Map of Czech Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: After World War II Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968 an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize party rule and create 'socialism with a human face.' Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989 Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful 'Velvet Revolution.' On 1 January 1993 the country underwent a 'velvet divorce' into its two national components the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Now a member of NATO the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets a development that poses both opportunities and risks.


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Location: Central Europe southeast of Germany

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N 15 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 78,866 km²
Land: 77,276 km²
Water: 1,590 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 1,881 km
Border countries: (4) Austria 362 km; , Germany 646 km; , Poland 658 km; , Slovakia 215 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold cloudy humid winters

Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains hills and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
Extremes highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Natural resources: hard coal soft coal kaolin clay graphite timber

Land use
Arable land: 41%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 11%
Forests and woodland: 34%
Other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 240 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flooding

Geography
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


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Population: 10,264,212 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: -0.07% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Czech
Adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups: Czech 81.2% Moravian 13.2% Slovak 3.1% Polish 0.6% German 0.5% Silesian 0.4% Roma 0.3% Hungarian 0.2% other 0.5% (1991)

Languages: Czech

Religions: atheist 39.8% Roman Catholic 39.2% Protestant 4.6% Orthodox 3% other 13.4%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.09% (male 847,219; female 804,731)
15-64 years: 69.99% (male 3,592,984; female 3,590,802)
65 years and over: 13.92% (male 549,538; female 878,938) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.07% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 9.11 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 10.81 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.96 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 5.55 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.73 years
Male: 71.23 years
Female: 78.43 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.04% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,200 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Czech Republic
Conventional short form: Czech Republic
Local long form: Ceska Republika
Local short form: Ceska Republika

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Prague

Administrative divisions: 13 regions (kraje singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Brnensky Budejovicky Jihlavsky Karlovarsky Kralovehradecky Liberecky Olomoucky Ostravsky Pardubicky Plzensky Praha* Stredocesky Ustecky Zlinsky

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday: Czech Founding Day 28 October (1918)

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 Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Vaclav HAVEL (since 2 February 1993)
Head of government: Prime Minister Milos ZEMAN (since 17 July 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir SPIDLA (since 22 July 1998), Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 22 July 1998), Jan KAVAN (since 8 December 1999)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 20 January 1998 (next to be held NA January 2003); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Vaclav HAVEL reelected president; Vaclav HAVEL received 47 of 81 votes in the Senate and 99 out of 200 votes in the Chamber of Deputies (second round of voting)

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held 12 and 19 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 19-20 June 1998 (next to be held by NA June 2002)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - KDU-CSL 28, ODS 22, CSSD 15, ODA 7, US 4, KSCM 3, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 32.3%, ODS 27.7%, KSCM 11%, KDU-CSL 9.0%, US 8.6%; seats by party - CSSD 74, ODS 63, KSCM 24, KDU-CSL 20, US 18, CSNS 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders: Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Daniel KROUPA chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK chairman]; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN chairman]; Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Milos ZEMAN chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Karel KUEHNL chairman]; Quad Coalition [Cyril SVOBODA chairman] (includes KDU-CSL US ODA DEU); Republicans of Miroslav SLADEK or RMS [Miroslav SLADEK chairman]

International organization participation: ACCT (observer) Australia Group BIS CCC CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EU (applicant) FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MONUC NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMEE UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNMOT UNOMIG UPU WCL WEU (associate) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alexsandr VONDRA
In the us chancery: 3,900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 274-9,100
In the us fax: [1] (202) 966-8,540
In the us consulates general: Los Angeles and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven J. COFFEY
From the us embassy: Trziste 15, 11,801 Prague 1
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [420] (2) 5,753-0663
From the us fax: [420] (2) 5,753-0583

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Basically one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. The economy grew about 2.5% in 2000 and should achieve somewhat higher growth in 2001. Growth is led by exports to the EU especially Germany and foreign investment while domestic demand is reviving. Uncomfortably high fiscal and current account deficits could be future problems. Unemployment is down to 8.7% as job creation continues in the rebounding economy; inflation is up to 3.8% but still moderate. The EU put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession which will give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking telecommunications and energy privatization will add to foreign investment while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,900 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.7%
Industry: 41.8%
Services: 54.5% (1999)

Agriculture products: wheat potatoes sugar beets hops fruit; pigs poultry

Industries: metallurgy machinery and equipment motor vehicles glass armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 7.6% (2000)

Labor force: 5.203 million (1999 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 5%
By occupation industry: 40%
By occupation services: 55% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2000 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 4.3%
Highest 10: 22.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $16.7 billion
Expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.8% (2000 est.)

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: $28.3 billion (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 44% other manufactured goods 40% chemicals 7% raw materials and fuel 7% (1999)
Partners: Germany 43% Slovakia 8.4% Austria 6.6% Poland 5.6% France 4% (1999)

Imports: $31.4 billion (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 42% other manufactured goods 33% chemicals 12% raw materials and fuels 10% (1999)
Partners: Germany 37.5% Slovakia 6.7% Austria 6.2% Italy 5.9% France 5.4% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $21.3 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 37.425 (January 2001) 38.598 (2000) 34.569 (1999) 32.281 (1998) 31.698 (1997) 27.145 (1996)


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Electricity
Production: 67.642 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 77.8%
Production by source hydro: 3.43%
Production by source nuclear: 18.77%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Consumption: 52.898 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 18.744 billion kWh (2000)
Imports: 8.735 billion kWh (2000)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.869 million (2000)
Mobile cellular: 4.346 million (2000)

Telephone system
General assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous
Domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .cz
Service providers isps: more than 300 (2000)
Users: 900,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $1.2 billion (FY01)
Percent of gdp: 2.2% (FY01)

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: 114 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 43
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 14
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 71
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 28
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 42 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: natural gas 3,550 km (2000)

Railways
Total: 9,444 km
Standard gauge: 9,350 km 1.435-m standard gauge (2,843 km electrified; 1,929 km double track)
Narrow gauge: 94 km 0.760-m narrow gauge (2000)

Roadways

Waterways
Note: (the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river) (2000)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1600 km² of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute with Czech Republic over nuclear power plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs