Czech Republic

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{{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = Česká republika|conventional_long_name = Czech Republic|common_name = Czech Republic|image_flag = Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg|image_map = EU_location_CZE.png|map_caption = |national_motto = (Czech language)"Truth prevails"|national_anthem = |official_languages = Czech language (de facto)1]|latd=50 |latm=05 |latNS=N |longd=14 |longm=28 |longEW=E|largest_city = capital|government_type = Republic|leader_name1 = [Václav Klaus|leader_name2 = [Mirek Topolánek|sovereignty_note = (formed 9th century)|established_event1 = |established_date1 = [October 28 1918 [1993 [2004-->|percent_water = 2.0|population_estimate = 10,325,941|population_estimate_year = 2007²|population_estimate_rank = 79th|population_census = 10,230,060|population_census_year = 2001|population_density_km2 = 130|population_density_sq_mi = 337 |GDP_PPP = $236.536 1000000000 (number) |GDP_PPP_rank = 41st³ |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $23,100 |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 33rd |GDP_nominal = $141.801 1000000000 (number) |GDP_nominal_rank = 41st |GDP_nominal_year = 2006 International Monetary Fund|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $13,848 |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 39st |Gini = 25.4|Gini_year = 1996|Gini_rank = 5th|Gini_category = low|HDI_year = 2004|HDI = 0.885|HDI_rank = 30th|HDI_category = high|currency = Czech koruna|utc_offset = +1|time_zone_DST = [Central European Summer Time|utc_offset_DST = +2|cctld = .cz4] isn't codified as the official language, it is required by law in some situations and is spoken by great majority of Czech population. Polish language is officially recognized as a minority language in the region with significant Polish Minority group (The Teschen or Těšín region). Slovak language is de jure recognized as an alternative to Czech without the need of translation in the whole territory of the Czech Republic.] 2007 (See Population changes - 1st-2nd quarter of 2007).], shared with other European Union member states.] until 1997.-->

The Czech Republic () (, short form in , ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague (), a major tourism destination. The country is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Czech Silesia.

The Czech lands were under Habsburg rule from 1526, later becoming part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. The independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, disillusion with the Western betrayal and occupation by the Soviet Union, the Communist party gained the majority in 1946 elections. Czechoslovakia was a Communist state from 1948 until the 1989 Velvet Revolution. On 1 January 1993, the country Dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech and Slovakia republics.

The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary system representative democracy. President Václav Klaus is the current head of state. The List of Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic is the head of government (currently Mirek Topolánek). The Parliament has two chambers — the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic and the Senate of the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. It is also a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Visegrád group and the Council of Europe.

Name After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech part found itself without a common single-word name. In 1993, The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested the name Czechia as an official alternative in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions, however this has not caught on in English language usage. The official website of the Czech Republic ( www.czech.cz) run by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not use the name Czechia any longer as of 2005. Its Czech language equivalent is Česko.

History Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlement in the area dating back to the Neolithic era. In the classical era, from the 3rd century BC Celts migrations, the Boii (see Bohemia) and later in the 1st century Germanic tribes of Marcomanni and Quadi settled there. During the Migration Period around the 5th century, many Germanic tribes moved westward and southward out of Central Europe. In an equally significant migration, Slavic peoples from the Black Sea and Carpathian Mountains regions settled in the area (a movement that was also stimulated by the onslaught of peoples from Siberia and Eastern Europe: Huns, Eurasian Avars, Bulgars and Magyars). Following in the Germans' wake, they moved southward into Bohemia, Moravia, and some of present day Austria. During the 7th century the Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe. The Moravian principality arose in the eighth century (see Great Moravia).

The History of the Czechs emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the Přemyslid dynasty. The Kingdom (politics) of Bohemia was a significant regional power during the Middle Ages. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire during the entire existence of this confederation.

Religious conflicts such as the 15th century Hussite Wars and the 17th century Thirty Years' War had a devastating effect on the local population. From the sixteenth century, Bohemia came increasingly under Habsburg control as the Habsburgs became first the elected and then hereditary rulers of Bohemia. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of Austrian Empire and later of Austria-Hungary.

Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. This new country incorporated regions of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia (known as Subcarpathian Rus at the time) with significant German people, Hungarian people, Poles and Ruthenian speaking minorities. Although Czechoslovakia was a unitary state, it provided what was at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities. However, it did not grant its minorities any territorial political autonomy, which resulted in discontent and strong support among some of the minorities to break away from Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler used the opportunity and, supported by Konrad Henlein's Sudeten German National Socialist Party, gained the Sudeten Germans speaking Sudetenland through the Munich Agreement. Poland occupied Polish inhabited areas around Český Těšín. Hungary gained parts of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus as a result of the First Vienna Award in November 1938.

Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus gained greater autonomy, with the state renamed to "Czecho-Slovakia" (The Second Republic; see Occupation of Czechoslovakia). Slovakia seceded in March 1939 and allied itself with Hitler's coalition. The remaining Czech territory was occupied by Germany, transformed it into the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Protectorate was proclaimed part of the Reich, and President and Prime Minister were subordinate to the Nazi Reichsprotektor ("imperial protector"). Subcarpathian Rus declared independence as the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939 but was invaded by Hungary the same day and formally annexed on 16 March. Approximately 390,000 citizens, including 83,000 Jews, were killed or executed, and hundreds of thousands of others were sent to prisons and concentration camps or forced labour. A Nazi concentration camp existed at Terezin to the north of Prague. There was Czech resistance to Nazi occupation both home and abroad, most notably with the assassination of leading Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich in Prague suburbs on May 27, 1942. The German occupation of Czechoslovakia#Czechoslovak Government-in-Exile and its army fighting against the Germans were acknowledged by Allies (Czech troops fought in Great Britain, North Africa, Middle East and Soviet Union). The occupation ended on 9 May 1945 with the arrival of Soviet and American armies and the Prague uprising.

, the first President of the Czech Republic., current President of the Czech Republic.In 1945-1946 almost the entire German minority of Czechoslovakia, about 2.7 million people, Expulsion of Germans after World War II#Czech Republic and Slovakia to Germany and Austria. During this time, thousands of Germans were held in prisons, detention camps, and used in forced labour. In the summer of 1945, there were several massacres. Only 250,000 Germans who had been active in the resistance against the Nazis or were necessary for the economy were not expelled, though many of them emigrated later. Subcarpathian Rus has never returned under Czechoslovak rule and became part of the Ukrainian SSR, as the Zakarpattia Oblast in 1946.

Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia rapidly increased in popularity, particularly because of a general disappointment with the West (due to the pre-war Munich Agreement) and a favourable popular attitude towards the Soviet Union (due to the Soviets' role in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule). In the 1946 elections, with 38% of the votes the Communists became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament. They formed a coalition government with other parties of the National Front (Czechoslovakia), and moved quickly to consolidate power. The decisive step took place in February 1948. During a series of events characterized by communists as a "revolution" and by anti-communists as a "takeover", the communist People's Militias (Czechoslovakia) secured control of key locations in Prague, and a new, all-communist government was formed.

For the next forty-one years, Czechoslovakia was a Communism state within the eastern bloc (see Czechoslovakia: 1948-1989). This period was marked by a variety of social developments. The Communist government completely Nationalization the means of production and established a command economy. The economy grew rapidly during the 1950s and 60s, but slowed down in the 1970s with increasing problems during the 80s. The political climate was highly repressive during the 1950s (including numerous show trials), but became more open and tolerant in the 1960s, culminating in the Prague Spring that tried to create "socialism with a human face" and perhaps even introduce political Pluralism (political philosophy). This was forcibly ended by 21 August 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. From then until 1989, the political establishment returned to censorship of opposition, though using more "carrot" than "whip" policy to ensure the populace's passivity.

