Basic information
General information
;)
Area: 8 993 km² (18.3% of Slovakia)
Population: 801,939 (14.8 % of Slovakia)
Population density: 89 inhabitants per km²
Currency: EURO (from 1/1/2009)
In terms of area, the Prešov region is the second largest in Slovakia. It is made up of the historical regions of northern, central and (partially) southern Spiš, of Upper and Lower Šariš and of Upper Zemplín.
The region is long and narrow, extending 250 km from west to east and a maximum of 80 km from north to south. It fills the whole of north-east Slovakia and shares borders with two countries: Poland (360 km) and Ukraine (38 km), as well as with three other Slovak regions: Košice, Banská Bystrica and Žilina.
The Prešov region is border country and thus home to various international developmental projects with its neighbours. It is also important in terms of transport connections, especially road and rail. The international highway, the E 50, linking the Czech Republic and Ukraine, runs right through the region. The D 1 Prešov – Košice motorway stretch is connected to the west via the finished Branisko tunnel. The main railway line from the Czech Republic, which runs through Žilina and then on to Košice and beyond to the Ukrainian border, passes through the region, as does the south-north line which bisects East Slovakia, going from Hungary through Prešov and Orlov, and then on to Poland. Poprad airport, which at an altitude of 718m is the highest in Central Europe, offers connections to a number of international destinations.
In terms of administration the region is divided into 13 districts:
- Bardejov
- Humenné
- Kežmarok
- Levoča
- Medzilaborce
- Poprad
- Prešov
- Sabinov
- Snina
- Stará Ľubovňa
- Stropkov
- Svidník
- Vranov nad Topľou
There are 666 communities in the region, of which 23 are classed as town. The Prešov region has a higher population than any other in Slovakia although its density of population is the second lowest in the country. Almost 50 % of the region’s inhabitants live in its towns, the largest of which is the regional capital, Prešov, the third largest city in Slovakia with a population of 91,767.
