CZECH REP

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 Nazi 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 Nazis 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. In 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 (almost always in English, though officially "Czechia") and Slovakia respectively.

The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and is hoping to join the European Union in 2004.

The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy, whose head of state is a president, indirectly elected every five years by the parliament. The 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. He 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). The 200 Chamber delegates are elected for 4-year terms, on the basis of proportional representation. The 81 members of the Czech Senate serve for 6-year terms with one-third being elected every 2 years.

The country's highest court of appeals is the Supreme Court. The Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional issues, is appointed by the president, and its members serve 10-year terms.

Map

The Czech Republic consists of 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and one capital city (hlavní město), marked by a *:

• South Moravian Region (Jihomoravský kraj)
• Central Bohemian Region (Středočeský kraj)
• Hradec Kralove Region (Královéhradecký kraj)
• Vysocina Region (Vysočina)
• Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj)
• Liberec Region (Liberecký kraj)
• Moravian-Silesian Region (Moravskoslezský kraj)
• Olomouc Region (Olomoucký kraj)
• Pardubice Region (Pardubický kraj)
• Plzen Region (Plzeňský kraj)
• Prague (Praha)
• South Bohemian Region (Jihočeský kraj)
• Usti nad Labem Region (Ústecký kraj)
• Zlin Region (Zlínský kraj)

Geography

The Czech landscape is quite varied; Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Labe (Elbe) and Vltava 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. Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava, but also contains the source of the Odra river. Water 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.

Basically 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 2000-2001 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.

The majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic (95%) are ethnically Czech and speak Czech, a member of the Slavic languages. Other ethnic groups include Germans (the remainder of a once larger minority), Roma, Hungarians, Ukrainians and Poles. After the 1993 division, some Slovaks remained in the Czech Republic and comprise roughly 2% of the current population. The 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%), Hussites (1%), as well as a small Jewish community. A large percentage of the Czech population claim to be atheists (59%), and the remainder describe themselves as uncertain.

• Famous Czech People
• Music of the Czech Republic
• Literature of the Czech Republic

• Communications in the Czech Republic
• Transportation in the Czech Republic
• Military of the Czech Republic
• Foreign relations of the Czech Republic
• Tourism in the Czech Republic
• List of cities in the Czech Republic

Reference

• 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