2007 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: 14.4% (male 755,098/female 714,703) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,656,021/female 3,629,036) 65 years and over: 14.5% (male 576,264/female 904,333) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

121 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 2

total

46

under 914 m

19 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

75 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 25

under 914 m

49 (2006)

Area

land

77,276 sq km

total

78,866 sq km

water

1,590 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Army of the Czech Republic (ACR)

Joint Forces Command (includes air forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2006)

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

9.02 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$62.53 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$57.88 billion

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

40 55 N, 21 00 E

name

Prague

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

Cesko

Currency (code)

Czech koruna (CZK)

Currency code

CZK

Current account balance

$-4.352 billion (2006 est.)

Death rate

10.59 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$50.2 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Richard W. GRABER

embassy

Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[420] 257 022 000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Petr KOLAR

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 from Czechoslovakia after World War II; Austrian anti-nuclear activists have revived blockades of the Czech-Austrian border to protest operation of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic

Distribution of family income - Gini index

27.3 (2003)

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 2000-05 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. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. 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 took 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

58.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

24.6 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

9.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

79.14 billion kWh (2004)

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, Whaling

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 - 22.3072 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002)

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)

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 (eligible for a second 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 Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Jiri CUNEK (since 9 January 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007)

Exports

$89.34 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8540

[420] 257 022 809

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

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

2.8%

industry

37.8%

services

59.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$21,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6.2% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$118.9 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$221.4 billion (2006 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 (2006)

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

highest 10%

22.4% (1996)

lowest 10%

4.3%

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 8 February, 2007

Imports

$87.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005)

Independence

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

Industrial production growth rate

9.5% (2006 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

3.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

4.24 deaths/1,000 live births

total

3.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.7% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Internet country code

.cz

Internet hosts

1,267,265 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

more than 300 (2000)

Internet users

5.1 million (2005) Transportation Czech Republic

Investment (gross fixed)

26.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

240 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

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

Labor force

5.31 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

4.1%

industry

37.6%

services

58.3% (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km

total

2,290.2 km

Land use

arable land

38.82%

other

58.18% (2005)

permanent crops

3%

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 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 10, others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6

elections

Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October 2006 (next to be held October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)

Life expectancy at birth

female

79.69 years (2006 est.)

male

72.94 years

total population

76.22 years

Literacy

definition

NA

female

99% (2003 est.) Government Czech Republic

male

99%

total population

99%

Location

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

2,329,412 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

2,414,728

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

1,923,508 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

1,996,631

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

63,363 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

66,583

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

41.1 years (2006 est.)

male

37.5 years

total

39.3 years

Merchant marine

registered in other countries

1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$2.17 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.81% FY05 Transnational Issues Czech Republic

Military service age and obligation

18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; on-going transformation of military service into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005)

National holiday

Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Nationality

adjective

Czech

noun

Czech(s)

Natural gas - consumption

9.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

88 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

8.815 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

216 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

203,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

26,670 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

182,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - production

15,240 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves

17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana Hybaskova, chairman]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairwoman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK, chairman]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA, chairman]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK, chairman]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY, chairman]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK, chairman]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]

Population

10,235,455 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

-0.06% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem Military Czech Republic

Public debt

29.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Radios

3,159,134 (December 2000)

Railways

narrow gauge

99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)

standard gauge

9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified)

total

9,572 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

$30.99 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

127,747 km (including 518 km of expressways) (2003)

total

127,747 km

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

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

3,217,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

11.776 million (2005)

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

1.21 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

8.4% (2006 est.)

Waterways

664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2005)