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.

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: 1,989 km
Border countries: (4) Austria 362 km; , Germany 815 km; , Poland 615 km; , Slovakia 197 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)

Total renewable water resources: 16 km³ (2005)

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

Population: 10,220,911 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: -0.082% (2008 est.)

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)

Age structure
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 723,521/female 684,786)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,653,679/female 3,619,872)
65 years and over: 15.1% (male 604,419/female 934,634) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 39.8 years
Male: 38.2 years
Female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.082% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 8.89 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 10.69 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.65 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.83 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.17 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.46 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.62 years
Male: 73.34 years
Female: 80.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,500 (2001 est.)
Deaths: fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

Education expenditures: 4.4% of GDP (2004)

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 15 years (2006)

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 (South Bohemia) Jihomoravsky (South Moravia) Karlovarsky Kralovehradecky Liberecky Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia) Olomoucky Pardubicky Plzensky (Pilsen) Praha (Prague)* Stredocesky (Central Bohemia) Ustecky Vysocina Zlinsky

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

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), 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 15 February 2008 (after earlier elections held 8 and 9 February 2008 were inconclusive; next election to be held in February 2013); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Vaclav KLAUS reelected president on 15 February 2008; Vaclav KLAUS 141 votes, Jan SVEJNAR 111 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 17-18 and 24-25 October 2008 (next to be held in October 2010); 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 35, CSSD 29, KDU-CSL 7, others 8, 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; note - seats by party as of December 2007 - ODS 81, CSSD 72, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6, unaffiliated 2 (former CSSD members)

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 [Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; 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]; Union of Freedom-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan CERNY]; 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 Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO 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, 118 01 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
Note: identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

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 2000-07 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 the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3.3% of GDP as demand for automotive and other products from the Czech Republic remains strong in the European Union. Rising inflation from higher food and energy prices are a risk to balanced economic growth. Significant increases in social spending in the run-up to June 2006 elections prevented the government from meeting its goal of reducing its budget deficit to 3% of GDP in 2007. Negotiations on pension and additional healthcare reforms are continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises improvements in the financial sector and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. The pro-business Civic Democratic Party-led government approved reforms in 2007 designed to cut spending on some social welfare benefits and reform the tax system with the aim of eventually reducing the budget deficit to 2.3% of GDP by 2010. Parliamentary approval for any additional reforms could prove difficult however because of the parliament's even split. The government withdrew a 2010 target date for euro adoption and instead aims to meet the eurozone criteria around 2012.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $251 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.6% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $24,500 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.7%
Industry: 38.7%
Services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

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

Industries: metallurgy machinery and equipment motor vehicles glass armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 9.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 5.36 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 4.1%
By occupation industry: 37.6%
By occupation services: 58.3% (2003)

Unemployment rate: 6.6% (2007 est.)

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 26 (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $72.1 billion
Expenditures: $74.98 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 26% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 3.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.79% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $103.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $48.6 billion (2006)

Current account balance: -$4.534 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $122.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 52% raw materials and fuel 9% chemicals 5% (2003)
Partners: Germany 30.7% Slovakia 8.7% Poland 5.9% France 5.4% UK 5.1% Italy 4.9% Austria 4.6% (2007)

Imports: $116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 46% raw materials and fuels 15% chemicals 10% (2003)
Partners: Germany 31.8% Netherlands 6.7% Slovakia 6.4% Poland 6.3% Austria 5.1% China 5.1% Russia 4.5% Italy 4.4% France 4.1% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $34.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $74.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $86.75 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $6.058 billion (2007 est.)

Exchange rates: koruny (CZK) per US dollar - 20.53 (2007) 22.596 (2006) 23.957 (2005) 25.7 (2004) 28.209 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 82.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 61.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 26.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 10.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 172 million m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 8.622 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 402 million m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 8.628 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.964 billion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.888 million (2006)
Mobile cellular: 13.075 million (2007)

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 but the number of fixed line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population
Domestic: virtually all 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 - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .cz
Hosts: 2.434 million (2008)
Users: 4.4 million (2007)

Military expenditures: 1.46% of GDP (2007 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 18-28 years of age for voluntary and 19-28 for compulsory military service (2008)

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 (2007)

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

Roadways
Total: 128,512 km
Paved: 128,512 km (includes 657 km of expressways) (2007)

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

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Decin Prague Usti nad Labem

Disputes international: while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007 915,220 Austrians with the support of the popular Freedom Party signed a petition in January 2008 demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin bordering Austria

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