World Facts Index
> Czech Republic > Prague
 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 of the Czech Republic
|
Location:
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Central Europe, southeast
of Germany |
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Coordinates:
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49 45 N, 15 30 E |
|
Area:
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total: 78,866 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
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slightly smaller than South
Carolina |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km,
Slovakia 215 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate; cool summers;
cold, cloudy, humid winters |
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Terrain:
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Bohemia in the west
consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low
mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Elbe
River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m |
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Natural resources:
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hard coal, soft coal,
kaolin, clay, graphite, timber |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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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 of the Czech Republic
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Population:
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10,220,911 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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) |
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Median age:
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39.3 years |
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Growth rate:
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-0.06% |
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Infant mortality:
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3.89 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 76.22 years
male: 72.94 years
female: 79.69 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.21 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%,
unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% |
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Languages:
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Czech |
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Literacy:
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99.9%
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Government
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Country name:
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local form: Ceska Republika |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Prague |
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Administrative divisions:
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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*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj |
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Independence:
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1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into
the Czech Republic and Slovakia) |
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National holiday:
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Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) |
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Constitution:
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ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1
January 1993 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Constitutional Court;
chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term |
Economy
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.
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GDP:
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$251 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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6% |
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GDP per capita:
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$24,500 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3.4%
industry: 39.3%
services: 57.3% |
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Inflation rate:
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1.9% |
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Labor force:
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5.27 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 4%
industry: 38%
services: 58% |
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Unemployment:
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8.9% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $48.16 billion
expenditures: $53.04 billion |
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Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 76.1%
hydro: 2.9%
other: 1%
nuclear: 20% |
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Industries:
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metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor
vehicles, glass, armaments |
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Agriculture:
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wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit;
pigs, poultry |
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Exports:
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machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw
materials and fuel 9% |
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Export partners:
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Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%,
France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% |
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Imports:
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machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and
fuels 15%, chemicals 10% |
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Import partners:
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Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%,
Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% |
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Currency:
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Czech koruna (CZK) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |