Home>Europe>Czech Republic

Background: Once part of the Holy Roman Empire and, later, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Czechoslovakia became an independent nation at the end of World War I. Independence ended with the German takeover in 1939. After World War II, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence, and in 1968 an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops snuffed out anti-communist demonstrations and riots. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1991, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom. On 1 January 1993, the country peacefully split into its two ethnic components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic, largely by aspiring to become a NATO and EU member, has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. But Prague has had a difficult time convincing the public that membership in NATO is crucial to Czech security. At the same time, support for eventual EU membership is waning. Coupled with the country's worsening economic situation, Prague's political scene, troubled for the past three years, will remain so for the foreseeable future.

Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 78,703 sq km
land: 78,645 sq km
water: 58 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

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, 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: 10,280,513 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 888,292; female 845,662)
15-64 years: 69% (male 3,569,677; female 3,558,844)
65 years and over: 14% (male 545,305; female 872,733) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.01% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 9.84 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.86 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.67 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.35 years
male: 71.01 years
female: 77.88 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech
note: 300,000 Slovaks declared themselves Czech citizens in 1994

Ethnic groups: Czech 94.4%, Slovak 3%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Gypsy 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 1%

Religions: atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%

Languages: Czech, Slovak

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 99% (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

Data code: EZ

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Prague

Administrative divisions: 73 districts (okresi, singular—okres) and 4 municipalities* (mesta, singular—mesto); Benesov, Beroun, Blansko, Breclav, Brno*, Brno-Venkov, Bruntal, Ceske Budejovice, Ceska Lipa, Cesky Krumlov, Cheb, Chomutov, Chrudim, Decin, Domazlice, Frydek-Mistek, Havlickuv Brod, Hodonin, Hradec Kralove, Jablonec nad Nisou, Jesenik, Jicin, Jihlava, Jindrichuv Hradec, Karlovy Vary, Karvina, Kladno, Klatovy, Kolin, Kromeriz, Kutna Hora, Liberec, Litomerice, Louny, Melnik, Mlada Boleslav, Most, Nachod, Novy Jicin, Nymburk, Olomouc, Opava, Ostrava*, Pardubice, Pelhrimov, Pisek, Plzen*, Plzen-Jih, Plzen-Sever, Prachatice, Praha*, Praha-Vychod, Praha Zapad, Prerov, Pribram, Prostejov, Rakovnik, Rokycany, Rychnov nad Kneznou, Semily, Sokolov, Strakonice, Sumperk, Svitavy, Tabor, Tachov, Teplice, Trebic, Trutnov, Uherske Hradiste, Usti nad Labem, Usti nad Orlici, Vsetin, Vyskov, Zdar nad Sazavou, Zlin, Znojmo

Independence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

National holiday: National Liberation Day, 8 May; Founding of the Republic, 28 October

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 17 July 1998), Pavel RYCHETSKY since 17 July 1998), Egon LANSKY (since 17 July 1998), Pavel MERTLIK (since 17 July 1998)
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 staggered two-, four-, and six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Snemovna Poslancu (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate—last held 13-14 and 20-21 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2000—to replace/reelect 20 senators serving two-year terms); Chamber of Deputies—last held 19-20 June 1998 (early elections to be held NA June 2000)
election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—governing coalition (CSSD 23), opposition (ODS 26, KDU-CSL 16, KCSM 4, ODA 7, US 4, DEU 1); Chamber of Deputies—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—governing coalition (CSSD 74), opposition (ODS 63, KDU-CSL 20, US 19, KCSM 24)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for life; Constitutional Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for life

Political parties and leaders: Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Daniel KROUPA, chairman]; Christian Democratic Union-Czech People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jan KASAL, acting chairman]; Czech Social Democrats or CSSD—left [Milos ZEMAN, chairman]; Communist Party or KSCM— left opposition [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Assembly for the Republic or SPR-RSC—extreme right radical [Miroslav SLADEK, chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Jan RUML, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions; Civic Movement

