The Slovaks, Slovak people (Slovak Slováci, singular Slovák, feminine Slovenka, plural Slovenky) are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language. Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia (circa 5,410,836). There are Slovak minorities in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Serbia and sizeable populations of immigrants and their descendants in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Genetically Slovaks share typical Y Haplogroups of other Slavic nations. R1a is the most frequent Haplogroup among Slovaks ranging from 40-45% of the population. The second most frequent Haplogroup in Slovakia is Haplogroup I2 at about 16% followed closely by R1b at about 14%. Autosomaly Slovaks show closest affinity to their Czech neighbors, followed by Polish, Hungarians, and then other eastern European nations. Slovaks also show close genetic affinities with Eastern Austrians.
