from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Czech Republic
Introduction
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. The Czech
Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in
2004.
Geography
Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic 49 45 N, 15 30 E
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 78,866 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than South Carolina
comparative:
Land total: 2,290.2 km
boundaries: border countries: Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km,
Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime none (landlocked)
claims:
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 lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
extremes: highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
resources:
Land use: arable land: 38.82%
permanent crops: 3%
other: 58.18% (2005)
Irrigated 240 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural flooding
hazards:
Environment - air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia
current and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health
issues: risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring
industry up to EU code should improve domestic
pollution
Environment - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
international Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air
agreements: Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - landlocked; strategically located astride some of
note: 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
People
Population: 10,235,455 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 755,098/female 714,703)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,656,021/female 3,629,036)
65 years and over: 14.5% (male 576,264/female 904,333)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 39.3 years
male: 37.5 years
female: 41.1 years (2006 est.)
Population -0.06% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 9.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 10.59 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 4.24 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 3.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 76.22 years
expectancy at male: 72.94 years
birth: female: 79.69 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.21 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 2,500 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 10 (2001 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech
Ethnic groups: Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001
census)
Religions: Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%,
unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)
Languages: Czech
Literacy: definition: NA
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Cesko
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Prague
geographic coordinates: 40 55 N, 21 00 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city*
divisions: (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj,
Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj,
Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj,
Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj,
Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj
Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech
Republic and Slovakia)
National Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
holiday:
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 chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March
branch: 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 Mirek TOPOLANEK
(since 4 September 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Petr
NECAS (since 4 September 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); last
successful election held 28 February 2003 (after
earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were
inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008);
prime minister appointed by the president
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)
Legislative bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the
branch: 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 in two rounds 20-21 and
27-28 October 2006 (next to be held October 2008);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to
be held by June 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10,
others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM
12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by
party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6
Judicial Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and
branch: deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a
10-year term
Political Association of Independent Candidates or SNK [Josef
parties and ZIELENIEC, chairman]; Caucus Open Democracy; Christian
leaders: Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL
[Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic
Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic
Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman];
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech
FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD
[Bohuslav SOBOTKA, acting chairman]; European Democrats
[Jan KASL]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU
[Pavel NEMEC, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK,
chairman]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir
ZELEZNY, chairman]; Open Democracy; Party of Open
Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change
[Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]
Political Bohemian and Moravian Trade Union Confederation [Milan
pressure STECH]
groups and
leaders:
International ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),
organization CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating
participation: state), EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA,
MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO,
ZC
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR
representation chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington,
in the US: DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER
representation embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
from the US: mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] 257 022 000
FAX: [420] 257 022 809
Flag two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with
description: a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
(identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
Economy
Economy - The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and
overview: prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and
Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by
exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong
recovery of foreign and domestic 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.
Current account deficits of around 5% of GDP are
beginning to decline as demand for Czech products in
the European Union increases. Inflation is under
control. Recent accession to the EU gives further
impetus and direction to structural reform. In early
2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added
Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits
with the intention to bring the public finance gap down
to 4% of GDP by 2006, but more difficult pension and
healthcare reforms will have to wait until after the
next elections. Privatization of the state-owned
telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in
2005. Intensified restructuring among large
enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and
effective use of available EU funds should strengthen
output growth.
GDP $204.4 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $109.4 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 6.1% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $20,000 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 3.4%
composition by industry: 39.3%
sector: services: 57.3% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 5.27 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 4%
by occupation: industry: 38%
services: 58% (2002 est.)
Unemployment 8.9% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 4.3%
income or highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 25.4 (1996)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 1.9% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 26.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $48.16 billion
expenditures: $53.04 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs,
products: poultry
Industries: metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles,
glass, armaments
Industrial 6.3% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 78.18 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 76.1%
production by hydro: 2.9%
source: nuclear: 20%
other: 1% (2001)
Electricity - 56.5 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 26.3 billion kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 10.1 billion kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 12,380 bbl/day (2003)
production:
Oil - 185,200 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 26,670 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 192,300 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved 17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 133 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 9.623 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 1 million cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 9.521 billion cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $-2.496 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $78.37 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%,
commodities: raw materials and fuel 9% (2003)
Exports - Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland
partners: 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005)
Imports: $76.59 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials
commodities: and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)
Imports - Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%,
partners: Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4%
(2005)
Reserves of $29.36 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $49.14 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $2.4 billion in available EU structural adjustment and
recipient: cohesion funds (2004-06)
Currency Czech koruna (CZK)
(code):
Currency code: CZK
Exchange koruny per US dollar - 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004),
rates: 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 3,217,300 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 11.776 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: privatization and modernization of
system: 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: country code - 420; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1
Globalstar
Radio AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 3,159,134 (December 2000)
Television 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 3,405,834 (December 2000)
Internet .cz
country code:
Internet 1,267,265 (2006)
hosts:
Internet more than 300 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 5.1 million (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 121 (2006)
Airports - total: 46
with paved over 3,047 m: 2
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2006)
Airports - total: 75
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 49 (2006)
Heliports: 2 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006)
Railways: total: 9,572 km
standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 127,747 km
paved: 127,747 km (including 518 km of expressways)
(2003)
Waterways: 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder
rivers) (2005)
Merchant registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the
marine: Grenadines 1) (2006)
Ports and Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
terminals:
Military
Military Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command
branches: (includes air forces), Support and Training Forces
Command (2006)
Military 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service;
service age on-going transformation of military service into a
and fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer
obligation: dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is
scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005)
Manpower males age 18-49: 2,414,728
available for females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 1,996,631
for military females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 66,583
reaching females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $2.17 billion (2004)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 1.81% FY05
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the
international: restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets
in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German
property; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution
for property confiscated in connection with their
expulsion from Czechoslovakia after World War II;
Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades
of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of
the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic
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