Genetics and genomic medicine in Slovakia.

Abstract

The Slovak Republic (SR) is a small sovereign state in Central Europe which gained independence on the 1 January 1993 by separation from the Czech/Slovak Federal Republic. From 2002, the SR was divided into eight semi-autonomous Regions (“krajov”); each named after its principal city; with their self-governing bodies referred to as Upper-Tier Territorial Units (VUC). These regions are subdivided„ into a total of 79 districts (“okresov”). The Slovak Republic joined the European Union on 1st January 2004 and was included in the Eurozone on 1 January 2009. SR land area covers 49,036 square kilometers with a 2011 population of 5,397,036 (http://www.portal.statistics.sk) in three main ethnic groups: 80.7% Slovaks, 8.5% Hungarians, and 2% Romany. The Roma percentage is actually greater than this; estimated between 7.5% and 8.8%, as many Roma declared their census ethnicity Slovak or Hungarian dependent on their habitat, and a further 380,000 appear not to have furnished 2011 census particulars. Romany presence on Slovak soil was first recorded in 1322 AD, and significant migration waves were later reported in the 16–17th centuries from Western Europe, and again in the second half of 19th century from Vlachia and Moldavia after slavery's abolition. Romany people currently inhabit ∼300 SR settlements. While Slovak and Hungarian families prevailingly have two children, and rarely three or more, Roma families have a significantly higher number; often ten or more.