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.
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
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-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
Population
10,228,744 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
14.1% (male 738,391/female 698,999)
15-64 years
71.2% (male 3,657,877/female 3,627,493)
65 years and over
14.7% (male 588,531/female 917,453) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
39.5 years
male
37.9 years
female
41.3 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.071% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
8.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
10.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.056 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.008 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.641 male(s)/female
total population
0.951 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
3.86 deaths/1,000 live births
male
4.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female
3.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
76.42 years
male
73.14 years
female
79.88 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.22 children born/woman (2007 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 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)
Literacy
definition
NA
total population
99%
male
99%
female
99% (2003 est.)
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), Jiri CUNEK (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 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held in 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 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
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 [Jana HYBASKOVA]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA]; 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]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA]; 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]
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 - overview
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$224 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$118.8 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
6.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$21,900 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
2.8%
industry
37.8%
services
59.4% (2006 est.)
Labor force
5.31 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
4.1%
industry
37.6%
services
58.3% (2003)
Unemployment rate
8.4% (2006 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
27.3 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.7% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
26.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$57.88 billion
expenditures
$62.53 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments
Industrial production growth rate
9.5% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
79.14 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
76.1%
hydro
2.9%
nuclear
20%
other
1% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
58.8 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
24.6 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
9.8 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production
15,240 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption
203,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
26,670 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports
182,000 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves
17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production
216 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
9.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports
88 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports
8.815 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance
-$4.352 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$89.34 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003)
Exports - partners
Germany 31.9%, Slovakia 8.5%, Poland 5.7%, France 5.6%, Austria 5.1%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.6% (2006)
Imports
$87.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)
Imports - partners
Germany 32%, Netherlands 6.5%, Slovakia 6.1%, Poland 6.1%, Russia 5.7%, Austria 4.9%, Italy 4.4%, France 4.4% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$30.99 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$50.2 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$2.4 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)
Currency (code)
Czech koruna (CZK)
Currency code
CZK
Exchange rates
koruny per US dollar - 22.596 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
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 million (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
more than 300 (2000)
Internet users
5.1 million (2005)
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 (includes 518 km of expressways) (2003)
Waterways
664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2006)
Merchant marine
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
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
18-50 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 - percent of GDP
1.81% (2005 est.)
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
