult Literacy Rate- 100% for
males and females!
• Life Expectancy- 72 (m) 79 (f)
• Religion- 62% Roman
Catholic, 14%
Atheist/Nonreligious, all
other is mixed
• Language- Slovak (mixture of
Czech, Polish, and Russian)
• Writing- Latin script
3. Land And Climate
• Rich in natural resources: timber, copper, zinc,
mercury, limestone, and iron ore
• Common crops are corn, oats, wheat, and
potatoes
• Continental climate: warm summers and cold,
snowy sinters
• Slovakia is a landlocked country
• About the size of Costa Rico or West Virginia
4. Greetings and Gestures
• Shaking hands is a common greeting
• When saying goodbye, men will firmly shake
hands and hug the women or kiss them on the
cheeks. They might shake her hand, only if she
extends her hand first
• To wish luck: fold the thumb in and close the
fingers on it
• Yawning in public is looked upon as
rude, same with chewing gum
• Smiling is considered courteous
5. Families/Dating and Marriage
• Dating age- 14
• Frequently meet at school and go out on weekends
• Social networks are an important part of socializing
• Going to discos, pubs, theaters, and the movies are popular date
activities
• The man is supposed to ask the girl on the date AND pay the bill
• Couples usually get married after dating for 2-3 years
• Typical Marrying Age- late 20s to early 30s (m) and mid 20s (f)
• The man proposes to the woman and then they announce their
engagement to their parents soon after
• The parents do most of the wedding preparations and planning
• Before the wedding, the groom goes to the bride’s house with his
wedding party and officially asks for the bride, then the bride and groom
thank their parents and ask for their blessing
• Their weddings and wedding receptions are much like ours!
• Traditionally, divorces and unmarried partnerships aren’t acceptable in
Slovak culture, but the divorce rate has been rising, along with the
percentage of partnerships without marriage
6. Life Cycle
• This is much similar to our culture!
• Children are baptized shortly after birth in
nearly ALL cases
• Children are said to be adults at age 18, and
when they turn 18, they have a special party,
somewhat like our “Sweet 16” parties
• Many children live with their parents after
the age of 18, while studying at a university
• At most funerals, professional mourners are
often hired
7. Recreation/The Arts
• Soccer, ice hockey, skiing, and tennis are their most
popular sports
• Weekends are usually meant for family trips and
other activities: going to movies, hiking, camping,
swimming, and going to local festivals, cultural
events, or art exhibits
• Lakes, water parks, swimming pools, and health spas
are very popular
• Celebrate rural roots through poetry, literature, song,
and dance
• Lace and embroidery are traditional crafts here, along
with ceramics, woodcarving, metalwork, and egg
decoration
• Folk art is usually given to foreign visitors as gifts
8. Holidays And Celebrations
• Sylvester’s Day (New Year’s Eve)
• Independence Day/New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
• Three Kings Day/Orthodox Christmas (Jan 6)
• Easter/Labor Day (May 1)
• Victory Over Fascism Day (May 8)
• Cyril/Methodius Day (July 5)
• Constitution Day (Sept 1)
• Day of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (Sept 15)
• All Saints’ Day (Nov 1)
• St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6)
• Christmas (Dec 25)
