Mezei István: Urban development in Slovakia (Pécs-Somorja, 2010)
5. Regional organization in Slovakia
Regional organization in Slovakia people live on mining and processing of ores, although to a much smaller extent than before. By setting up the regions, the state interfered significantly in the regionalization process, because the designation of the regional centres also involved development possibilities. The plans of the particular regions also contribute to further local development. It is also obvious that, unlike the administrative units, i.e. the regions, economic regions emerge within a wider range and their development is also intentional. The best example for that is partly the development of settlements, first of all that of towns in the Váh Valley, partly the increasingly frequent appearance of auto manufacturing plants and their suppliers in the Bratislava-Trnava-Žilina geographical zone. Table 38. Some of the main indicators of the regions Region Area, km1 Density of population Population % Numbc empl 1000 r of the oyed. jcople % GDP per capita, euro % 1996 2006 2001 2006 2001 2006 1995 2005 Bratislava 2,050 301 296 599,053 604,927 100.98 308,3 317,4 102.95 5,899 17,445 295.73 Tmava 4,150 132 134 550,982 554,644 100.66 232,4 264,5 113.81 3,087 7,691 249.14 Trenčín 4,500 136 133 605,503 600,202 99.12 254,0 280,0 110.24 2,611 6,302 241.36 Nitra 6,340 113 111 713,237 707,816 99.24 261,7 297,7 113.76 2,394 6,342 264.91 Žilina 6,800 101 102 692,343 694,922 100.37 267,6 294,1 109.90 2,263 5,867 259.26 Bansk Bystrica 9,460 70 69 662,128 656,431 99.14 251,2 257,5 102.51 2,311 5,126 221.81 Prešov 8,980 86 89 790,321 799,597 101.17 279,7 309,2 110.55 1,796 4,193 233.46 Košice 6,750 112 115 766,213 772,645 100.84 268,8 281,0 104.54 2,419 6,016 248.70 Slovakia 49,030 HO HO 5,379.7HO 5,391,184 100.21 2,123.7 2.301.4 108.37 2,784 7,143 256.57 Source: Štatisticky úrad SR, Bratislava Administrative regions are artificial configurations (Table 38). Their emergence is the result of some home political intention, but their establishment and the formation of their municipality forms were also urged by the European Union. There are marked differences between the established regions, such as their size. Bratislava is the smallest region; compared with it, the Trnava region is twice as large, and the Banská Bystrica region is 4.6 times larger. Similarly, there is a huge difference as far as the density of the population is concerned, too. Although the population density of the Bratislava region has declined, still, it is 2.7 times more densely populated than the average of the other regions. It is a fact that the population in the particular regions is proportional; the regions are inhabited by a roughly similar number of people. Thus, 10.29% of the population of the country lives in the Trnava region and 14.83% in the Prešov region. The number of the employed people is particularly high in Bratislava; in the Prešov region, on the other hand, the high number of employed people is due to the high population. As for 136
