Background: At the close of World War I the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years having rejected a federal system the new country's predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic most notably the Slovaks the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II Nazi Germany occupied the territory that today comprises the Czech Republic and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) 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 rule and create 'socialism with a human face' ushering in a period of repression known as 'normalization.' The peaceful 'Velvet Revolution' swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993 the country underwent a nonviolent '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: 78,867 km²
Land: 77,247 km²
Water: 1620 km²
Rank: 116
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 2,143 km
Border countries: (4) Austria 402 km; Germany 704 km; Poland 796 km; Slovakia 241 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: Labe River 115 m
Extremes highest point: Snezka 1602 m

Natural resources: hard coal soft coal kaolin clay graphite timber arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 54.8%
Forest: 34.4%
Other: 10.8%

Irrigated land: 385.3 km² (2007)

Total renewable water resources: 13.15 km³ (2011)

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: 10,644,842 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 83
Growth rate: 0.16% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 185
Below poverty line: 8.6% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Czech
Adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups: Czech 64.3% Moravian 5% Slovak 1.4% other 1.8% unspecified 27.5% (2011 est.)

Languages: Czech (official) 95.4% Slovak 1.6% other 3% (2011 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 10.4% Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 1.1% other and unspecified 54% none 34.5% (2011 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 15%
15-24 years: 10.23%
25-54 years: 43.7%
55-64 years: 13.06%
65 years and over: 18.01% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 49.5%
Youth dependency ratio: 22.5%
Elderly dependency ratio: 27%
Potential support ratio: 3.7%

Median age
Total: 41.3 years
Male: 40 years
Female: 42.6 years

Population growth rate: 0.16% (2015 est.)
Rank: 185

Birth rate: 9.63 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 202

Death rate: 10.34 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 37

Net migration rate: 2.33 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 43

Urbanization
Urban population: 73% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.35% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: PRAGUE (capital) 1.314 million (2015)

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
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.63 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 2.76 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.49 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 216

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.48 years
Male: 75.5 years
Female: 81.62 years
Rank: 55

Total fertility rate: 1.44 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 205

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 86.3%
Note: percent of women aged 18-49

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 3.71 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 6.8 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.05% (2013 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 120
People living with hivaids: 3,400 (2013 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 111
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2013 est.)
Deaths rank: 121

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 29.1% (2014)
Rank: 21

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2% (2007)
Rank: 122

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 106

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 99%
Male: 99%
Female: 99%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years

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
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 (Karlovy Vary) Kralovehradecky (Hradec Kralove) Liberecky (Liberec) Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia) Olomoucky (Olomouc) Pardubicky (Pardubice) Plzensky (Pilsen) Praha (Prague)* Stredocesky (Central Bohemia) Ustecky (Usti) Vysocina (Highlands) Zlinsky (Zlin)

Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia); note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being the Czechs commemorate 28 October 1918 the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire as their independence day

National holiday: Czechoslovak Founding Day 28 October (1918)

Constitution: previous 1960; latest ratified 16 December 1992 effective 1 January 1993; amended several times last in 2013 (2013)

Legal system: new civil code enacted in 2014 replacing civil code of 1964 - based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory - and reintroducing former Czech legal terminology

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Milos ZEMAN
Head of government: Prime Minister Bohuslav SOBOTKA ; First Deputy Prime Minister Andrej BABIS and Deputy Prime Minister Pavel BELOBRADEK (both since 29 January 2014)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; elections last held on 11-12 January 2013 with a runoff on 25-26 January 2013 (next to be held in January 2018); prime minister appointed by the president for a 5-year term
Election results: Milos ZEMAN elected president; percent of popular vote - Milos ZEMAN 54.8% Karel SCHWARZENBERG (TOP 09) 45.2%

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held in two rounds on 10-11 and 17-18 October 2014 ; Chamber of Deputies - last held on 25-26 October 2013 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSSD 33 ODS 14 KDU-CSL 11 ANO 4 SPO 2 Green 2 KSCM 1 S.cz 1 STAN 1 HOPB 1 SLK 1 independent 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 20.5% ANO 2011 18.7% KSCM 14.9% TOP 09 12% ODS 7.7% Usvit 6.9% KDU-CSL 6.8% other 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 50 ANO 2011 47 KSCM 33 TOP 09 26 ODS 16 Usvit 14 KDU-CSL 14

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court ; Constitutional Court (consists of 15 justices); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 28 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges proposed by the Chamber of Deputies and appointed by the president; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; judges appointed for 10-year renewable terms; Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the president of the Court; judge term NA
Subordinate courts: High Court; superior regional and district courts

Political parties and leaders
Parties in parliament: Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Pavel BELOBRADEK]:
Parties outside parliament: Czech Pirate Party [Lukas CERNOHORSKY]

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CD CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB ESA EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MONUSCO NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SELEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Petr GANDALOVIC
In the us chancery: 3,900 Spring of Freedom Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 274-9,100
In the us FAX: [1] 966-8,540
In the us consulate general: Chicago Los Angeles New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew H. SCHAPIRO
From the us embassy: Trziste 15 118 01 Prague 1 - Mala Strana
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
Note: is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

