A landlocked country in the heart of Europe, Slovakia was a part of Czechoslovakia until 1993, when it became a sovereign state. It was admitted to the European Union in 2004 and the eurozone in 2009.
Slovakia has hundreds of caves and caverns under its mountains, of which 30 are open to the public. Most of the caves have stalagmites rising from the ground and stalactites hanging from above. It has a temperate and continental climate with the warmest regions being Bratislava and Southern Slovakia.
The main industry sectors in its economy are car manufacturing and electrical engineering. Since 2007, Slovakia has been the world’s largest producer of cars per capita. The population consists mostly of Slovaks, which is also the most spoken language. Other ethnic groups include Roma and the Czechs.