Covering an area of 49,035 square miles, Slovakia has a population of 5,336,455 (Statistical Yearbook of the Slovak Republic, 1994). Of this population, 33.2 percent are under the age of 20. The nation's ethnic composition can be grouped as follows: Slovak (85.71%), Hungarian(10.65%), Gypsy(1.55%), Czech, Moravian and Silesian(1.06%), Ruthenian and Ukranian(.58%), with the remainder being comprised of Germans, Russians, and others (.45%). The official language is Slovak. In regions in which more than 20 percent of the residents speak Hungarian, Hungarian is the official second language.

In terms of religious orientation, 60 percent of the country are Roman Catholic. The remainder can be divided as follows: no religion(9.7%), Lutheran(6.19%), Greek Catholic (3.41%), Reformed Christian (1.61%), Orthodox (.65%), other (.62%), and undeclared (17.49%).