Nitra

Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in southwestern Slovakia, situated at the foot of the Zobor Mountain in the Nitra River Valley about northeast of the country's capital, Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth-largest city in Slovakia. Nitra stands on varied terrain, which features both rolling hills and vast plains, particularly to the south. Nitra is one of the oldest cities in Slovakia. It was the center of the Principality of Nitra, a duchy of great historic significance. Today, the city serves as the administrative center of Nitra Region (kraj) and Nitra District (okres). Nitra is the agricultural capital of Slovakia due to its long tradition of farming, favorable climate, and geography.

==Etymology== The first mention of Nitra dates back to the 9th century. The name of the city is derived from the Nitra River. The name is Indo-European, but the question of its pre-Slavic or Slavic origin has not been satisfactorily answered. Nitra might be derived from the old Indo-European root neit-, nit- 'to cut' or 'to burn' using the derivational element -r- (see also slash-and-burn agricultural technique). The same root is still present in the Slovak verb nietiť 'to make a fire', but also in other Indo-European languages like Latin nitere 'to burn' or in German schneiden 'to cut'. Another view of the origin of the name is related to Latin Novi-iter or Neui-iter 'new territory behind the limes'. The hypothetical Latin name could have been adopted by the Quadi and later by the Slavs.