Northwest Slovakia Žilina is a natural centre of north-western Slovakia and with a population of 83 297 inhabitants (as per May 2017) it ranks among the largest cities in Slovakia.
Žilina is situated around 200 km from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Žilina is located in the valley of the Váh river, in the Žilina Basin, at the confluence of the Váh river with its tributaries Kysuca and Rajčanka. The Žilina Basin is surrounded by the mountain ranges of Malá Fatra (Lesser Fatra), Strážovské vrchy (Strážov Hills), Súľovské vrchy (Súľov Hills), Javorníky and Kysucká vrchovina (Kysuce Highlands).
Žilina is a centre of significant political, cultural, sport and public health care institutions. The city of Žilina is the seat of the Žilina Region. Together with the Region, it keeps a stable position of the second or third place in gross domestic product per inhabitant. Its economic potential can be proven by the fact that Žilina has the biggest number of traders per thousand inhabitants. As for the number of join stock companies and limited companies, Žilina keeps third position in Slovakia. The Slovak Commercial and Industrial Chamber in Žilina is the second biggest in Slovakia.
Nowadays, the city of Žilina represents a dynamic development accelerated by KIA Motors Slovakia investments. However, the City is not only a centre of car production, but together with the Upper Váh River Region (Horné Považie), it is an interesting tourist destination. Interesting events held in the city of Žilina and its surroundings during the year (Carnival Slovakia, Central European Festival of Concert Art, Old Town Festival, Folklore Festival in Terchová, Medieval Day, Rajec Marathon etc.) make the development of the City tourism more dynamic.
The city of Žilina is a centre of theatres, museums, galleries, parks and sports facilities. Its historical centre is crossed by one of the longest and the most beautiful pedestrian zones in Slovakia.