Slovakia is a small country in the middle of Europe, a member of the European Union since 2004. It is one of the most fragmented countries in Europe, with almost 3,000 municipalities and a population of 5.5 million. The average Slovak local government—the municipality has an area of approximately 17 square kilometres. Only two cities, Bratislava and Košice, have more than 100,000 inhabitants (approximately 430,000 in Bratislava and 250,000 in Košice).