| Regions of Slovakia Kraje Slovenska | |
| Category: | Unitary state |
| Territory: | Slovak Republic |
| Current Number: | 8 Regions |
| Population Range: | 563,591 (Trnava) – 825,022 (Prešov) |
| Area Range: | 2052.6km2 (Bratislava) – 9454.8km2 (Banská Bystrica) |
| Government: | Region government, National government |
Since 1949 (except 1990–1996), Slovakia has been divided into a number of kraje (singular kraj; usually translated as "Regions" with capital R).[1] Their number, borders and functions have been changed several times. There are eight regions of Slovakia and they correspond to the EU's NUTS 3 level of local administrative units. Each kraj consists of okresy (counties or districts). There are 79 districts.
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:
| Flag | Arms | Region | Capital | Population (2022) | Area (km2) | Density | NUTS level 3 | Seatsin Regional Council | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 664,000 | 2,052.6 | 321.34 | SK010 | 50 | |||||
| 556,000 | 4,172.2 | 135.08 | SK021 | 40 | |||||
| 577,000 | 4,501.9 | 130.14 | SK022 | 47 | |||||
| 682,000 | 6,343.4 | 106.67 | SK023 | 54 | |||||
| 685,000 | 6,808.4 | 101.54 | SK031 | 57 | |||||
| 651,000 | 9,454.8 | 68.52 | SK032 | 49 | |||||
| 831,000 | 8,974.5 | 91.92 | SK041 | 62 | |||||
| 795,000 | 6,751.9 | 118.32 | SK042 | 57 | |||||
| Total | 5,441,000 | 49.035 | 111.3 | 416 | |||||
Since 2002, Slovakia is divided into 8 samosprávne kraje (self-governing regions), which are called by the Constitution 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-governing, with an elected chairperson and assembly, while the organs of kraje are appointed by the government.
The term "Region" (Slovak: kraj) should not be confused with:
Historically, Slovakia was not divided into kraje, but into counties (Slovak: župy or stolice). This was the case when present-day Slovakia was part of:
In 1928–1939 (and formally also 1945–1948) Slovakia as a whole formed the administrative unit "Slovak land" (Krajina slovenská) within Czechoslovakia.
Each kraj was named after its principal city.
Note: The kraje were abolished from July 1, 1969, until December 28, 1970, when they were reintroduced.
There are also other regions in Slovakia, which do not correspond to historical counties:
| Region | Former County part | Former County | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kysuce | northern | Žilina | |
| Záhorie | western | Nitra | |
| Bratislava | |||
| southern | Zvolen | ||
| Zamagurie | northern | Spiš |