Every year, thousands of people from all over
the world come to Canada to start a new life. They come with many different
skills and the hope of contributing to their new society.
This website will help you find out more about
Slovaks, where they come from and what life is like in Slovakia. Perhaps
you are getting to know a Slovak family as part of the HOST Program, learning
about the Slovak Republic in school or working with Slovaks. This website
is meant to help you understand the needs of Slovak immigrants by describing
the land they have left behind. |
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Slovakia, or the Slovak Republic, is one of Europe's
newest countries. It was formed on January 1, 1993. There are approximately
2.5 million people of Slovak origin living outside Slovakia, almost half
its current population. Canada has the third-largest Slovak community outside
Slovakia, after the Czech Republic and the United States. There are more
than 120,000 Canadians of Slovak origin. |
Did you know? |
Slovak
violin virtuoso Charles (Karol) Dobias has been concertmaster with the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet orchestra, the Stratford Festival orchestra and the
National Ballet orchestra. |
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Slovak immigration to Canada began at the turn
of the 20th century. Slovaks have emigrated to Canada in three major waves:
after the First World War, after the Second World War and after the invasion
of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Today immigration from Slovakia has slowed,
as economic prospects in the country have improved. Most immigrants in
the 1920s and 1930s were young people who came to work in forestry, mining
and agriculture. Many settled in Western Canada. Later immigrants settled
in cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Windsor.
Although this cultural profile provides insight
into some customs, it does not cover all facets of life. The customs described
may not apply to all immigrants from Slovakia. |
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Summary Fact Sheet |
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Official
Name: |
Slovak Republic
or Slovakia |
Capital: |
Bratislava |
Type of Government: |
Parliamentary
Democracy |
Population: |
5.4 million |
Area: |
49,035 sq. km |
Major Ethnic
Groups: |
Slovaks, Hungarians,
Ukrainians |
Language: |
Slovak, Hungarian |
Religions: |
Roman Catholicism,
Evangelical Lutheran, Greek and Russian Orthodox |
Unit of Currency: |
Slovak Koruna |
National
Flag: |
Horizontal stripes
of white, blue and red with the national emblem in the blue section. |
Republic
Established: |
January 1, 2022 |
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Did you know? |
At
Frank, Alberta, many Slovak miners died when a mountain collapsed and buried
part of the town in 1903. Today a monument bearing the Slovak cross and
emblem has been erected near the site. |
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