Slovakia ( ( listen); Slovak: Slovensko [ˈsloʋensko] ( listen)), officially the Slovak Republic (Slovak: Slovenská republika, listen ), is a landlocked country in CentralEurope. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, the Czech Republic to the west, Hungary to the south, and Austria to the southwest. Slovakia's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi) and is mostly mountainous. The population is over 5 million and consists mostly of Slovaks. The capital and largest city is Bratislava. The official language is Slovak.
The Slavs arrived in the territory of present- day Slovakia in the 5th and 6th centuries. In the 7th century, they played a significant role in the creation of Samo's Empire and in the 9th century established the Principality of Nitra. In the 10th century, the territory was integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary. After World War I and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Slovaks and Czechs established Czechoslovakia (1918–1939).
