Czech Republic
The
Czech Republic is a landlocked country in
Central Europe. The republic borders
Poland to the north,
Germany to the northwest and west,
Austria to the south, and
Slovakia to the east. Historic
Prague, a major
tourist attraction, is its capital and largest city. It is made up of two older regions,
Bohemia and
Moravia, and part of the third one,
Silesia. As of
May 1,
2004, it is a member state of the
European Union.
The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
1993 announced that the name
Czechia (
Česko in
Czech) is to be used in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions
[1],
[1], but this has not caught on in English usage. See also:
Czech lands.
History
\nMain article: History of the Czech Republic
The Czech lands emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the Premyslids. The kingdom of Bohemia was a significant local power, but religious conflicts such as the 15th century Hussite Wars and the 17th century Thirty Years War were devastating. It later came under the Habsburg influence and became part of Austria-Hungary.
Following the collapse of this state after World War I, the Czechs and neighbouring Slovaks joined together and formed the independent republic of Czechoslovakia in 1918. This new country contained a large German minority, which would lead to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia when Germany successfully annexed the minority through the Munich Agreement in 1938, and Slovakia split off as well. The remaining Czech state was occupied by the Germans in 1939.
After World War II, 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 liberalise party rule and create "socialism with a human face" during the Prague Spring. \nIn 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution". On January 1, 1993, the country peacefully split in two, creating independent Czech and Slovak republics.
The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Politics
\nMain article: Politics of the Czech Republic
According its constitution the Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy, whose head of state is a president, indirectly elected every five years by the parliament. \nThe president is also granted specific powers such as the right to nominate Constitutional Court judges, dissolve parliament under certain conditions, and enact a veto on legislation. \nHe also appoints the prime minister, who sets the agenda for most foreign and domestic policy, as well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister.
The Czech parliament (Parlament) is bicameral, with a Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká sněmovna) and a Senate (Senát). \nThe 200 Chamber delegates are elected for 4-year terms, on the basis of proportional representation. \nThe 81 members of the Czech Senate serve for 6-year terms with one-third being elected every 2 years on the basis of two-round majority voting.
The country's highest court of appeals is the Supreme Court. \nThe Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional issues, is appointed by the president, and its members serve 10-year terms.
Regions
\nMain article: Regions of the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic consists of 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and one capital city (hlavní město), marked by a *:
Geography
\nMain article: Geography of the Czech Republic
The Czech landscape is quite varied; Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the
Elbe (
Labe) and
Vltava (
Moldau) rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the
Sudeten with its part
Krkonose, where one also finds the highest point in the country, the Snezka at 1,602 m. \n
Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava river, but also contains the source of the
Oder river. \nWater from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the
North Sea,
Baltic Sea and
Black Sea.
The local
climate is
temperate with warm summers and cold, cloudy, humid winters, typified by a mixture of maritime and continental influences.
Economy
\nMain article: Economy of the Czech Republic
Basically one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. \nGrowth in 2000-
2001 was led by exports to the
EU, especially
Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving.
Uncomfortably high fiscal and current account deficits could be future problems.
Moves to complete
banking,
telecommunications, and energy
privatisation will add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth.
Demographics
\nMain article: Demographics of the Czech Republic
The majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic (95%) are ethnically Czech and speak
Czech, a member of the
Slavic languages. \nOther ethnic groups include
Germans,
Roma,
Hungarians,
Ukrainians and
Poles.\nAfter the
1993 division, some
Slovaks remained in the Czech Republic and comprise roughly 2% of the current population. \nThe border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia is open for citizens of the former Czechoslovakia.
Major denominations and their estimated percentage populations are
Roman Catholic (27%),
Protestant (1%), Czechoslovak
Hussites (1%), as well as a small
Jewish community. \nA large percentage of the Czech population claim to be
atheists (59%), and the remainder describe themselves as uncertain.
Culture
\nMain article: Culture of the Czech Republic
Miscellaneous topics
\n* Communications in the Czech Republic\n*
Transportation in the Czech Republic\n*
Military of the Czech Republic\n*
Foreign relations of the Czech Republic\n*
Tourism in the Czech Republic\n*
List of cities in the Czech Republic\n*
Public holidays in the Czech Republic\n*
List of Czech Republic-related topics
Reference
\n*Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
External links
\n* Czech.cz - Official Czech portal\n*
Government website, in English\n*
Presidential website, click for a pop-up overview of English-languge content \n*
Chamber of Deputies website, in English\n*
Senate website, in English\n*
Czech Republic Forum - Discussion board about the Czech Republic\n*
Czech Republic Pictures - Collection of pictures of the Czech Republic\n*
An article on the word Czechia\n*
Prague Post - English-language newsweekly\n*
Prague Business Journal
\n
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Category: EU countries