In November 1989, Czechoslovakia returned to democracy through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution". However, Slovak national aspirations strengthened until on January 1, 1993, the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the independent Czech and Slovakia republics. Both countries went through economic reforms and privatizations, with the intention of creating a market economy.

From 1991 the Czech Republic (originally as part of Czechoslovakia, and now in its own right) has been a member of the Visegrad Group and from 1995 of the OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on March 12, 1999 and the European Union on May 1, 2004.

Geography The Czech landscape is quite varied. Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Elbe () and Vltava rivers, and surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Karkonosze range of the Sudeten Mountains. The highest point in the country, the Sněžka, at 1,602 metres (5,256 Foot (unit of length)), is located here. Moravia, the eastern part of the country, is also quite hilly. It is drained mainly by the Morava river, Central Europe river, but it also contains the source of the Oder () river. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The Czech Republic also possesses a 30,000 m² exclave in the middle of the Hamburg docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported downriver could be transferred to seagoing ships. The territory reverts to Germany in 2018.

Weather and climate The Czech Republic has a temperate, continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow. Most rains are during the summer. The temperature difference between summers and winters is relatively high due to its landlocked geographical position.

Even within the Czech republic, temperatures vary greatly depending on the altitude. In general, at higher altitudes the temperatures decrease and Precipitation (meteorology) increases. Another important factor is the distribution of the mountains. The climate therefore is very diverse.

At the highest peak (Sněžka-Śnieżka, 1602 m) the average temperature is only -0.4 °C, whereas in the lowlands of South Moravia, the average temperature is as high as 10 °C. This also applies for the country capital Prague, but this is due to urban factors.

The coldest month is usually January followed by February and December. During these months there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes also in the major cities and lowlands, but this snow tends to melt very quickly and so most of the winter is just wet.

During March, April and May, the temperatures usually increase rapidly and especially during April the temperatures and weather tend to vary a lot during the day. Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers due to the snow melting and there are often floods.

The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, the summer temperatures are about 20 °C higher than during winter. Especially in the last decade, temperatures above 30 °C are not unusual. Summer is also characterized by rains and storms.

Autumn usually begins in September, which is still relatively warm, but much drier. During October, temperatures usually fall back under 15 or 10 °C and Deciduouss begin to drop off leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.

Demographics Population {| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em; text-align:right; font-size:90%;"!colspan="6"| Population of the Czech lands Czech Statistic Office|-! Year !! Total !! Change !! Year !! Total !! Change|-! 1857| 7,016,531 || -! 1930| 10,674,386 || 6.6%|-! 1869| 7,617,230 || 8.6%! 1950| 8,896,133 || -16.7%|-! 1880| 8,222,013 || 7.9%! 1961| 9,571,531 || 7.6%|-! 1890| 8,665,421 || 5.4%! 1970| 9,807,697 || 2.5%|-! 1900| 9,372,214 || 8.2%! 1980| 10,291,927 || 4.9%|-! 1910| 10,078,637 || 7.5%! 1991| 10,302,215 || 0.1%|-! 1921| 10,009,587 || -0.7%! 2001| 10,230,060 || -0.7%|}

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (94.2%, out of which 3.7% claimed Moravians (ethnic group) and 0.1% Silesian in the 2001 census). The largest minorities are Slovaks (1.9%), Poles (0.5%), Vietnamese (0.44%) Germans (0.4%), and Gypsy people.{{cite web | page =2 | accessdate =2007-05-24-->

Religion The Czech Republic, along with Estonia, has one of the most non-religious populations in the European Union. According to the 2001 census, 59% of the country is agnostic, atheist, non-believer or no-organized believer, 26.8% Roman Catholic and 2.5% Protestant.

According to the most recent Eurobarometer 2005, 19% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 50% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 30% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force"., the lowest rate of EU countries after Estonia with 16%..

Politics .

Political system The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party Parliamentary system representative democracy, where the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Parliament is bicameral, with the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic () and the Senate of the Czech Republic.

