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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
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 liberalize 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. |
| Location: |
Central Europe, southeast of
Germany |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
49 45 N, 15 30 E |
| 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: 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: 41%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 11%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 12% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
240 sq km (1993 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 |
| 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, 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, Climate Change-Kyoto
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: |
10,264,212 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
16.09% (male 847,219; female 804,731)
15-64 years: 69.99% (male 3,592,984; female 3,590,802)
65 years and over: 13.92% (male 549,538; female 878,938)
(2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.07% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
9.11 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
10.81 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.96 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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 (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
5.55 deaths/1,000 live births
(2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
74.73 years
male: 71.23 years
female: 78.43 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.18 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.04% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
2,200 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
less than 100 (1999 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: |
atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic
39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4% |
| 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 long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Ceska Republika |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
13 regions (kraje, singular -
kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Brnensky, Budejovicky,
Jihlavsky, Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Olomoucky, Ostravsky,
Pardubicky, Plzensky, Praha*, Stredocesky, Ustecky, Zlinsky |
| 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 HAVEL (since 2 February 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Milos ZEMAN (since 17
July 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Vladimir SPIDLA (since 22 July 1998),
Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 22 July 1998), Jan KAVAN (since 8 December 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year
term; election last held 20 January 1998 (next to be held NA January
2003); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav HAVEL reelected president; Vaclav
HAVEL received 47 of 81 votes in the Senate and 99 out of 200 votes in
the Chamber of Deputies (second round of voting) |
| 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 12 and 19 November 2000 (next
to be held NA November 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 19-20 June
1998 (next to be held by NA June 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - KDU-CSL 28, ODS 22, CSSD 15, ODA 7, US 4, KSCM 3,
independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD
32.3%, ODS 27.7%, KSCM 11%, KDU-CSL 9.0%, US 8.6%; seats by party - CSSD
74, ODS 63, KSCM 24, KDU-CSL 20, US 18, CSNS 1 |
| 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 [Jan KASAL, chairman];
Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Daniel KROUPA, chairman]; Civic
Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, 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 [Milos ZEMAN, chairman]; Democratic Union or
DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Karel KUEHNL,
chairman]; Quad Coalition [Cyril SVOBODA, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL,
US, ODA, DEU); Republicans of Miroslav SLADEK or RMS [Miroslav SLADEK,
chairman] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Czech-Moravian Confederation
of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR] |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT (observer), Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate),
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Alexsandr VONDRA
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Steven J. COFFEY
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: |
Basically one of the most
stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic
has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. The economy grew
about 2.5% in 2000 and should achieve somewhat higher growth in 2001.
Growth is 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. Unemployment is
down to 8.7% as job creation continues in the rebounding economy;
inflation is up to 3.8% but still moderate. 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 add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among
large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector
should strengthen output growth. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$132.4 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
2.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$12,900 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
3.7%
industry: 41.8%
services: 54.5% (1999) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.8% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
5.203 million (1999 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 5%, industry 40%,
services 55% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
8.7% (2000 est.) |
| 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: |
7.6% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
67.642 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
77.8%
hydro: 3.43%
nuclear: 18.77%
other: 0% (2000) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
52.898 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
18.744 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
8.735 billion kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets,
hops, fruit; pigs, poultry |
| Exports: |
$28.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery and transport
equipment 44%, other manufactured goods 40%, chemicals 7%, raw materials
and fuel 7% (1999) |
| Exports
- partners: |
Germany 43%, Slovakia 8.4%,
Austria 6.6%, Poland 5.6%, France 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$31.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and transport
equipment 42%, other manufactured goods 33%, chemicals 12%, raw
materials and fuels 10% (1999) |
| Imports
- partners: |
Germany 37.5%, Slovakia 6.7%,
Austria 6.2%, Italy 5.9%, France 5.4% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$21.3 billion (2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$NA |
| Currency: |
Czech koruna (CZK) |
| Exchange
rates: |
koruny per US dollar - 37.425
(January 2001), 38.598 (2000), 34.569 (1999), 32.281 (1998), 31.698
(1997), 27.145 (1996) |
| 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) |
| 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
Service Providers (ISPs): |
more than 300 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
900,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 9,444 km
standard gauge: 9,350 km 1.435-m standard gauge (2,843 km
electrified; 1,929 km double track)
narrow gauge: 94 km 0.760-m narrow gauge (2000) |
| Highways: |
total: 55,432 km
paved: 55,432 km (including 499 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
303 km
note: (the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river) (2000) |
| Pipelines: |
natural gas 3,550 km (2000) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem |
| Airports: |
114 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 43
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 71
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 42 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Air and Air Defense
Forces, Territorial Defense, Railroad Units |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
2,653,456 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
2,024,070 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 69,393
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$1.2 billion (FY01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.2% (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 nuclear power
plants and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities |
| Illicit
drugs: |
major transshipment point for
Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American
cocaine to Western Europe; domestic consumption - especially of locally
produced synthetic drugs - on the rise |
|
