Peripheral regions in Slovakia have been delineated on the basis of four groups of indexes: human resource, economic potential, household facility and accessibility of centres (fig. 1). To be labelled a peripheral region a continuous area of five municipalities in lower quintile in a given group of indexes must be identified. In case a region has worsened values of indexes in three or four groups it is marked as a region with a cumulative peripherality.

Diagonal line in Slovakia clearly separates “rich north-west” and “poor south-east” areas (fig. 2). The worst values of peripherality indexes both from spatial extent and from maximums of negative values are seen in south part of central Slovakia (fig. 3). Even within peripheral areas at macro level central regions (or regions with slightly eliminated peripherality) can be found at micro level, particularly in hinterland of middle sized regional centres (fig. 4). Position of peripheral areas with respect to long distance road network and terrain barriers is provided in fig. 5 and fig. 6.

Source:

Halás, M. (2008): Priestorová polarizácia spoločnosti s detailným pohľadom na periférne regióny Slovenska [The spatial polarisation of society with a detailed review of peripheral regions in Slovakia]. Sociologický časopis 44 (2), 349–369.