Slovakia

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The FlagMap Of Slovakia

Population

The Population of Slovakia is about 5 418 156 people. That of which;

85.8% are Slovakian 9.7% are Hungarian 1.7% are Roman .8% are Czech

Population

The Slovakian population’s Educational Statistics:

13.2% of the population has its Primary Education 43.7% have a lower secondary education 30.2% have a full secondary education Only 12.9% have their bachelor degree or higher.

Education

Population

Slovakia has an area of 49 036 km2 and a population density of 110.4 people per km2. The official language of the population is the Slovak language.

Landscape/Language

Bratislava,Slovakia

Climate

Although a small country its climate varies depending if you are in the mountainous north or

flat south. It is warmest in the nations capital Bratislava where the temperatures may rise up past 30 degrees celsius in the summer. Winters

are very cold especially in Northern Slovakia, the temperature often lowers to about 20 degrees

celsius. In the Fall and Spring it falls between the two and it also rains un-predictably.

Economy

The Slovak Krown was the previous national currency until January 16, 2009 when it was then replaced by the Euro, the current rate was about 30 “Korunas” to one

Euro. Slovakia’s unemployment rate is 12.5%. 69.4% of Slovakia’s workforce is employed in “service”, 27% is in “industry”, and with a mere 3.5% in “agriculture”. The metal and non-metal industry provide Slovakia with its

two major exports.

Foreign companies such as Volkwagon, Whirlpool, and US Steel are major investors in the Slovakian economy.

Did You Know?

Bratislava at night

Agriculture

Although agriculture only employs 3.5% of Slovakia’s workforce there are still many interesting things surrounding Slovakia’s

agriculture. That of which 25% of Slovak farms specialized in cereals, oil seed and protein crops,

15% specialized in field crops and grazing livestock combined, and 13% of the holdings

specialized in general field cropping.

Food Supply and Consumption

Slovakian cuisine consists mainly of cabbage and other root vegetables along with a high consumption

of meat. Many traditional recipes became popular due to what was available in the farming community. Food trends in Slovakia have progressed drastically over the years but have left us with many traditional

dishes that reflect on how strong the nation’s agriculture once was.

Health

22.5% of the population is obese.11.1% of every Slovakians life is spent ill.

The average Slovakian lives to the age of 74.There are 3.1 physicians per 1000 people.24.3% of the population are daily smokers.

Slovakian Food

Slovak food is hearty, typical of a country with strong rural roots. It is heavy on meat (especially pork), potatoes, dumplings, thick sauces and cheeses. If you’re looking for vegetables – there’s always cabbage, often in the form of sauerkraut or cabbage rolls. Salads are not traditional – but you will find them in restaurants in bigger cities. Lunch is traditionally the largest meal of the day, with dinner on the lighter side.

Kapustnica (cabbage soup)

Halušky, type of Gnocchi

Žemľovka is a sweet pudding

Holubky, cabbage rolls

Slovakian Customs

At the beginning of Christmas Eve dinner, the head of the family takes a spoon of Loksa (a traditional Christmas dish made out of bread, poppy seed filling and water) and throws it up at the ceiling. The more mixture that remains glued on the ceiling the richer his crops will be the following year. It’s a fun custom popular in many areas of Slovakia and the Ukraine, but the women that have to clean up the mess don’t like it so much.

White cake Paska is baked on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday mornings and worn together with eggs, ham, sausages, cheese and other foods to sanctify the in the church. Preparation and consumption of Paska had a popular ritual nature – its size and successful baking symbolized good future. It is a tradition of Eastern Slovaks.

Paska

Holubky RecipeIngredients

1 12 leaves cabbage

2 1 cup cooked white rice

3 1 egg, beaten

4 1/4 cup milk

5 1/4 cup minced onion

6 1 pound extra-lean ground beef

7 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 2 minutes; drain.

In large bowl, combine 1 cup cooked rice, egg, milk, onion, ground beef, salt, and pepper. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up, tucking in ends. Place rolls in baking dish.

1 In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over cabbage rolls.

2 Cover, and cook at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.

Cabbage Rolls

Influence in CanadaSlovakian cuisine has not developed into a mass

franchise such as McDonalds or even Mandarin, but there are still many smaller and quaint restaurants

that provide these slovakian delicacies. Restaurants such as: Prague Restaurant (click for website)

Although Central European food is widely served during Christmas time because of its hearty flavour,

especially cabbage rolls.

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