Regions of Slovakia#Name
{{short description|none}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = Regions of Slovakia
Kraje Slovenska
| alt_name =
| map =
| category = Unitary state
| territory = Slovak Republic
| start_date =
| current_number = 8 Regions
| number_date =
| population_range = 556,000 (Trnava) – 831,000 (Prešov)
| area_range = {{Convert|2052.6|km2|abbr=on}} (Bratislava) – {{Convert|9454.8|km2|abbr=on}} (Banská Bystrica)
| government = Region government, National government
| subdivision = District
}}
{{Heraldic map of Slovakia}}
Since 1949 (except 1990–1996), Slovakia has been divided into a number of {{Lang|sk|kraje}} (singular {{Lang|sk|kraj}}; usually translated as "Regions" with capital R).{{cite web |title=Regions |url=http://www.slovakia.com/regions/ |access-date=23 November 2016 |website=Slovakia.com}} Their number, borders and functions have been changed several times. There are eight regions of Slovakia and they correspond to the EU's NUTS 3 level of local administrative units. Each kraj consists of {{Lang|sk|okresy}} (counties or districts), which are further divided into {{Lang|sk|obce}} (municipalities). There are 79 districts.
List
After a period without kraje and without any equivalent (1990–1996), the kraje were reintroduced in 1996. As for administrative division, Slovakia has been subdivided into 8 kraje since 24 July 1996:
| class = "wikitable sortable"
! class = "unsortable" | Flag ! class = "unsortable" | Arms ! Region ! Capital ! Population (2022) ! Area (km2) ! Density ! NUTS level 3 !Seats in Regional Council | |||||
| File:Bratislavsky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Bratislava | {{increase}} 664,000 | 2,052.6 | 321.34 | SK010
|50 |
| File:Trnavsky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Trnava | Trnava | {{increase}} 556,000 | 4,172.2 | 135.08 | SK021
|40 |
| File:Trenciansky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Trenčín | Trenčín | {{decrease}} 577,000 | 4,501.9 | 130.14 | SK022
|47 |
| File:Nitriansky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Nitra | Nitra | {{decrease}} 682,000 | 6,343.4 | 106.67 | SK023
|54 |
| File:Zilinsky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Žilina | Žilina | {{increase}} 685,000 | 6,808.4 | 101.54 | SK031
|57 |
| File:Banskobystricky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Banská Bystrica | {{decrease}} 651,000 | 9,454.8 | 68.52 | SK032
|49 |
| File:Presovsky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Prešov | Prešov | {{increase}} 831,000 | 8,974.5 | 91.92 | SK041
|62 |
| File:Kosicky vlajka.svg
| x36px | Košice | Košice | {{increase}} 795,000 | 6,751.9 | 118.32 | SK042
|57 |
| colspan="4" |Total
!5,441,000 !49.035 !111.3 ! !416 |
|---|
Since 2002, Slovakia is divided into 8 {{Lang|sk|samosprávne kraje}} (self-governing regions), which are called by the Constitution {{Lang|sk|vyššie územné celky}} (Higher Territorial Units), abbr. VÚC. The territory and borders of the self-governing regions are identical with the territory and borders of the kraje. Therefore, the word "kraj" can be replaced by "VÚC" or "samosprávny kraj" in each case in the above list. The main difference is that organs of samosprávne kraje are self-governing, with an elected chairperson and assembly, while the organs of kraje are appointed by the government.
Name
The term "Region" ({{langx|sk|kraj}}) should not be confused with:
- the general (i.e. non-administrative) term "region" ({{langx|sk|link=no|región}}) as it is used for example in the articles List of traditional regions of Slovakia or List of tourism regions of Slovakia
- the 4 "regions" ({{langx|sk|link=no|regióny}} or {{lang|sk|oblasti}} or {{lang|sk|zoskupenia krajov}}) that correspond to the NUTS 2 level, i.e. groups of several kraje, used by the Eurostat for statistical purposes. These are:
- Bratislava SK 01 (Bratislava Region){{spaced ndash}}comprises only this single region
- Západné Slovensko SK 02 (Western Slovakia){{spaced ndash}}Trnava, Trenčín and Nitra
- Stredné Slovensko SK 03 (Central Slovakia){{spaced ndash}}Žilina and Banská Bystrica
- Východné Slovensko SK 04 (Eastern Slovakia){{spaced ndash}}Prešov and Košice
History
= Prior to 1949 =
Historically, Slovakia was not divided into kraje, but into counties ({{langx|sk|link=no|župy}} or {{lang|sk|stolice}}). This was the case when present-day Slovakia was part of:
- Great Moravia (c. 9th century)
- Kingdom of Hungary (c. 11th/12th century{{spaced ndash}}1918)
- Czechoslovakia (the župy existed 1918{{spaced ndash}}1928)
- the WWII Slovak Republic (the župy existed 1940{{spaced ndash}}1945)
In 1928–1939 (and formally also 1945–1948), Slovakia as a whole formed the administrative unit "Slovak land" ({{Lang|sk|Krajina slovenská}}) within Czechoslovakia.
= 24 December 1948/1 January 1949 – 30 June 1960 =
- Bratislavský kraj (Bratislava Region)
- Banskobystrický kraj (Banská Bystrica Region)
- Košický kraj (Košice Region)
- Nitriansky kraj (Nitra Region)
- Prešovský kraj (Prešov Region)
- Žilinský kraj (Žilina Region)
Each kraj was named after its principal city.
= 1 July 1960 – 19 December 1990 =
- Stredoslovenský kraj (Central Slovak Region)
- Východoslovenský kraj (Eastern Slovak Region)
- Západoslovenský kraj (Western Slovak Region)
- Bratislava (before 22 March 1968, part of the Západoslovenský kraj, afterwards a partly separate entity; from January 1971 a separate kraj)
Note: The kraje were abolished from 1 July 1969, until 28 December 1970, when they were reintroduced.
Traditional regions
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2012}}
There are also other regions in Slovakia, which do not correspond to historical counties:
| class="wikitable" |
| Region
!Former County part !Former County |
|---|
| Kysuce
|northern |Žilina |
| rowspan=2|Záhorie
|rowspan=2|western |Nitra |
| Bratislava |
| {{ill|Podpoľanie|sk}}
|southern |Zvolen |
| Zamagurie
|northern |Spiš |
See also
{{Politics of Slovakia}}
- List of tourism regions of Slovakia
- Districts of Slovakia
- {{section link|List of country subdivision flags in Europe|Slovakia}}
- ISO 3166-2:SK
- List of counties of the Kingdom of Hungary located in Slovakia
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/nuts/nuts-maps-.pdf- EU-maps (the kraje correspond to the NUTS 3 level with EUROSTAT)]
- [http://www.cisarik.com/0_all-villages-A.html Former names of all Slovakia's towns and villages prior WWI (prior 1918)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20151005141129/http://www.eastern-slovakia.eu.sk/ Nature and landscape of Eastern Slovakia in photo]
{{Slovakia topics}}
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of European countries}}
Category:Subdivisions of Slovakia