Střední Slovensko

▪ region, Slovakia

Slovak“Central Slovakia”Czech  Stredoslovenský 

      kraj (region), central Slovakia. It is bordered by Západní Slovensko kraj on the southwest, the Czech Republic on the northwest, Poland to the north, Východní Slovensko kraj to the east, and Hungary to the south. Střední Slovensko kraj is dominated by mountain ranges rising from the Slovak Ore Mountains in the south to Slovakia's highest range, the High Tatras, in the northeast. Lowlands occur only in the south, in the valleys of the Ipel and Rimava rivers. Two major interior valleys are formed by the Váh and Hron rivers, which flow east to west between the High and Low Tatra ranges.

      Agriculture is limited to about one-sixth of the kraj's land area, mostly in the southern valleys where wheat, barley, rye, corn (maize), grapes, tobacco, and vegetables are grown. Southern Střední Slovensko kraj and the Váh River valley are Slovakia's main sheep-raising areas. The northern valleys produce potatoes, oats, flax, and animal fodder. In the mountains, an alpine economy, with dairy cattle, sheep, and goat pasturing, predominates.

      About half of the kraj is forested, with spruce dominant in the higher northern mountains and beech, oak, and fir in the southern ranges. Lumbering is a major industry in the kraj, and there are paper mills at Ružomberok, Harmanec, Žilina, and Martin. Banská Bystrica is the regional capital.

      Mining is also important. Minerals extracted include magnesite in the Rimavská Sobota okres (district) and at Lučenec; copper, lead, zinc, and silver at Banská Štiavnica; antimony at Dúbrava; mercury at Malachov; and perlite (glass sand) and gold at Kremnica. Limestone is quarried in the Váh valley and around Banská Bystrica and Tisovec. Brown coal (lignite) is mined at Novaký-Handlová and at Pôtor-Modrý Kameň. Hydroelectric power, produced by a series of dams on the Váh (Váh River) and Orava rivers, is Střední Slovensko kraj's main energy source.

      Most industry is concentrated in the Váh and Orava river valleys; Dubnica nad Váhom, Púchov, Povǎzká Bystrica, Žilina, Martin, Istebné, Ružomberok, Liptovský Mikuláš, and Liptovský Hrádok are major centres, with machinery and appliances, chemicals, steel, electronics, synthetic-rubber, textile, and food-processing industries. Centres in the Hron River valley include Žiar nad Hronem, with aluminum works; Zvolen, with an oil refinery and transport-equipment, food-processing, and building-materials plants; Banská Bystrica, with electronics, cement, textile, and food-processing plants; and Slovenská Lʾupča, with chemical works. On the Rimava River are Hnúštʾa and Tisovec, with chemical works and stone quarries, and Kokava nad Rimavicou, with glassworks.

      Tourism is important in the northern mountains, where mineral-water spas, winter sports, and fishing are major attractions. Natural parks in the Demänovská valley and the Súlov Rocks have caves and scenic rock formations, respectively. Banská Bystrica has a winter and summer sports stadium. Martin is a traditional Slovak cultural centre; the Slovak National Museum and Library are located there. The population of the kraj is mostly Slovak, with a small Hungarian minority. Area 6,943 square miles (17,982 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 1,609,806.

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