Czech Republic Travel - Facts on the Czech Republic

History		Top of Page
	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		Top of Page
Location	Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic Coordinates	49 45 N, 15 30 E
Area	Total: 78,866 sq km Water: 1,590 sq km Land: 77,276 sq km
Area - Comparative	Slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land Boundaries	Total: 1,881 km Border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km
Coastline	0 km (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
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
Natural hazards	Flooding
People		Top of Page
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.)
Nationality	Noun: Czech(s) Adjective: Czech
Ethnic Groups	Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 0.5% (1991)
Religions	Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
Language	Czech
Literacy	Definition: NA total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)

Government		Top of Page
Country Name	Conventional long form: Czech Republic Conventional short form: Czech Republic Local short form: Ceska Republika Local long form: Ceska Republika
Government Type	Parliamentary democracy
Capital	Prague
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*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj
Independence	1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
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		Top of Page
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. Current account deficits of around 5% of GDP are beginning to decline as demand for Czech products in the European Union increases. 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.
Currency	Czech Koruna (Czech Crown)
Currency Code	CZK
Communications		Top of Page
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
Internet Country Code	.cz
Transportation		Top of Page
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)
Ports and Harbors	Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
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