Czech republic
Capital: Prague
Area: 78,864 sq km
Population: 10,211,000 (as of 2004)
Population by ethnic composition: Czech (90.42%), Moravian and Silesian (3.83%), Slovak (1.89%), Polish (0.51%), German (0.38%), Roma (0.11%), Hungarians, Ukrainians, Ruthenians, Russians, Greeks, and others (2.86%)
Currency: Czech koruna
Average wage: CZK 22,328 (€878)
Unemployment rate: 6.3 percent (as of June 2009)
Hungary
Capital: Budapest
Area: 93,036 sq km
Population: 9,981,334 (as of 2006 est.)
Population by ethnic composition: Hungarians 92.3%; Germans, 200-220,000; Slovaks, 100-110,000; Croats, 80-90,000; Romanians, 25,000; Serbs, 5,000; Slovenes, 5,000; Polish, 10,000; Greeks, 3,000; Armenians, 1,500; Bulgarians, 3,000; Ruthenians, 6,000; Ukrainians, 2,000. The Roma population is estimated at 400-600,000.
Currency: Hungarian forint
Average wage: HUF 201,667 (€752)
Unemployment rate: 10.3 percent (as of June 2009)
Poland
Capital: Warsaw
Area: 312,685 sq km
Population: 38,605,000 (as of 2003)
Population by ethnic composition: Poles (circa 97.8%); other ethic groups (about 1 million people in all): Germans, Ukrainians, Belarussians, Lemkos, Roma, Lithuanians, Slovaks, Russians, Jews, Armenians, Tartars, Czechs and Karaims
Currency: Polish złoty
Average wage: PLN 3,289 (€800.6)
Unemployment rate: 8.2 percent (as of June 2009)
Slovakia
Capital: Bratislava
Area: 49,035 sq km
Population: 5,439,448 (estimated as of 2006)
Population by ethnic composition: Slovak (85.8%), Hungarian (9.7%), Roma (1.7%), Czech (0.8%), Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Russian, German, Polish and others (2%)
Currency: euro (until 2009, Slovak koruna)
Average wage: €710.45
Unemployment rate: 11.7 percent (as of June 2009)
Source: www.visegradgroup.eu and The Slovak Spectator databases
The piece is part of the Visegrad Countries Special, prepared by The Slovak Spectator with the support of the International Visegrad Fund. For more information on cooperation between the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia please see the following document.