Military The Czech Armed Forces consist of Czech Army and Czech Air Force and of specialized support units. In 2004, the Czech military completely phased out conscription and transformed into a fully professional military force. The country has been a member of NATO since March 12 1999. Military spending is around 1.8% of GDP (2006).

Regions and districts Since 2000, the Czech Republic is divided into Regions of the Czech Republic (kraje, singular kraj) and the Capital City of Prague. Each region has its own elected Regional Assembly (krajské zastupitelstvo) and hejtman (usually translated as Hetman (Czech Republic) or "president"). In Prague, their powers are executed by the city council and the mayor of Prague.

The older seventy-six districts of the Czech Republic (okresy, singular okres) including three 'statutory cities' (without Prague, which had special status) were disbanded in 1999 in an administrative reform; they remain as territorial division and seats of various branches of state administration. The death of the districts, Radio Prague 3 January 2003

{])!Region! style="width: 9em" | Capital! style="width:5em" | Population (2004 est.)! style="width: 5em" | Population (2007 est.)|-| align=center | A || colspan=2 | Capital of Prague (Hlavní město Praha) ] (Středočeský kraj)|| offices located in Prague (Praha) ] (Jihočeský kraj) || České Budějovice ] (Plzeňský kraj) || Pilsen (Plzeň) ] (Karlovarský kraj) || Karlovy Vary ] (Ústecký kraj) || Ústí nad Labem ] (Liberecký kraj) || Liberec ] (Královéhradecký kraj)||Hradec Králové ] (Pardubický kraj) || Pardubice ] (Olomoucký kraj) || Olomouc ] (Moravskoslezský kraj) || Ostrava ] (Jihomoravský kraj) || Brno ] (Zlínský kraj) || Zlín ] (Vysočina) || Jihlava || align=right |517,153 || align=right | 512,053|}

Economy The Czech Republic possesses a developed Getting to know Czech Republic, from Czech.cz, the official site of the Czech Republic, First World#High income countries World Bank 2007 economy with a GDP per capita of around 80% of the European Union average. 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 European Union, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. The rate of corruption remains one of the highest among OECD countries.

Fiscal deficit is becoming a problem, with the 2007 deficit estimate having been recently raised to 4.0% of GDP from 3.3% previously. A fiscal reform plan designed to cut the deficit to 3.0% (as required for Euro adoption by the Stability and Growth Pact) has been passed by the Lower House, and expects to see the deficit fall to 2.95% of GDP in 2008.

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 government has recently agreed to the sale of a 7.0% stake of the energy producer ČEZ, with the sale of the Budejovicky Budvar brewery also mooted.

The country is scheduled to fully implement the Schengen Agreement and therefore abolish the border controls with all of its neighbours (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia) as of December 2007.

The last Czech government had expressed a desire to adopt the euro in 2010, but the current government has postponed it due to budget deficits. An exact date has not been set up, but the Finance Ministry described adoption by 2012 as realistic if public finance reform passes. However, the most recent draft of the euro adoption plan omits giving any date.

Tourism The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism: in 2001, the total earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion Czech koruna, making up 5.5% of GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 people - over 1% of the population.

There are several centres of tourist activity: The historic city of Prague is the primary tourist attraction, and the city is also the most common point of entry for tourists visiting other parts of the country. Most other cities in the country attract significant numbers of tourists, but the spa towns such as Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně are particularly popular holiday destinations. Other popular tourist sites are the many castles and chateaux, such as those at Karlštejn, Konopiště and Český Krumlov. Away from the towns, areas as Český Ráj, Šumava and the Krkonoše mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits.

The country is also famous for its love of Puppeteer and marionettes. The Pilsner style beer originated in Western Bohemian city of Plzeň.

Sport Czech Republic national football team

International rankings

Human Development Index 2006: Rank 30th out of 177 countries
Index of Economic Freedom 2006: Rank 21st out of 57 countries
Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2006: Rank 5th out of 168 countries
Global Competitiveness Report 2006: Rank 29th out of 125 countries
It was also ranked as the highest alcohol-consuming nation by The Economist in 2006.