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Czech Republic
Quick Overview:
The Czech Republic, which is slightly smaller than South Carolina, has an approximate population of 10.3 million and is bordered by Poland to the north, the Slovak Republic to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west. There are 13 administrative regions (called 'kraje') in the Czech Republic, plus the city of Prague which is its own administrative region; these administrative regions are shown in Figure 1. The capital city, Prague, is located in the west-central part of the country and has a population of about 1.2 million. The currency of the Czech Republic, the koruna (Kc), has an exchange value of approximately 30.68 Kc per U.S. dollar as of September 2002. The gross domestic product (GDP) in 2000 was estimated at $132.4 billion (purchasing power parity). The Czech Republic became the first post-communist member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in December 1995 and is a member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which includes the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia. In 1998, it became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Czech Republic's Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) became effective in February 1995, with full membership expected in 2003-2005. Full membership in the EU is a high priority for the Czech government. The Czech Republic is also a member of the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Geography:
Czech Republic (1994 estimated population 10,408,000), 30,443 square miles (78,847 square kilometers), central Europe; bordered by Poland (North), Germany (North and West), Austria (South), and Slovakia (East). The republic comprises the traditional Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia and Czech Silesia. The two main geographic regions are the Bohemian plateau (West) and the Moravian lowland (East). The Sudetes Mountains in the north separate Moravia from Czech Silesia. The country is landlocked, and the chief rivers-the Elbe, Vltava (Moldau), and Oder-are economically important. The population is largely Slavic, consisting chiefly of Czechs (81%) and Moravians (13%). Roman Catholicism is the largest religion, but there are sizable Protestant (notably Hussite) groups. Czech is the official language. Prague, Czech Praha, city (1990 population 1,214,772) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, on both banks of the Vltava River. A trading center by the 10th century, it became the capital of Bohemia and was later (14th-17th centureis) one of the residences of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. The religious reformer John Huss taught at its university (est. 1348). Hapsburg rule began in 1526. Prague figured prominently in the Thirty Years War (1618-48), the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), the Seven Years War (1756-63), and the Revolutions of 1848. In 1918 it became the capital of the new Czechoslovak republic. It was occupied (1939-45) by the Germans during World War II. In 1968 Prague was the center of Czech resistance to the Soviet invasion. With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Prague became the capital of the Czech Republic.Major cities include Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, and Olomouc. Bohemia historic region (20,368 square miles 52,753 square kilometers) and former kingdom, West Czech Republic, bordered by Austria (South East), Germany (West, North West), Poland (North, North East), and Moravia (East). The traditional capital is Prague. Bohemia emerged (9th century) under the Premysl dynasty and became part (950) of the Holy Roman Empire. It became a kingdom within the empire in 1198 and under Emperor Charles IV (r.1355-78) was the empire's seat. In the 15th century Bohemia was the scene of the Hussite religious movement. The Hapsburg dynasty of Austria dominated the kingdom after 1526; a revolt (1618) against Hapsburg rule began the Thiry Yars War. In 1627 the kingdom was demoted to an imperial crown land. After World War I it became the core of the new nation of Czechoslovakia. The Munich Pact (1938) transferred the Sudetenland area of Bohemia to Germany, which occupied (1939-45) all of Bohemia during World War II. Bohemia was abolished as a province of Czechoslovakia in 1948; in 1960 it was divided into five regions and the city of Prague. With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia (1993), the region became part of the Czech Republic. Moravia historic region, East Czech Republic, bordered by Bohemia (West), Slovakia (East), Czech Silesia (North), and Austria (South). Brno is the chief city and the former Moravian capital. In the 9th century Moravia became a great empire, ruling Bohemia, Silesia, Slovakia, and South Poland. From the early 11th century it was in effect a crown land of Bohemia, with which it passed (1526) to the Hapsburgs of Austria. Moravia, however, retained its own diet and suffered less than Bohemia in the civil and religious strife of the 16th century. It became an Austrian crown land in 1849. After World War I Moravia was incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. The Munich Pact (1938) transferred North Western and South Moravia to Germany, which occupied (1939-45) all of Moravia during World War II. Since 1960 the region has comprised two administrative regions, North and South Moravia. With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia (1993), Moravia became part of the Czech Republic. In 1918 Czechoslovakia emerged from the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy as an independent republic, created by uniting the Czech lands with Slovakia, inhabited by the closely related Slovaks. From the beginning, however, the minority Slovaks, who had different cultural, religious, and social traditions, sought autonomy in the highly centralized state. In 1939 the Czech lands fell under Hitler's control, and Slovakia became a German puppet state. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reestablished, but Slovak resentment of Czech dominance persisted under Communist rule. In 1969 Czechoslovakia became, at least officially, a federal state when the Czech and Slovak socialist republics were established. With the end of Communist rule in 1990, economic reforms were begun that were especially disruptive in Slovakia, which had a disproportionate share of subsidized state-owned heavy industry. In the 1992 parliamentary elections ethnically based parties with conflicting positions on economic and political reform triumphed in the Czech lands and Slovakia, leading to an impasse at the federal level and movement toward breakup into two separate nations. Václav Klaus, prime minister of the Czech Republic, insisted on independence, rather than autonomy, for poorer Slovakia, in part to assure institution of his free-market economic program. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia was dissolved and the Czech Republic established. Václav Klaus became prime minister, and Václav Havel was elected (1993) the republic's first president. The government moved quickly to privatize state-owned businesses, selling over 30% of such companies by late 1994.
Related Links:
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News news of the Czech Republic |
Offical Sites government of the Czech Republic |
Country Guides travelling to the Czech Republic |
Education university of the Czech Republic |