1987 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1987 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Comparative area
about the size of New York State
Environment
infrequent earthquakes; acid rain; water pollution
Land boundaries
3,540 km total
Land use
40% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 9% other; includes 1% irrigated
Special notes
landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between northern Europe and Danube
Terrain
mixture of hills and mountains separated by plains and basins
Total area
127,870 km?; land area: 125,460 km?
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
64.3% Czech, 30.5% Slovak, 3.8% Hungarian, 0.4% German, 0.4% Polish, 0.3% Ukrainian, 0.1% Russian, 0.2% other (Jewish, Gypsy)
Infant mortality rate
16/1,000 (1983)
Labor force
7.6 million (1985); 38.1% industry; 12.5% agriculture; 49.4% construction, communications, and other (1982)
Language
Czech and Slovak (official), Hungarian
Life expectancy
71.6 (1985)
Literacy
99%
Nationality
noun—Czechoslovak(s); adjective—Czechoslovak
Population
15,581,993 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.26%
Religion
77% Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant, 2% Orthodox, 1% other
Government
Administrative divisions
2 ostensibly separate and nominally autonomous republics (Czech Socialist Republic and Slovak Socialist Republic); 7 regions (kraj) in Czech lands, 3 regions in Slovakia; republic capitals of Prague and Bratislava have regional status
Branches
executive—President (elected by Federal Assembly), Cabinet (appointed by President); legislative (Federal Assembly; elected directly—Chamber of Nations, Chamber of the People), Czech and Slovak National Councils (also elected directly) legislate on limited area of regional matters; judiciary, Supreme Court (elected by Federal Assembly); entire governmental structure dominated by Communist Party
Capital
Prague
Communists
1.6 million party members (August 1984)
Elections
governmental bodies and president every five years; last election June Dominant political party and leader: Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC), Gustév Husdk, General Secretary (since 1969); Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS) has status of provincial KSC organization
Government leaders
Gustav HUSAK, President (since 1975); Lubomir STROUGAL, Premier (since 1970)
Legal system
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, modified by Communist legal theory; revised constitution adopted 1960, and amended in 1968 and 1970; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory [CJ jurisdiction
Member of
CEMA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, ICAO, ICO, ILO, International Lead and Zine Study Group, IMO, I[PU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
National holiday
Liberation Day, 9 May
Official name
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSSR)
Other political groups
puppet parties— Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Czechoslovak People’s Party, Slovak Freedom Party, Slovak Revival Party
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
Communist state
Voting strength
(1986 election) 99.96% for Communist-sponsored single slate
Economy
Agriculture
diversified agriculture; main crops—wheat, rye, oats, corn, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, hogs, cattle, horses; net food importer—meat, wheat, vegetable oils, fresh fruits and vegetables
Crude steel
15.0 million metric tons produced (1985), 965 kg per capita
Electric power
21,445,000 kW capacity; 83,000 million kWh produced, 5,260 kWh per capita (1986)
Exports
$17.84 billion (f.0.b., 1985); 54.8% machinery and equipment; 16.2% manufactured consumer goods; 14.2% fuels, minerals, and metals; 6.7% agricultural and forestry products, 8.1% other products (1984 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$135.6 billion in 1985 (in 1985 dollars), $8,700 per capita; 1985 real growth rate 1.6%
Imports
$17.94 billion (f.0.b., 1985); 41.1% fuels, minerals, and metals; 33.2% machinery and equipment; 12.1% agricultural and forestry products; 5.7% manufactured consumer goods; 7.9% other products (1984)
Major industries
iron and steel, machinery and equipment, cement, sheet glass, motor vehicles, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood, paper products
Major trade partners
USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania; 80% with Communist countries, 20% with non-Communist countries (1986)
Monetary conversion rate
6.875 koronas=US$1 (1985 average)
Natural resources
coal, coke, timber, lignite, uranium, magnesite
Shortages
ores, crude oil
Communications
Airfields
135 total; 18 with runways 2,500 m or longer
Civil air
40 major transport aircraft
Freight carried
rail—298.8 million metric tons, 74 billion metric tons/km; highway— 1,258 million metric tons, 20.90 billion metric tons/km; waterway—13.40 million metric tons, 4.4 billion metric tons/km (excluding international transit traffic) (1984)
Highways
74,891 km total; including 450 km superhighway (1984)
Inland waterways
475 km (1984)
Pipelines
crude oil, 1,448 km; refined products, 1,500 km; natural gas, 8,000 km
Ports
no maritime ports; outlets are Gdynia, Gdarisk, and Szczecin in Poland; Rijeka and Koper in Yugoslavia; Hamburg, FRG; Rostock, GDR; principal river ports are Prague, Dééin, Komarno, Bratislava
Railroads
13,114 km total; 12,866 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km 1.524-meter broad gauge, 146 km 0.750and 0.760-meter narrow gauge; 2,868 km double track; 3,307 km electrified; government owned (1984)
Telecommunications
54 AM, 14 FM, 45 TV stations; 11 Soviet TV relays; 4,360,000 TV sets; 4,208,538 receiver sets; at least 1 satellite ground station
Military and Security
Branches
Czechoslovak People’s Army, Frontier Guard, Air and Air Defense Forces
Military budget
announced for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, 28.3 billion koronas, 7.5% of total budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 8,867,000; 2,969,000 ft for military service; 121,000 reach military age (18) annually