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Introduction | Czech Republic

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.

Geography | Czech Republic

Location: | Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates: | 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: | total: 2,290.2 km border countries: 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 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 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources: | 16 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | total: 1.91 cu km/yr (41%/57%/2%) per capita: 187 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards: | flooding
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
Environment - 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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

People | Czech Republic

Population: | 10,220,911 (July 2008 est.)
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/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: | 10.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.46 deaths/1,000 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.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 2,500 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 10 (2001 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech
Ethnic groups: | Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)
Religions: | Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)
Languages: | Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Government | Czech Republic

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
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: | bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) 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; 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]
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, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, 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 chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 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: identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

Economy | Czech Republic

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.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $248.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $175.3 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 6.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $24,200 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 2.8% industry: 38.4% services: 58.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force: | 5.36 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 4.1% industry: 37.6% services: 58.3% (2003)
Unemployment rate: | 6.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 26 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.8% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $72.2 billion expenditures: $76.29 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt: | 26.6% of GDP (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: | 7.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production: | 77.38 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 76.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 20% other: 1% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 59.72 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports: | 24.99 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports: | 12.35 billion kWh (2005)
Oil - production: | 18,030 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption: | 213,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports: | 20,930 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports: | 203,700 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves: | 15 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: | 165 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 9.076 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 81.52 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 8.976 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 3.802 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance: | -$4.384 billion (2007 est.)
Exports: | $122.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 52%, raw materials and fuel 9%, chemicals 5% (2003)
Exports - partners: | Germany 31.9%, Slovakia 8.5%, Poland 5.7%, France 5.5%, Austria 5.1%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.6% (2006)
Imports: | $116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)
Imports - partners: | Germany 32.5%, Netherlands 6.8%, Slovakia 6.2%, Poland 6.1%, Russia 5.7%, Austria 5%, Italy 4.4%, France 4.3% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient: | $278.7 million in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $34.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external: | $76.76 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $86.75 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $6.413 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $48.6 billion (2006)
Currency (code): | Czech koruna (CZK)
Currency code: | CZK
Exchange rates: | koruny per US dollar - 20.53 (2007), 22.596 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Czech Republic

Telephones - main lines in use: | 2.888 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 12.408 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 - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
Radios: | 3,159,134 (December 2000)
Television broadcast stations: | 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)
Televisions: | 3,405,834 (December 2000)
Internet country code: | .cz
Internet hosts: | 1.668 million (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | more than 300 (2000)
Internet users: | 3.541 million (2006)

Transportation | Czech Republic

Airports: | 122 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 45 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 18 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 77 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 26 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: 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

Military | Czech Republic

Military branches: | Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes Army and Air Forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2007)
Military service age and obligation: | 18-28 years of age for voluntary and 19-28 for compulsory military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,522,383 females age 16-49: 2,425,095 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,100,789 females age 16-49: 2,018,101 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: | males age 16-49: 63,124 females age 16-49: 59,786 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.46% (2007 est.)

Transnational Issues | Czech Republic

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
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

This page was last updated on 19 June, 2008