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Europe :: Czech Republic

- ## Introduction :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- 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.

- ## Geography :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- Location:
  Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria
  Geographic coordinates:
  49 45 N, 15 30 E
  Map references:
  Europe
  Area:
  total: 78,867 sq km
  land: 77,247 sq km
  water: 1,620 sq km
  country comparison to the world: 116
  Area - 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 (Elbe) River 115 m
  highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
  Natural resources:
  hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber, arable land
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 54.8%
  arable land 41%; permanent crops 1%; permanent pasture 12.8%
  forest: 34.4%
  other: 10.8% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  385.3 sq km (2007)
  Total renewable water resources:
  13.15 cu km (2011)
  Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
  total: 1.7 cu km/yr (41%/56%/2%)
  per capita: 164.7 cu m/yr (2009)
  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 and Society :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- 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.)
  Population:
  10,644,842 (July 2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 83
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 15% (male 819,864/female 776,639)
  15-24 years: 10.23% (male 559,108/female 529,598)
  25-54 years: 43.7% (male 2,387,303/female 2,264,774)
  55-64 years: 13.06% (male 673,060/female 717,296)
  65 years and over: 18.01% (male 791,823/female 1,125,377) (2015 est.)
  population pyramid:
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 49.5%
  youth dependency ratio: 22.5%
  elderly dependency ratio: 27%
  potential support ratio: 3.7% (2015 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 41.3 years
  male: 40 years
  female: 42.6 years (2015 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  0.16% (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 185
  Birth rate:
  9.63 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 202
  Death rate:
  10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 37
  Net migration rate:
  2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 43
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 73% of total population (2015)
  rate of urbanization: 0.35% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  PRAGUE (capital) 1.314 million (2015)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 2.63 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 2.76 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 2.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 216
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 78.48 years
  male: 75.5 years
  female: 81.62 years (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 55
  Total fertility rate:
  1.44 children born/woman (2015 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 205
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  86.3%
  note: percent of women aged 18-49 (2008)
  Health expenditures:
  7.2% of GDP (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 63
  Physicians density:
  3.71 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
  Hospital bed density:
  6.8 beds/1,000 population (2011)
  Drinking water source:
  improved:
  urban: 100% of population
  rural: 100% of population
  total: 100% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 0% of population
  rural: 0% of population
  total: 0% of population (2015 est.)
  Sanitation facility access:
  improved:
  urban: 99.1% of population
  rural: 99.2% of population
  total: 99.1% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 0.9% of population
  rural: 0.8% of population
  total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.05% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 120
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  3,400 (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 111
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  fewer than 100 (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 121
  Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
  29.1% (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 21
  Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
  2% (2007)
  country comparison to the world: 122
  Education expenditures:
  4.5% of GDP (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 106
  Literacy:
  definition: NA
  total population: 99%
  male: 99%
  female: 99% (2011 est.)
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
  total: 16 years
  male: 16 years
  female: 17 years (2012)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 19.5%
  male: 19.9%
  female: 19% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 57

- ## 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 (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 (since 8 March 2013)
  head of government: Prime Minister Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 17 January 2014); 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
  elections/appointments: 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 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 (SPO) 54.8%, Karel SCHWARZENBERG (TOP 09) 45.2%
  Legislative branch:
  description: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two-rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years) 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 (next to be held in October 2016); 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(s): 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; 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]
  Citizens for Budejovice or HOPB [Juraj THOMA]
  Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Petr FIALA]
  Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]
  Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Bohuslav SOBOTKA]
  Dawn of Direct Democracy or Usvit [Tomio OKAMURA]
  Green Party or SZ [Jana DRAPALOVA]
  Mayors and Independents or STAN [Martin PUTA]
  Mayors for Liberec Region or SLK [Marek PIETER]
  Movement of Dissatisfied Citizens or ANO [Andrej BABIS]
  North Bohemians or S.cz [Bronislav SCHWARZ]
  Party of Civic Rights or SPO [Jan VELEBA]
  Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG]
  parties outside parliament: Czech Pirate Party [Lukas CERNOHORSKY]
  Free Citizens Party or Svobodni [Petr MACH]
  Liberal Reform Party or Ostravak [Eva SCHWARZOVA]
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Josef STREDULA]
  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 (since 23 May 2011)
  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 Andrew H. SCHAPIRO (since 30 September 2014)
  embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 - Mala Strana
  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: is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia
  National symbol(s):
  double-tailed lion; national colors: white, red, blue
  National anthem:
  name: "Kde domov muj?" (Where is My Home?)
  lyrics/music: 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 :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- 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.
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $314.6 billion (2014 est.)
  $308.3 billion (2013 est.)
  $310.5 billion (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 52
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $205.7 billion (2014 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  2% (2014 est.)
  -0.7% (2013 est.)
  -0.8% (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 129
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $29,900 (2014 est.)
  $29,300 (2013 est.)
  $29,500 (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 59
  Gross national saving:
  25.9% of GDP (2014 est.)
  24.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
  24.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 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% (2014 est.)
  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.)
  country comparison to the world: 72
  Labor force:
  5.416 million (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 73
  Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture: 2.6%
  industry: 37.4%
  services: 60% (2012)
  Unemployment rate:
  7.9% (2014 est.)
  7.7% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 88
  Population below poverty line:
  8.6% (2012 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 1.5%
  highest 10%: 29.1% (2012 est.)
  Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  24.9 (2012)
  25.4 (1996)
  country comparison to the world: 136
  Budget:
  revenues: $81.98 billion
  expenditures: $85.32 billion (2014 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  41% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 35
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  -1.7% of GDP (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 72
  Public debt:
  43.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
  45.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 85
  Fiscal year:
  calendar year
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  0.4% (2014 est.)
  1.4% (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 43
  Central bank discount rate:
  0.05% (31 December 2013)
  0.05% (31 December 2012)
  note: this is the two-week repo, the main rate CNB uses
  country comparison to the world: 151
  Commercial bank prime lending rate:
  4.7% (31 December 2014 est.)
  4.97% (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 157
  Stock of narrow money:
  $126.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $126.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 32
  Stock of broad money:
  $152.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $155.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 48
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $131.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $137.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 48
  Market value of publicly traded shares:
  $54.92 billion (30 December 3013 est.)
  $59.88 billion (28 December 2012)
  $53.2 billion (30 December 2011 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 51
  Current account balance:
  $1.266 billion (2014 est.)
  -$2.853 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 54
  Exports:
  $147.3 billion (2014 est.)
  $135.6 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 33
  Exports - commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment, raw materials, fuel, chemicals
  Exports - partners:
  Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 8.4%, Poland 6%, UK 5.1%, France 5.1%, Austria 4.4% (2014)
  Imports:
  $135.1 billion (2014 est.)
  $126 billion (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 33
  Imports - commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
  Imports - 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:
  $59.15 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $56.22 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 37
  Debt - external:
  $116.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $114.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 44
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
  $140.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $136 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 37
  Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
  $22.38 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $21.38 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 49
  Exchange rates:
  koruny (CZK) per US dollar -
  20.63 (2014 est.)
  19.571 (2013 est.)
  19.59 (2012 est.)
  17.696 (2011 est.)
  19.098 (2010 est.)

