View source for Regions of Slovakia

{{short description|none}}<!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = Regions of Slovakia<br />Kraje Slovenska
| alt_name = 
| map = 
| category = [[Unitary state]]
| territory = [[Slovak Republic]]
| start_date = 
| current_number = 8 Regions
| number_date = 
| population_range = 556,000 ([[Trnava Region|Trnava]]) – 831,000 ([[Prešov Region|Prešov]])
| area_range = {{Convert|2052.6|km2|abbr=on}} ([[Bratislava Region|Bratislava]]) – {{Convert|9454.8|km2|abbr=on}} ([[Banská Bystrica Region|Banská Bystrica]])
| government = Region government, [[Politics of Slovakia|National government]]
| subdivision = [[Districts of Slovakia|District]]
}}
{{Heraldic map of Slovakia}}

Since 1949 (except 1990–1996), [[Slovakia]] has been divided into a number of {{Lang|sk|[[kraj]]e}} (singular {{Lang|sk|kraj}}; usually translated as "Regions" with capital R).<ref>{{cite web |title=Regions |url=http://www.slovakia.com/regions/ |access-date=23 November 2016 |website=Slovakia.com}}</ref> Their number, borders and functions have been changed several times. There are eight regions of Slovakia and they correspond to the [[European Union|EU]]'s [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] 3 level of local administrative units. Each kraj consists of {{Lang|sk|[[okres]]y}} (counties or districts), which are further divided into {{Lang|sk|[[List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia|obce]]}} (municipalities). There are 79 [[Districts of Slovakia|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 <small>(2022)</small>
! Area <small>(km<sup>2</sup>)</small>
! Density
! NUTS level 3
!Seats
in Regional Council
|-
| [[File:Bratislavsky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Bratislava Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Bratislava Region|Bratislava]] || [[Bratislava]] || {{increase}} 664,000 || 2,052.6 || 321.34 || SK010
|50
|-
| [[File:Trnavsky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Trnava Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Trnava Region|Trnava]] || [[Trnava]] || {{increase}} 556,000 || 4,172.2 || 135.08 || SK021
|40
|-
| [[File:Trenciansky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Trenčín Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Trenčín Region|Trenčín]] || [[Trenčín]] || {{decrease}} 577,000 || 4,501.9 || 130.14 || SK022
|47
|-
| [[File:Nitriansky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Nitra Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Nitra Region|Nitra]] || [[Nitra]] || {{decrease}} 682,000 || 6,343.4 || 106.67 || SK023
|54
|-
| [[File:Zilinsky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Žilina Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Žilina Region|Žilina]] || [[Žilina]] || {{increase}} 685,000 || 6,808.4 || 101.54 || SK031
|57
|-
| [[File:Banskobystricky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Banská Bystrica Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Banská Bystrica Region|Banská Bystrica]] || [[Banská Bystrica]] || {{decrease}} 651,000 || 9,454.8 || 68.52 || SK032
|49
|-
| [[File:Presovsky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Prešov Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Prešov Region|Prešov]] || [[Prešov]] || {{increase}} 831,000 || 8,974.5 || 91.92 || SK041
|62
|-
| [[File:Kosicky vlajka.svg|x36px|border]]
| [[File:Coat of Arms of Košice Region.svg|x36px]]
| [[Košice Region|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-governance|self-governing]], with an elected chairperson and assembly, while the organs of kraje are appointed by [[Government of Slovakia|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 [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] 2 level, i.e. groups of several kraje, used by the [[Eurostat]] for statistical purposes. These are:
**[[Bratislava Region|Bratislava]] SK 01 (Bratislava Region){{spaced ndash}}comprises only this single region
**[[Západné Slovensko]] SK 02 (Western Slovakia){{spaced ndash}}[[Trnava Region|Trnava]], [[Trenčín Region|Trenčín]] and [[Nitra Region|Nitra]]
**[[Stredné Slovensko]] SK 03 (Central Slovakia){{spaced ndash}}[[Žilina Region|Žilina]] and [[Banská Bystrica Region|Banská Bystrica]]
**[[Východné Slovensko]] SK 04 (Eastern Slovakia){{spaced ndash}}[[Prešov Region|Prešov]] and [[Košice Region|Košice]]

== History ==

=== Prior to 1949 ===
Historically, Slovakia was not divided into kraje, but into [[Counties of Hungary (1000–1920)|counties]] ({{langx|sk|link=no|[[Župa|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:Regions of Slovakia| ]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Slovakia]]
[[Category:Lists of administrative divisions|Slovakia, Regions]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions in Europe|Slovakia 1]]
[[Category:First-level administrative divisions by country|Regions, Slovakia]]
[[Category:Slovakia geography-related lists]]
[[Category:Traditional regions of Slovakia| ]]