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  Introduction
  Geography
  People
  Government
  Economy
  Communications
  Transportation
  Military
  Transnational Issues

In general, information available as of 1 January 2003
was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2003.


This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003


Map of Czech Republic

Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Czech Republic
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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. Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. In December 2002, the Czech Republic was invited to join the European Union (EU). It is expected that the Czech Republic will accede to the EU in 2004.
   Geography    Czech Republic
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Europe
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 78,866 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 40%
permanent crops: 3.04%
other: 56.96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
240 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
flooding
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
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
   People    Czech Republic
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10,249,216 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 809,697; female 768,747)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 3,617,214; female 3,614,060)
65 years and over: 14% (male 554,922; female 884,576) (2003 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 38.4 years
male: 36.6 years
female: 40.2 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.08% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.01 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.74 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
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 (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 5.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.85 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 75.18 years
male: 71.69 years
female: 78.87 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.18 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
500 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 10 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Czech
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: NA
total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
   Government    Czech Republic
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local short form: Ceska Republika
local long form: Ceska Republika
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Prague
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 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 Vladimir SPIDLA (since 12 July 2002), Deputy Prime Ministers Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 20 August 2003), Cyril SVOBODA (since July 2002), Stanislav GROSS (since July 2002), Petr MARES (since July 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
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)
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive); prime minister appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
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)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS 26, KDU-CSL 14, CSSD 11, US 9, KSCM 3, independents 18; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 25-26 October and 1-2 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June 2006)
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, 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 [Vladimir SPIDLA, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Petr MARES, chairman]; Quad Coalition [Karel KUHNL, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR]
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Martin PALOUS
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663
FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
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    Czech Republic
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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 2000-03 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a near doubling of foreign direct 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. High current account deficits - averaging around 5% of GDP in the last several years - could be a persistent problem. Inflation is under control. 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 encourage additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth. But revival in the European economies remains essential to stepped-up growth.
GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $157.1 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 3.8%
industry: 41%
services: 55.2% (2001)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
25.4 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.6% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.203 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.8% (2002)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $16.7 billion
expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.5% (2002)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
70.04 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
Definition Field Listing
fossil fuel: 76.1%
hydro: 2.9%
other: 1% (2001)
nuclear: 20%
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
55.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
18.92 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
9.38 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7,419 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
175,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
26,670 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
192,300 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
17.25 million bbl (37257)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing
160 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing
9.892 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing
1 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing
9.521 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.057 billion cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$40.8 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures 25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000)
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Germany 40.2%, Slovakia 7.1%, Austria 5.8%, UK 5.1%, Poland 5%, France 4% (2002)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$43.2 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures 21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Germany 39.1%, Slovakia 6%, Austria 5.6%, Italy 5.4%, France 5.3%, Poland 4.1%, UK 4.1%, Russia 4% (2002)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$23.8 billion (2002)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$108 million; EU structural adjustment funds (2002)
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
Czech koruna (CZK)
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
CZK
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
koruny per US dollar - 32.74 (2002), 38.04 (2001), 38.6 (2000), 34.57 (1999), 32.28 (1998)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Czech Republic
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.869 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.346 million (2000)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.cz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
Definition Field Listing
more than 300 (2000)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.69 million (2001)
   Transportation    Czech Republic
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 9,462 km
standard gauge: 9,363 km 1.435-m gauge (1,745 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2002)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 55,408 km
paved: 55,408 km (including 499 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing
303 km
note: the Labe (Elbe) is the principal river (2000)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 7,020 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2003)
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem
Airports:
Definition Field Listing
144 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 44
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
under 914 m: 19 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 2
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 100
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 62 (2002)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
2 (2002)
   Military    Czech Republic
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Territorial Defense Force
Military manpower - military age:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 2,622,192 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 2,002,202 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 67,777 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1,190.2 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.1% (FY01)
   Transnational Issues    Czech Republic
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
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 the Temelin nuclear power plant and post-World War II treatment of German-speaking minorities
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
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

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003


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