- ## Energy :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- Electricity - production:
  81.71 billion kWh (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 37
  Electricity - consumption:
  70.45 billion kWh (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Electricity - exports:
  27.46 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 7
  Electricity - imports:
  10.57 billion kWh (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 21
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  20.52 million kW (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 39
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  63.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 126
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  19.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 10
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  5.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 127
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  11.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 29
  Crude oil - production:
  7,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 86
  Crude oil - exports:
  422.9 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 70
  Crude oil - imports:
  140,800 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 41
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  15 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 88
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  166,300 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 60
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  187,800 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 59
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  35,720 bbl/day (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 66
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  60,820 bbl/day (2010 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 63
  Natural gas - production:
  252 million cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 75
  Natural gas - consumption:
  8.477 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 52
  Natural gas - exports:
  8 million cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 49
  Natural gas - imports:
  8.479 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 27
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  4.276 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 94
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  91.15 million Mt (2012 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 42

- ## Communications :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- Telephones - fixed lines:
  total subscriptions: 1.89 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 60
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  total: 14 million
  subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 131 (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 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 (ADSL) 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 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (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)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
  Television broadcast stations:
  71 (2008)
  Internet country code:
  .cz
  Internet users:
  total: 8.2 million
  percent of population: 77.5% (2014 est.)
  country comparison to the world: 49

- ## Transportation :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- Airports:
  128 (2013)
  country comparison to the world: 46
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 41
  over 3,047 m: 2
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
  914 to 1,523 m: 2
  under 914 m: 16 (2013)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 87
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 25
  under 914 m:
  61 (2013)
  Heliports:
  1 (2013)
  Pipelines:
  gas 7,160 km; oil 536 km; refined products 94 km (2013)
  Railways:
  total: 9,621.5 km
  standard gauge: 9,519.5 km 1.435-m gauge (3,240.5 km electrified)
  narrow gauge: 102 km 0.760-m gauge (2014)
  country comparison to the world: 23
  Roadways:
  total: 130,671 km (includes urban roads)
  paved: 130,671 km (includes 730 km of expressways) (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 38
  Waterways:
  664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 76
  Merchant marine:
  registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)
  country comparison to the world: 150
  Ports and terminals:
  river port(s): Prague (Vltava); Decin, Usti nad Labem (Elbe)

- ## Military :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- Military branches:
  Army of the Czech Republic (Armada Ceske Republiky): General Staff (Generalni Stab; includes Land Forces (Pozemni Sily) and Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily)) (2015)
  Military service age and obligation:
  18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
  Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 2,506,826
  females age 16-49: 2,407,634 (2010 est.)
  Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 2,072,267
  females age 16-49: 1,988,839 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 49,999
  female: 47,501 (2010 est.)
  Military expenditures:
  1.04% of GDP (2015)
  1.08% of GDP (2014)
  1.06% of GDP (2013)
  1.13% of GDP (2012)
  1.15% of GDP (2011)
  country comparison to the world: 94

- ## Transnational Issues :: CZECH REPUBLIC

- 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: 1,502 (2014)
  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)

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