Map of Czech Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Following the First World War the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II a truncated 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 Communist 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. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.


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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: 2,290.2 km
Border countries: (4) Austria 466.3 km; , Germany 810.3 km; , Poland 761.8 km; , Slovakia 251.8 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: 38.82%
Permanent crops: 3%
Other: 58.18% (2005)

Irrigated land: 240 km² (2003)

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: 10,228,744 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: -0.071% (2007 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Czech
Adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups: Czech 90.4% Moravian 3.7% Slovak 1.9% other 4% (2001 census)

Languages: Czech 94.9% Slovak 2% other 2.3% unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 26.8% Protestant 2.1% other 3.3% unspecified 8.8% unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.1% (male 738,391/female 698,999)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,657,877/female 3,627,493)
65 years and over: 14.7% (male 588,531/female 917,453) (2007 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 39.5 years
Male: 37.9 years
Female: 41.3 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.071% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 8.96 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 10.64 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 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; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.056 male/female
15-64 years: 1.008 male/female
65 years and over: 0.641 male/female
Total population: 0.951 male/female (2007 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.86 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.21 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.49 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.42 years
Male: 73.14 years
Female: 79.88 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,500 (2001 est.)
Deaths: less than 10 (2001 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%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (2003 est.)

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: Cesko

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Prague
Geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 13 regions (kraje singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj Jihomoravsky Kraj Karlovarsky Kraj Kralovehradecky Kraj Liberecky Kraj Moravskoslezsky Kraj Olomoucky Kraj Pardubicky Kraj Plzensky Kraj Praha (Prague)* Stredocesky Kraj Ustecky Kraj Vysocina Zlinsky Kraj

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 KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
Head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007), Jiri CUNEK (since 9 January 2007), Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held in January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 11, others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6

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

Political parties and leaders: Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ]

International organization participation: ACCT (observer) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD EIB ESA (cooperating state) EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MONUC NAM (guest) NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNITAR UNMEE UNMIL UNOMIG UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WEU (associate) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR
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: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER
From the us embassy: Trziste 15, 11,801 Prague 1
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [420] 257 022 000
From the us fax: [420] 257 022 809

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: The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU primarily to Germany and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006. However due to significant increases in social spending in the run-up to June 2006 elections the government is not likely to meet this goal. Negotiations on pension and healthcare reforms are continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation. Privatization of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises improvements in the financial sector and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $225.5 billion (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.4% (2006 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $22,000 (2006 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.7%
Industry: 39.1%
Services: 58.2% (2006 est.)

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

Industries: metallurgy machinery and equipment motor vehicles glass armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 9.5% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 5.334 million (2006 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 4.1%
By occupation industry: 37.6%
By occupation services: 58.3% (2003)

Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2006 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: 27.3 (2003)

Budget
Revenues: $56.31 billion
Expenditures: $62.57 billion (2006 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 27.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2006 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: $48.6 billion (2006)

Current account balance: $-4.585 billion (2006 est.)

Exports: $95.12 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 52% chemicals 5% raw materials and fuel 9% (2003)
Partners: Germany 31.9% Slovakia 8.5% Poland 5.7% France 5.6% Austria 5.1% UK 4.8% Italy 4.6% (2006)

Imports: $92.14 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 46% raw materials and fuels 15% chemicals 10% (2003)
Partners: Germany 32% Netherlands 6.5% Slovakia 6.1% Poland 6.1% Russia 5.7% Austria 4.9% Italy 4.4% France 4.4% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $31.22 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external: $55.47 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $77.46 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $5.058 billion (2006 est.)

Exchange rates: koruny per US dollar - 22.596 (2006) 23.957 (2005) 25.7 (2004) 28.209 (2003) 32.739 (2002)


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Electricity
Production: 77.38 billion kWh (2005)
Consumption: 59.72 billion kWh (2005)
Exports: 24.99 billion kWh (2005)
Imports: 12.35 billion kWh (2005)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 165 million m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 9.076 billion m³ (2005 est.)
Exports: 81.52 million m³ (2005 est.)
Imports: 8.976 billion m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 3.802 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 3,217,300 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 12.15 million (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and there are now about 120 mobile telephones per 100 persons
Domestic: 93% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems 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: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar (2007)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .cz
Hosts: 1.668 million (2007)
Users: 3.541 million (2006)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.81% (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 122 (2007)
With paved runways total: 45
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 13
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 18 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 77
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 26
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 50 (2007)

Heliports: 1 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 9,597 km
Standard gauge: 9,597 km 1.435-m gauge (3,041 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 127,865 km
Paved: 127,865 km (includes 633 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways: 664 km (principally on Elbe Vltava Oder and other navigable rivers lakes and canals) (2006)

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 1 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Decin Prague Usti nad Labem


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Disputes international: in 2006 Austrian public protests for the Czech Republic to close the Temelin nuclear power plant resulted in an Austrian parliamentary motion threatening international legal action

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking organized crime; significant consumer of ecstasy