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 . In the 10th century , the territory was integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary , which itself became part of the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire . Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia , sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce .