Map of Czech Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Once part of the Holy Roman Empire and, later, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Czechoslovakia became an independent nation at the end of World War I. Independence ended with the German takeover in 1939. After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence, and in 1968 an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops snuffed out anti-communist demonstrations and riots. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1991, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom. On 1 January 1993, the country peacefully split into its two ethnic components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic, largely by aspiring to become a NATO and EU member, is moving toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. But Prague has had a difficult time convincing the public that membership in NATO is crucial to Czech security. At the same time, support for eventual EU membership is waning. Coupled with the country's worsening economic situation, Prague's political scene, troubled for the past three years, will remain so for the foreseeable future.


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Location: Eastern Europe, between Germany and Slovakia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference:

Area
Total: 78,703 km²
Land: 78,645 km²

Land boundaries: total 1,880 km, Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 214 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Climate

Terrain: two main regions: Bohemia in the west, consisting of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; and Moravia in the east, consisting of very hilly country

Elevation

Natural resources: hard coal, kaolin, clay, graphite

Land use
Arable land: NA%
Permanent crops: NA%
Meadows and pastures: NA%
Forest and woodland: NA%
Other: NA%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 10,389,256 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 0.16% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Czech(s)
Adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups: Czech 94.4%, Slovak 3%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Gypsy 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 1%

Languages: Czech, Slovak
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.16% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 13 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 11.44 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
Current issues note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 9.7 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.64 years
Male: 68.9 years
Female: 76.58 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.85 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Czech Republic
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Ceska Republika
Local short form: Cechy

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Prague

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

National holiday: NA

Constitution: ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
President: last held 26 January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998); results - Vaclav HAVEL elected by the National Council
Senate: elections not yet held; seats (81 total)
Chamber of Deputies:

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral National Council (Narodni rada) will consist of an upper house or Senate (which has not yet been established) and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ZANTOVSKY
In the us chancery: 3,900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 363-6,315 or 6,316
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Adrian A. BASORA
From the us embassy: Trziste 15, 125 48, Prague 1
From the us mailing address: Unit 25,402; APO AE 9,213-5,630
From the us telephone: 42 (2) 536-641/6
From the us fax: 42 (2) 532-457

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The dissolution of Czechoslovakia into two independent nation states - the Czech Republic and Slovakia - on 1 January 1993 has complicated the task of moving toward a more open and decentralized economy. The old Czechoslovakia, even though highly industrialized by East European standards, suffered from an aging capital plant, lagging technology, and a deficiency in energy and many raw materials. In January 1991, approximately one year after the end of communist control of Eastern Europe, theCzech and Slovak Federal Republic launched a sweeping program to convert its almost entirely state-owned and controlled economy to a market system. In 1991-92 these measures resulted in privatization of some medium- and small-scale economic activity and the setting of more than 90% of prices by the market - but at a cost in inflation, unemployment, and lower output. For Czechoslovakia as a whole inflation in 1991 was roughly 50% and output fell 15%. In 1992, in the Czech lands, inflation dropped to an estimated 12.5% and GDP was down a more moderate 5%. For 1993 the government of the Czech Republic anticipates inflation of 15-20% and a rise in unemployment to perhaps 12% as some large-scale enterprises go into bankruptcy; GDP may drop as much as 3%, mainly because of the disruption of trade links with Slovakia. Although the governments of the Czech Republic and Slovakia had envisaged retaining the koruna as a common currency, at least in the short term, the two countries ended the currency union in February 1993.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -5% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: largely self-sufficient in food production; diversified crop and livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry; exporter of forest products

Industries: fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -4% (November 1992 over November 1991; accounts for over 60% of GDP

Labor force: 5.389 million
By occupation industry: 37.9%
By occupation agriculture: 8.1%
By occupation construction: 8.8%
By occupation communicationsandother: 45.2% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 3.1% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $8.2 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, minerals, and metals
Partners:

Imports: $8.9 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
Commodoties: machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manfactured goods, raw materials, chemicals, agricultural products
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 28.59 (December 1992), 28.26 (1992), 29.53 (1991), 17.95 (1990), 15.05 (1989), 14.36 (1988), 13.69 (1987)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 16,500,000 kW capacity; 62,200 million kWh produced, 6,030

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 23 billion koruny, NA% of GNP (1993 est.), note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 75
Usable: 75
With permanentsurface runways: 8
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 4

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas 5,400 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: NA km; the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river

Merchant marine: the former Czechoslovakia had 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 290,185 GRT/437,291 DWT; includes 13 cargo, 9 bulk; may be shared with Slovakia

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: