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 Czechia, 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. The country added the short-form name Czechia in 2016, while continuing to use the full form name, Czech Republic.

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 78,867 km²
Land: 77,247 km²
Water: 1620 km²
Rank: 117
Comparative: about two-thirds the size of Pennsylvania; 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
Note: (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
Mean elevation: 433 m
Elevation extremes: 115 m
Note: lowest point: Labe (Elbe) River

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 54.8% (2011 est.)
Forest: 34.4% (2011 est.)
Other: 10.8% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 320 km² (2012)

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
Distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, but the northern and eastern regions tend to have larger urban concentrations: 10,686,269 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 85
Growth rate: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 186
Below poverty line: 9.7% (2015 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Czech(s)
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: 15.21% (male 834,800 /female 790,128)
15-24 years: 9.34% (male 514,728 /female 483,546)
25-54 years: 43.79% (male 2,404,724 /female 2,275,309)
55-64 years: 12.24% (male 638,130 /female 669,959)
65 years and over: 19.42% (male 865,455 /female 1,209,490) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 49.5 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 22.6 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 26.9 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 3.7 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.5 years
Male: 41.2 years
Female: 43.8 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 29

Population growth rate: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Rank: 186

Birth rate: 9.2 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 203

Death rate: 10.5 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 27

Net migration rate: 2.3 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 40

Population distribution: a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, but the northern and eastern regions tend to have larger urban concentrations

Urbanization
Urban population: 73.8% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.21% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 1.292 million PRAGUE (capital) (2018)

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; land pollution caused by industry, mining, and agriculture
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(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 28.1 years (2014 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 2.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 2.8 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 2.5 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 214

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.9 years (2018 est.)
Male: 76 years (2018 est.)
Female: 82.1 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 57

Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 203

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 3.68 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 6.5 beds/1000 population (2015)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 0.8% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: <.1% (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids: 2,900 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 123
Deaths note: <100 (2017 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 26% (2016)
Rank: 46

Education expenditures: 4% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 110

Literacy
Definition: NA (2011 est.)
Total population: 99% (2011 est.)
Male: 99% (2011 est.)
Female: 99% (2011 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years (2014)
Male: 16 years (2014)
Female: 18 years (2014)

Country name
Conventional long form: Czech Republic
Conventional short form: Czechia
Local long form: Ceska republika
Local short form: Cesko
Etymology: name derives from the Czechs, a West Slavic tribe who rose to prominence in the late 9th century A.D.

Government type: parliamentary republic

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 (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
History: previous 1960; latest ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 (2017)
Amendments: passage requires at least three-fifths concurrence by members present in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2013 (2017)

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Czechia
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Milos ZEMAN (since 8 March 2013)
Head of government: Prime Minister Andrej BABIS (since 13 December 2017); First Deputy Prime Minister Jan HAMACEK (since 27 June 2018), Deputy Prime Minister Richard BRABEC (since 13 December 2017); note - the current government of Prime Minister Andrej BABIS was sworn in on 13 December 2017 but lost a confidence vote on 16 January 2018 and resigned the next day; President Milos ZEMAN accepted the resignation on 24 January 2018; the government is currently ruling in resignation
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 (limited to 2 consecutive terms); elections last held on 12-13 January 2018 with a runoff on 26-27 January 2018 (next to be held in January 2023); prime minister appointed by the president for a 4-year term
Election results: Milos ZEMAN reelected president in the second round; percent of vote - Milos ZEMAN (SPO) 51.4%, Jiri DRAHOS (independent) 48.6%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court (organized into Civil Law and Commercial Division, and Criminal Division each with a court chief justice, vice justice, and several judges); 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; unlimited terms
Subordinate courts: High Court; regional and district courts

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Pavel BELOBRADEK]Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Petr FIALA]Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jan HAMACEK]Dawn - National Coalition or Usvit-NK [Miroslav LIDINSKY]Free Citizens Party or Svobodni [Petr MACH]Freedom and Direct Democracy or SPD [Tomio OKAMURA]Green Party or SZ [Petr STEPANEK]Mayors and Independents or STAN [Petr GAZDIK]Mayors for the Liberec Region or SLK [Martin PUTA]Movement for PragueMovement of Dissatisfied Citizens or ANO [Andrej BABIS]Nestranici (Non-Partisans) or NK [Vera RYBOVA]North Bohemians or S.cz [Bronislav SCHWARZ]Party of Civic Rights or SPO [Lubomir NECAS]Pirate Party or Pirates [Ivan BARTOS]Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 or TOP 09 [Jiri POSPISIL]

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 Hynek KMONICEK (since 24 April 2017)
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 consulate: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen B. KING (since 6 December 2017)
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:

National symbols: silver (or white), double-tailed, rampant lion; national colors: white, red, blue

National anthem
Name: Kde domov muj? (Where is My Home?)
Lyricsmusic: Josef Kajetan TYL/Frantisek Jan SKROUP: note: adopted 1993; the anthem was originally written as incidental music to the play 'Fidlovacka' (1834), 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: Czechia is a prosperous market economy that boasts one of the highest GDP growth rates and lowest unemployment levels in the EU, but its dependence on exports makes economic growth vulnerable to contractions in external demand. Czechia’s exports comprise some 80% of GDP and largely consist of automobiles, the country’s single largest industry. Czechia acceded to the EU in 2004 but has yet to join the euro-zone. While the flexible koruna helps Czechia weather external shocks, it was one of the world’s strongest performing currencies in 2017, appreciating approximately 16% relative to the US dollar after the central bank (Czech National Bank - CNB) ended its cap on the currency’s value in early April 2017, which it had maintained since November 2013. The CNB hiked rates in August and November 2017 - the first rate changes in nine years - to address rising inflationary pressures brought by strong economic growth and a tight labor market.Since coming to power in 2014, the new government has undertaken some reforms to try to reduce corruption, attract investment, and improve social welfare programs, which could help increase the government’s revenues and improve living conditions for Czechs. The government introduced in December 2016 an online tax reporting system intended to reduce tax evasion and increase revenues. The government also plans to remove labor market rigidities to improve the business climate, bring procurement procedures in line with EU best practices, and boost wages. The country's low unemployment rate has led to steady increases in salaries, and the government is facing pressure from businesses to allow greater migration of qualified workers, at least from Ukraine and neighboring Central European countries.Long-term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population, a shortage of skilled workers, a lagging education system, 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:
Rank: 49

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 68

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 57

Gross national saving:
Rank: 45

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 47.4% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 19.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 79.9% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -72.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 36.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 60.8% (2017 est.)

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

Industries: motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 27

Labor force: 5.427 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 76
By occupation agriculture: 2.8%
By occupation industry: 38%
By occupation services: 59.2% (2015)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 33

Population below poverty line: 9.7% (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 21.7% (2015 est.)
Highest 10: 21.7% (2015 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 152

Budget
Revenues: 87.37 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 83.92 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 1.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 19

Taxes and other revenues: 40.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 37

Public debt:
Rank: 153

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 118

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 143

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 168

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 27

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 27

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 50

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 48

Current account balance:
Rank: 38

Exports:
Rank: 33
Partners: Germany 32.8%, Slovakia 7.8%, Poland 6.1%, France 5.1%, UK 4.9%, Austria 4.4%, Italy 4.1% (2017)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, raw materials, fuel, chemicals

Imports:
Rank: 32
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
Partners: Germany 29.8%, Poland 9.1%, China 7.4%, Slovakia 5.8%, Netherlands 5.3%, Italy 4% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 18

Debt external:
Rank: 35

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 34

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 43

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 77.39 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 38
Consumption: 62.34 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 42
Exports: 24.79 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 7
Imports: 13.82 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 18
Installed generating capacity: 21.63 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 40
Generation sources fossil fuels: 60% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 131
Generation sources nuclear: 19% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 10
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 5% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 130
Generation sources other renewable sources: 16% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 51

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 2000 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 87
Crude oil exports: 446 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 78
Crude oil imports: 155,900 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 36
Crude oil proven reserves: 15 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 85

Refined petroleum
Products production: 177,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products production rank: 56
Products consumption: 213,700 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products consumption rank: 56
Products exports: 52,200 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports rank: 54
Products imports: 83,860 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports rank: 60

Natural gas
Production: 229.4 million m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 78
Consumption: 8.721 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 51
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 93
Imports: 8.891 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 28
Proven reserves: 3.964 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 93

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 115.8 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 39

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1,616,631 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 15 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 62
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 12,634,937 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 118 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 73

Telephone system
General assessment: good telephone and Internet service; the Czech Republic has a sophisticated telecom market, with good competition in all sectors provided by a number of alternate operators; the incumbent telco O2 Czech Republic remains the dominant player though other operators are gaining market share, through merger and acquisition activity; regulator makes progress for 5G services; fixed wireless broadband remains strong, with penetration among the highest in the EU (2017)
Domestic: access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s, 15 per 100 fixed-line, but the number of fixed-line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply 118 per 100 mobile-cellular, and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population (2017)
International: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2017)

Broadcast media: 22 TV stations operate nationally, with 17 of them in private hands; publicly operated Czech Television has 5 national channels; throughout the country, there are some 350 TV channels in operation, many through cable, satellite, and IPTV subscription services; 63 radio broadcasters are registered, operating over 80 radio stations, including 7 multiregional radio stations or networks; publicly operated broadcaster Czech Radio operates 4 national, 14 regional, and 4 Internet stations; both Czech Radio and Czech Television are partially financed through a license fee (2018)

Internet
Country code: .cz
Users total: 8,141,303 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 76.5% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 52

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 3,060,597 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 29 (2017 est.)
Rank: 39

Military expenditures:
Rank: 115

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

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 48 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 4,971,616 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 26,619,650
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: OK (2016)

Airports: 128 (2013)
Rank: 46
With paved runways total: 41 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 16 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 87 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 25 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 61 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

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

Railways
Total: 9,622 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 9,520 km
Note: 0.760-m gauge (2014)
Narrow gauge: 102 km
Rank: 24

Roadways
Total: 130,661 km
Note: (includes 730 km of expressways) (2011)
Paved: 130,661 km
Rank: 40

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

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

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 1,502 (2017)

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