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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)
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 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 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: | 10,235,455 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 755,098/female 714,703) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,656,021/female 3,629,036) 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 576,264/female 904,333) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 39.3 years male: 37.5 years female: 41.1 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | -0.06% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 9.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 10.59 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 76.22 years male: 72.94 years female: 79.69 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.21 children born/woman (2006 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: | less 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
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: 40 55 N, 21 00 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) note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003 head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 4 September 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 4 September 2006) 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 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: | 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 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 10, 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: | Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK, chairman]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY, chairman]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]; SNK-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA, chairman]
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 (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, 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 (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 2000-05 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, but more difficult pension and healthcare reforms will have to wait until after the next elections. 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $204.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $109.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 6.1% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $20,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 3.4% industry: 39.3% services: 57.3% (2004 est.)
Labor force: | 5.27 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 4.1% industry: 37.6% services: 58.3% (2003)
Unemployment rate: | 7.9% (2005)
Population below poverty line: | At risk of poverty after social transfers: 8%
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)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 1.9% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 26.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $48.16 billion expenditures: $53.04 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: | 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: | wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry
Industries: | metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments
Industrial production growth rate: | 5.7% (2005)
Electricity - production: | 84.33 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 76.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 20% other: 1% (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 57.12 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: | 25.49 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: | 9.776 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production: | 15,240 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption: | 202,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: | 26,670 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: | 182,000 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves: | 15 million bbl (1 January 2006)
Natural gas - production: | 133 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 9.623 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 1 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 9.8 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2003)
Current account balance: | $-2.496 billion (2005 est.)
Exports: | $78.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003)
Exports - partners: | Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005)
Imports: | $76.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)
Imports - partners: | Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $29.36 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external: | $49.14 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $2.8 billion in committed EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)
Currency (code): | Czech koruna (CZK)
Currency code: | CZK
Exchange rates: | koruny per US dollar - 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Czech Republic

Telephones - main lines in use: | 3,217,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 11.776 million (2005)
Telephone system: | general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being 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
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: | 1,267,265 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | more than 300 (2000)
Internet users: | 5.1 million (2005)

Transportation | Czech Republic

Airports: | 121 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 46 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: 19 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 49 (2006)
Heliports: | 2 (2006)
Pipelines: | gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006)
Railways: | total: 9,572 km standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified) narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: | total: 127,747 km paved: 127,747 km (including 518 km of expressways) (2003)
Waterways: | 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2005)
Merchant marine: | registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals: | Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Military | Czech Republic

Military branches: | Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes air forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2006)
Military service age and obligation: | 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; on-going transformation of military service into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 2,414,728 females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,996,631 females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males age 18-49: 66,583 females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $2.17 billion (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.81% FY05

Transnational Issues | Czech Republic

Disputes - international: | in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II; Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic
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

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006