National symbols: double-tailed lion; national colors: white red blue

National anthem
Name: 'Kde domov muj?'
Lyrics and music: Josef Kajetan TYL/Frantisek Jan SKROUP
Note: adopted 1993; the anthem was originally written as incidental music to the play 'Fidlovacka' it soon became very popular as an unofficial anthem of the Czech nation; its first verse served as the official Czechoslovak anthem beginning in 1918 while the second verse (Slovak) was dropped after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993

Economy overview: The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy closely integrated with the EU especially since the country's EU accession in 2004. The auto industry is the largest single industry and together with its upstream suppliers accounts for nearly 24% of Czech manufacturing. The Czech Republic produced more than a million cars for the first time in 2010 over 80% of which were exported. While the conservative inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy the small open export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets especially Germany. When Western Europe and Germany fell into recession in late 2008 demand for Czech goods plunged leading to double digit drops in industrial production and exports. As a result real GDP fell sharply in 2009. The economy slowly recovered in the second half of 2009 and registered weak growth in the next two years. In 2012 and 2013 however the economy fell into a recession again due both to a slump in external demand in the EU and to the government’s austerity measures returning to weak growth in 2014. Foreign and domestic businesses alike voice concerns about corruption especially in public procurement. Other long term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population funding an unsustainable pension and health care system and diversifying away from manufacturing and toward a more high-tech services-based knowledge economy.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 52

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 129

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 59

Gross national saving:
Rank: 61

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 48.2%
Government consumption: 19.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 25%
Investment in inventories: 0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 84.5%
Imports of goods and services: -77.2%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.6%
Industry: 37.4%
Services: 60%

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

Industries: motor vehicles metallurgy machinery and equipment glass armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2014 est.)
Rank: 72

Labor force: 5.416 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 73
By occupation agriculture: 2.6%
By occupation industry: 37.4%
By occupation services: 60%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 88

Population below poverty line: 8.6% (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.5%
Highest 10: 29.1%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 136

Budget
Revenues: $81.98 billion
Expenditures: $85.32 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 72

Taxes and other revenues: 41% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 35

Public debt:
Rank: 85

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 43

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the two-week repo the main rate CNB uses
Rank: 151

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 157

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 32

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 48

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 48

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 51

Current account balance:
Rank: 54

Exports:
Rank: 33
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment raw materials fuel chemicals
Partners: Germany 32.4% Slovakia 8.4% Poland 6% UK 5.1% France 5.1% Austria 4.4% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 33
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment raw materials and fuels chemicals
Partners: Germany 30.2% Poland 8.5% Slovakia 6.8% China 6.2% Netherlands 5.7% Austria 4.2% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 37

Debt external:
Rank: 44

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 37

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 49

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 81.71 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 37
Consumption: 70.45 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 39
Exports: 27.46 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 7
Imports: 10.57 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 21
Installed generating capacity: 20.52 million kW (2012 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 39
Generation sources fossil fuels: 63.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 126
Generation sources nuclear: 19.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 10
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 5.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 127
Generation sources other renewable sources: 11.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 29

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 7,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 86
Crude oil exports: 422.9 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 70
Crude oil imports: 140,800 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 41
Crude oil proven reserves: 15 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 88

Refined petroleum
Products production: 166,300 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 60
Products consumption: 187,800 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 59
Products exports: 35,720 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 66
Products imports: 60,820 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 63

Natural gas
Production: 252 million m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 75
Consumption: 8.477 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 52
Exports: 8 million m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 49
Imports: 8.479 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 27
Proven reserves: 4.276 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 94

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 91.15 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 42

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.89 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18
Fixed lines rank: 60
Mobile cellular total: 14 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 131
Mobile cellular rank: 70

Telephone system
General assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
Domestic: 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
International: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2011)

Broadcast media: roughly 130 TV broadcasters operating some 350 channels with 4 publicly operated and the remainder in private hands; 16 TV stations have national coverage with 4 being publicly operated; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; 63 radio broadcasters are registered operating roughly 80 radio stations with 15 stations publicly operated; 10 radio stations provide national coverage with the remainder local or regional (2008)

Internet
Country code: .cz
Users total: 8.2 million
Users percent of population: 77.5%
Users rank: 49

Military expenditures:
Rank: 94

Military service age and obligation: 18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Airports: 128 (2013)
Rank: 46
With paved runways total: 41
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 16
With unpaved runways total: 87
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 25
With unpaved runways: 61 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 7,160 km; oil 536 km; refined products 94 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 9,622 km
Standard gauge: 9,520 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 102 km 0.760-m gauge
Rank: 23

Roadways
Total: 130,671 km
Paved: 130,671 km (2010)
Rank: 38

Waterways: 664 km (principally on Elbe Vltava Oder and other navigable rivers lakes and canals) (2010)
Rank: 76

Merchant marine
Registered in other countries: 1 (2010)
Rank: 150

Ports and terminals
River port: Prague ; Decin Usti nad Labem (Elbe)

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 1502

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 (2008)