Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and of the Bratislavský kraj region, a city of roughly 481,000 people spread over 368 square kilometres on the Danube in the country's south-west. As the seat of national government it concentrates the state institutions, and it is also the country's main university centre: Comenius University, the Slovak University of Technology, the Slovak Medical University and the private Pan-European University all have their campuses here.
M. R. Štefánik Airport lies on the eastern edge of the city and handles its scheduled flights. The city is divided into districts that differ considerably in character, from the Old Town and Ružinov to the panel-block scale of Petržalka across the river, and out to Devín, Devínska Nová Ves and Záhorská Bystrica on the rural fringe. That range is reflected in the housing stock, which runs from older inner-city apartment buildings to large post-war housing estates and low-density family housing at the edges. Green space is extensive, with the Danube and the wooded hills to the north within reach of most districts.
