| 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.
Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration
in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities
and risks. In December 2002, the Czech Republic was invited
to join the European Union (EU). It is expected that the Czech
Republic will accede to the EU 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
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) |
| 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:
40%
permanent crops: 3.04%
other: 56.96%
(1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
240 sq km (1998 est.) |
| 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-Sulphur
85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 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,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
| 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: |
10,249,216 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 15.4%
(male 809,697; female 768,747)
15-64 years: 70.6%
(male 3,617,214; female 3,614,060)
65 years and over:
14% (male 554,922; female 884,576) (2003 est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 38.4 years
male: 36.6 years
female: 40.2 years
(2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.08% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
9.01 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
10.74 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.06
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and
over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
4.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male:
5.85 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 75.18 years
male:
71.69 years
female: 78.87 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.18 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
500 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
less than 10 (2001 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% |
| Languages: |
Czech |
| Literacy: |
definition: NA
total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)
male:
NA%
female: NA%
|
| 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) |
| 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 Vladimir SPIDLA (since 12 July 2002), Deputy
Prime Ministers Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 20 August 2003), Cyril
SVOBODA (since July 2002), Stanislav GROSS (since July 2002),
Petr MARES (since July 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed
by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
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)
elections: president elected by Parliament for a
five-year term; last successful election held 28 February 2003
(after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive);
prime minister appointed by the president |
| 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)
election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS
26, KDU-CSL 14, CSSD 11, US 9, KSCM 3, independents 18; Chamber
of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%,
KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%;
seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU
10
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 25-26
October and 1-2 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be
held by NA June 2006) |
| 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 and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or
KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance
or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party
or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia
and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist
Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman];
Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jan SULA, chairman]; Czech
Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Vladimir SPIDLA, chairman];
Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Petr MARES, chairman];
Quad Coalition [Karel KUHNL, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US,
ODA, DEU) |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]
|
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Martin PALOUS
chancery: 3900 Spring of
Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s)
general: Los Angeles and New York
FAX: [1] (202)
966-8540
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON
embassy: Trziste 15,
11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street
address
telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663
FAX:
[420] (2) 5753-0583 |
| 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: |
One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist
states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession
since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-03 was supported by exports to
the EU, primarily to Germany, and a near doubling of foreign
direct 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. High current account
deficits - averaging around 5% of GDP in the last several years
- could be a persistent problem. Inflation is under control.
The EU put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary
in preparations for accession, which will give further impetus
and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking,
telecommunications, and energy privatization will encourage
additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring
among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial
sector should strengthen output growth. But revival in the European
economies remains essential to stepped-up growth. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $157.1 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
3.8%
industry: 41%
services: 55.2% (2001)
|
| 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: |
25.4 (1996) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
0.6% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
5.203 million (1999 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
9.8% (2002) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $16.7
billion
expenditures: $18 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
| Industries: |
metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass,
armaments |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.5% (2002) |
| Electricity
- production: |
70.04 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
76.1%
hydro: 2.9%
other: 1% (2001)
nuclear: 20% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
55.6 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
18.92 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
9.38 billion kWh (2001) |
| Oil
- production: |
7,419 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- consumption: |
175,700 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- exports: |
26,670 bbl/day (2001) |
| Oil
- imports: |
192,300 bbl/day (2001) |
| Oil
- proved reserves: |
17.25 million bbl (37257) |
| Natural
gas - production: |
160 million cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - consumption: |
9.892 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - exports: |
1 million cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - imports: |
9.521 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural
gas - proved reserves: |
3.057 billion cu m (37257) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry |
| Exports: |
$40.8 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures
25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000) |
| Exports
- partners: |
Germany 40.2%, Slovakia 7.1%, Austria 5.8%, UK 5.1%, Poland
5%, France 4% (2002) |
| Imports: |
$43.2 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures
21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000) |
| Imports
- partners: |
Germany 39.1%, Slovakia 6%, Austria 5.6%, Italy 5.4%, France
5.3%, Poland 4.1%, UK 4.1%, Russia 4% (2002) |
| Debt
- external: |
$23.8 billion (2002) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$108 million; EU structural adjustment funds (2002) |
| Currency: |
Czech koruna (CZK) |
| Currency
code: |
CZK |
| Exchange
rates: |
koruny per US dollar - 32.74 (2002), 38.04 (2001), 38.6 (2000),
34.57 (1999), 32.28 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
3.869 million (2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
4.346 million (2000) |
| 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: 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) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000) |
| Internet
country code: |
.cz |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
more than 300 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
2.69 million (2001)
|
| Railways: |
total: 9,462 km
standard gauge: 9,363
km 1.435-m gauge (1,745 km electrified)
narrow gauge:
99 km 0.760-m gauge (2002) |
| Highways: |
total: 55,408 km
paved: 55,408 km (including
499 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
303 km
note: the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river
(2000) |
| Pipelines: |
gas 7,020 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2003) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem |
| Airports: |
144 (2002) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 44
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
under 914 m: 19 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m:
2 |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 100
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 62 (2002) |
| Heliports: |
2 (2002)
|
| Military
branches: |
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Force
|
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age (2003 est.) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 2,622,192 (2003 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
2,002,202 (2003 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 67,777
(2003 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1,190.2 million (FY01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.1% (FY01)
|
| Disputes
- international: |
Liechtenstein's
royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the
Czech Republic confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten German
claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection
with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute
with Czech Republic over the Temelin nuclear power plant and
post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities |
| 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 18 December,
2003 |
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