Slovakia has an area of 49 000 square kilometers. The Slovak republic is bordered in the west by Czech republic, in the north by Poland, in the east by Ukraine, in the south by Hungary and Austria. The borders are mostly natural, made by rivers and mountains. Slovakia has no borders with sea. Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia. It has about 400 000 inhabitants and it is a Danube port. Bratislava used to be a very important fortress of Great Moravian Empire in the 9th century. Today it is the seat of Slovak President, Government, Parliament and other cultural and scientific institutions. Slovakia is a hilly country with a number of mountain ranges. Many tourists have discovered the beauties of the mountains. There are the Little Fatra, the Giant Fatra, The Muran Plain, Poloniny, Polana, the Slovak Paradise, the Slovak Karst, Stiavnica Hills, the Nitra Valley but the most attractive spots are still in the High and Low Tatras Mountains. There are beautiful mountain lakes in Slovakia.