Slovaks
(Slovaci) Anton Bernolak, ?udovit ?tur, Andrej Hlinka, ?tefan Bani?, Jozef Miloslav Hurban, Aurel Stodola, Adam Franti?ek Kollar, Milan Hod?a, Pavol Orszagh Hviezdoslav, Milan Rastislav ?tefanik, Gustav Husak, Alexander Dub?ek

Total population
c. 6 million
Regions with significant populations
Slovakia 4,352,775[1]

 United States810,000  [2]
 Czech Republic200,000  [3]
 Canada100,000  [2]
 United Kingdom90,000  [4]
 Serbia52,750  [5]
 Hungary29,647  [6]
 Germany25,200  
 Argentina22,500  
 Romania17,226  [7]
 France16,000  
 Italy15,000  
 Australia12,000  
 Ireland10,801  [8]
 Austria10,500  
 Ukraine6,397  [2]
 Croatia4,712  [2]
 Belgium4,000  [2]
 Brazil3,000  
 Chile2,300  
 Poland2,000  
 Netherlands1,800  
 Spain1,600  
 Israel1,500  
 South Africa800  
Other120,000
[citation needed]

Languages

Slovak
Religion

Roman Catholic 73%,
Protestant 10.8%,
other or unspecified 3.2%, (including 50,363 Orthodox Christians), theism, agnostic or non-religious 13% (2001 census within Slovakia, extrapolated to outside Slovaks)
Related ethnic groups

Other Slavs, especially other West Slavs
Czechs are the most related[9]

The Slovaks, Slovak people or Slovakians (Slovak Slovaci, singular Slovak, feminine Slovenka, plural Slovenky) are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language.

Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia (circa 4,355,000). There are Slovak minorities in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia and sizeable populations of immigrants and their descendants in the United States and in Canada.
Contents

1 History

1.1 Slavs of the Pannonian Basin

1.2 Great Moravia

1.3 Kingdom of Hungary

1.4 Czechoslovakia

1.5 Contemporary Slovaks


2 Name and ethnogenesis

2.1 Origin of the word 'Slovak'

2.2 Ethnic affiliations and genetic origins

2.3 Quotes from important chronicles


3 Culture

4 Statistics

5 See also

6 Notes

7 References

8 Sources

9 Maps

10 External links


History Main article: History of Slovakia
Slavs of the Pannonian Basin

The first known Slavic states on the territory of present-day Slovakia were the Empire of Samo and the Principality of Nitra, founded sometime in the 8th century.
Great Moravia Pribina, ruler of Principality of Nitra [10] and established and ruled the Balaton Principality from 839/840 to 861.[11]

Great Moravia (833 - ?907) was a Slavic state in the 9th and early 10th centuries, whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks.[12][13] Its formation and rich cultural heritage have attracted somewhat more interest since 19th century. Important developments took place at this time, including the mission of Greek monks Cyril and Methodius, the development of the Glagolitic alphabet (an early form of the Cyrillic script), and the use of Old Church Slavonic as the official and literary language.