Slovakia is an Eastern European country that peacefully separated from Czechoslovakia in 1993. The name of the country comes from the Slovak people who lived in the area of the current Slovakia during 5th~6th century. Most of the country’s territory is spread long the Carpathian range. Mt. Tatra, the highest mountain in the Carpathian range, is the first national park to be appointed by Slovakia. The mountain is an excellent place to enjoy various leisure sports such as skiing and hiking. As Slovakia is a country with many mountains, a long winter and a plenty of snow, Slovakians enjoy winter sports such as skiing and ice hockey. Especially, ice hockey is loved by the Slovakian people as a national sport. In 2002, Slovakia even won the World Ice Hockey Championship. The country is enjoying steady economic growth, entering OECD in 2000. Multinational automobile makers such as the French Peugeot-Citroen, the German Volkswagen and the Korean KIA Motors are competitively constructing local plants in Slovakia.