2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

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 (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj

Age structure

0-14 years: 14.7% (male 773,028/female 731,833) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 3,651,018/female 3,627,006) 65 years and over: 14.2% (male 565,374/female 892,879) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Airports

120 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

44 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

76 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 48 (2004 est.)

Area

land

77,276 sq km

total

78,866 sq km

water

1,590 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

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 Czech Republic

Birth rate

9.07 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$45.8 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

revenues

$39.31 billion

Capital

Prague

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Constitution

ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

Country name

conventional long form

Czech Republic

conventional short form

Czech Republic

local long form

Ceska Republika

local short form

Ceska Republika

Currency (code)

Czech koruna (CZK)

Currency code

CZK

Current account balance

$-5.73 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

10.54 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$36.28 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador William J. CABANISS

embassy

Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1

FAX

[420] (2) 5753-0583

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[420] (2) 5753-0663

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Martin PALOUS

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles and New York

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8540

telephone

[1] (202) 274-9100

Disputes - international

in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the 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 after World War II

Distribution of family income - Gini index

25.4 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$2.4 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)

Economy - overview

The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-04 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 is scheduled to take place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth.

Electricity - consumption

55.33 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

20.9 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

9.5 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

71.75 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

76.1%

hydro

2.9%

nuclear

20%

other

1% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Snezka 1,602 m

lowest point

Elbe River 115 m

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; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air 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

Ethnic groups

Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)

Exchange rates

koruny per US dollar - 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002), 38.035 (2001), 38.598 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

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

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; next election to be held January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

Prime Minister Jiri PAROUBEK (since 25 April 2005), Deputy Prime Ministers Zdenek SKROMACH (since 4 August 2004), Martin JAHN (since 4 August 2004), Pavel NEMEC (since 4 August 2004), Milan SIMONOVSKY (since 4 August 2004)

Exports

$66.51 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003)

Exports - partners

Germany 36.1%, Slovakia 8.4%, Austria 6%, Poland 5.3%, UK 4.7%, France 4.7%, Italy 4.3%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Czech Republic

Flag description

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

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

3.4%

industry

39.3%

services

57.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $16,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.7% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$172.2 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

49 45 N, 15 30 E

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 People Czech Republic

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Heliports

2 (2004 est.) Military Czech Republic

Highways

paved

127,204 km (including 518 km of expressways)

total

127,204 km

unpaved

0 km (2002)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 10 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,500 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

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 This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$68.19 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)

Imports - partners

Germany 31.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, China 5.2%, Poland 4.8%, France 4.8%, Russia 4.1% (2004)

Independence

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

Industrial production growth rate

4.7% (2004 est.)

Industries

metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Infant mortality rate

female

3.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

4.28 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.93 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.2% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.cz

Internet hosts

295,677 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

more than 300 (2000)

Internet users

2.7 million (2003) Transportation Czech Republic

Investment (gross fixed)

29% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

240 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Labor force

5.25 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 4%, industry 38%, services 58% (2002 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km

total

1,881 km

Land use

arable land

39.8%

other

57.15% (2001)

permanent crops

3.05%

Languages

Czech

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

Legislative branch

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 37, KDU-CSL 14, Open Democracy 13, CSSD 7, Caucus Open Democracy 7, independents 3; 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 57, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10, independent 1

elections

Senate - last held in two rounds 5-6 November and 12-13 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female

79.49 years (2005 est.)

male

72.74 years

total population

76.02 years

Literacy

definition: NA

female

NA% Government Czech Republic

male

NA%

total population

99.9% (1999 est.)

Location

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 2,414,728 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 1,996,631 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males

66,583 (2005 est.)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

40.82 years (2005 est.)

male

37.2 years

total

38.97 years

Merchant marine

registered in other countries

3

Military branches

Army of the Czech Republic (ACR)

Joint Forces Command, Support and Training Forces Command (2005)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$2.17 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.02% (2004) Transnational Issues Czech Republic

Military service age and obligation

18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; military service transformed into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription beginning in January 2004 (2005)

National holiday

Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Nationality

adjective

Czech

noun

Czech(s)

Natural gas - consumption

9.892 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

1 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

9.521 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

160 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

3.057 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

Net migration rate

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

175,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

26,670 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

192,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

7,419 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 7,020 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

Caucus SNK [Josef ZOSER]; Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, 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 [Jaroslav ROVNY, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Stanislav GROSS, acting chairman]; European Democrats [Jan KASL]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Hana Marvanova, chairwoman]; Open Democracy [Sona PAUKRTOVA, chairwoman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Bohemian and Moravian Trade Union Confederation [Milan STECH]

Population

10,241,138 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA

Population growth rate

-0.05% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Public debt

33.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Radios

3,159,134 (December 2000)

Railways

narrow gauge

122 km 0.760-m gauge (23 km electrified) (2004)

standard gauge

9,421 km 1.435-m gauge (2,893 km electrified)

total

9,543 km

Religions

Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$32.78 billion (2004 est.)

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: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

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

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

international

country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar

Telephones - main lines in use

3.626 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

9,708,700 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Televisions

3,405,834 (December 2000)

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

Total fertility rate

1.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

10.6% (2004 est.)

Waterways

664 km (on Elbe, Vltava, and Oder rivers) (2004)