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksandr VONDRA
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 363-6315
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John SHATTUCK
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] (2) 5732-0663
FAX: [420] (2) 5732-0583

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

Economy—overview: Political and financial crises in 1997 shattered the Czech Republic's image as one of the most stable and prosperous of post-Communist states. Delays in enterprise restructuring and failure to develop a well-functioning capital market played major roles in Czech economic troubles, which culminated in a currency crisis in May. The currency was forced out of its fluctuation band as investors worried that the current account deficit, which reached nearly 8% of GDP in 1996, would become unsustainable. After expending $3 billion in vain to support the currency, the central bank let it float. The growing current account imbalance reflected a surge in domestic demand and poor export performance, as wage increases outpaced productivity. The government was forced to introduce two austerity packages later in the spring which cut government spending by 2.5% of GDP. A tough 1998 budget continued the painful medicine. These problems were compounded in the summer of 1997 by unprecedented flooding which inundated much of the eastern part of the country. Czech difficulties contrast with earlier achievements of strong GDP growth, a balanced budget, and inflation and unemployment that were among the lowest in the region. The Czech economy's transition problems continue to be too much direct and indirect government influence on the privatized economy, the sometimes ineffective management of privatized firms, and a shortage of experienced financial analysts for the banking system. The country slipped into a mild recession in 1998, but hopes to rebound with 1% growth in 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$116.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: -1.5% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$11,300 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 33.8%
services: 61.2% (1996)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.6%
highest 10%: 23.5% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.7% (1998)

Labor force: 3.655 million (1998)

Labor force—by occupation: industry 33.1%, agriculture 6.9%, construction 9.1%, transport and communications 7.2%, services 43.7% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 7% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $16.1 billion
expenditures: $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)

Industries: fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Industrial production growth rate: 6.7% (1998 est.)

Electricity—production: 60.214 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 76.69%
hydro: 3.04%
nuclear: 20.27%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 60.164 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 8.8 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 8.75 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

Exports: $23.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: manufactured goods 40.5%, machinery and transport equipment 37.7%, chemicals 8.8%, raw materials and fuel 7.8% (1997)

Exports—partners: Germany 35.7%, Slovakia 12.9%, Austria 6.4%, Poland 5.7%, Russia 3.4%, Italy 3.3%, France 2.5% (1997)

Imports: $26.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38.1%, manufactured goods 19.3%, raw materials and fuels 12.4%, chemicals 12.2%, and food 5.2% (1997)

Imports—partners: Germany 26.6%, Slovakia 8.4%, Italy 5.3%, Austria 4.4%, FSU 3.4%, UK 3.4%, Poland 3.2% (1997)

Debt—external: $21.6 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: $351.6 million (1995)

Currency: 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru

Exchange rates: koruny (Kcs) per US$1—30.214 (December 1998), 32.294 (1998), 31.698 (1997), 27.145 (1996), 26.541 (1995), 28.785 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Telephones: 3,349,539 (1993 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations—2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 67 (in addition, there are 35 low-power stations and about 51 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: NA

Railways:
total: 9,440 km
standard gauge: 9,344 km 1.435-m standard gauge (2,743 km electrified at three voltages; 1,885 km double track)
narrow gauge: 96 km 0.760-m narrow gauge (1996)

Highways:
total: 55,489 km
paved: 55,489 km (including 423 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: NA km; the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river

Pipelines: natural gas 5,400 km

Ports and harbors: Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Airports: 69 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 13 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 17 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Railroad Units

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 2,684,817 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,046,079 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 73,072 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $1.1 billion (1998)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.8% (1998)

Disputes—international: Liechtenstein claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of property in the Czech Republic confiscated from its royal family in 1918; the Czech Republic insists that restitution does not go back before February 1948, when the communists seized power; individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II; unresolved property issues with Slovakia over redistribution of former Czechoslovak federal property

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; domestic consumption—especially of locally produced synthetic drugs—on the rise

Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook