Slovakia is a place.
Bratislava ( [ ˌbrætᵻˈslɑːvə ] or [ ˌbrɑː - ] [ ˈbracislaʋa ] ; also known by other names ) is the capital of Slovakia , and with a population of about 450,000 , the country 's largest city . Slovakia ( listen ) , is a landlocked country in Central Europe . It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west , Poland to the north , Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south . Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia , sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce .