2015 Edition

Background

At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country's predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the territory that today comprises the Czech Republic, and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) 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 rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "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.

Area

land

77,247 sq km

total

78,867 sq km

water

1,620 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Snezka 1,602 m

lowest point

Labe (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-Environmental Protocol, 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

164.7 cu m/yr (2009)

total

1.7 cu km/yr (41%/56%/2%)

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

Irrigated land

385.3 sq km (2007)

Land boundaries

border countries (4)

Austria 402 km, Germany 704 km, Poland 796 km, Slovakia 241 km

total

2,143 km

Land use

arable land 41%; permanent crops 1%; permanent pasture 12.8%

agricultural land

54.8%

forest

34.4%

other

10.8% (2011 est.)

Location

Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

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

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 renewable water resources

13.15 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

15% (male 819,864/female 776,639)

15-24 years

10.23% (male 559,108/female 529,598)

25-54 years

43.7% (male 2,387,303/female 2,264,774)

55-64 years

13.06% (male 673,060/female 717,296)

65 years and over

18.01% (male 791,823/female 1,125,377) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

9.63 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2% (2007)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

86.3%

note

percent of women aged 18-49 (2008)

Death rate

10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

27%

potential support ratio

3.7% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

49.5%

youth dependency ratio

22.5%

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

4.5% of GDP (2011)

Ethnic groups

Czech 64.3%, Moravian 5%, Slovak 1.4%, other 1.8%, unspecified 27.5% (2011 est.)

Health expenditures

7.2% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.05% (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3,400 (2013 est.)

Hospital bed density

6.8 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

female

2.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

2.76 deaths/1,000 live births

total

2.63 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Czech (official) 95.4%, Slovak 1.6%, other 3% (2011 census)

Life expectancy at birth

female

81.62 years (2015 est.)

male

75.5 years

total population

78.48 years

Literacy

definition

NA

female

99% (2011 est.)

male

99%

total population

99%

Major urban areas - population

PRAGUE (capital) 1.314 million (2015)

Median age

female

42.6 years (2015 est.)

male

40 years

total

41.3 years

Nationality

adjective

Czech

noun

Czech(s)

Net migration rate

2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

29.1% (2014)

Physicians density

3.71 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

10,644,842 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.16% (2015 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 10.4%, Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 1.1%, other and unspecified 54%, none 34.5% (2011 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 99.1% of population

rural: 99.2% of population

total: 99.1% of population

urban: 0.9% of population

rural: 0.8% of population

total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

17 years (2012)

male

16 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.7 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.44 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

19% (2012 est.)

male

19.9%

total

19.5%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.35% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

73% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky (Karlovy Vary), Kralovehradecky (Hradec Kralove), Liberecky (Liberec), Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky (Olomouc), Pardubicky (Pardubice), Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky (Usti), Vysocina (Highlands), Zlinsky (Zlin)

Capital

daylight saving time

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

geographic coordinates

50 05 N, 14 28 E

name

Prague

time difference

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

Constitution

previous 1960; latest ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993; amended several times, last in 2013 (2013)

Country name

conventional long form

Czech Republic

conventional short form

Czech Republic

local long form

Ceska republika

local short form

Cesko

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Andrew H. SCHAPIRO (since 30 September 2014)

embassy

Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 - Mala Strana

FAX

[420] 257 022 809

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 GANDALOVIC (since 23 May 2011)

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8540

telephone

[1] (202) 274-9100

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Milos ZEMAN (since 8 March 2013)

election results

Milos ZEMAN elected president; percent of popular vote - Milos ZEMAN (SPO) 54.8%, Karel SCHWARZENBERG (TOP 09) 45.2%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (limited to 2 consecutive terms); elections last held on 11-12 January 2013 with a runoff on 25-26 January 2013 (next to be held in January 2018); prime minister appointed by the president for a 5-year term

head of government

Prime Minister Bohuslav SOBOTKA (since 17 January 2014); First Deputy Prime Minister Andrej BABIS and Deputy Prime Minister Pavel BELOBRADEK (both since 29 January 2014)

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

note

is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia); note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs commemorate 28 October 1918, the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court (organized into Civil Law and Commercial Division, and Criminal Division each with a court chief justice, vice justice, and several judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 justices); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 28 judges)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges proposed by the Chamber of Deputies and appointed by the president; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; judges appointed for 10-year, renewable terms; Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the president of the Court; judge term NA

subordinate courts

High Court; superior, regional, and district courts

Legal system

new civil code enacted in 2014, replacing civil code of 1964 - based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory - and reintroducing former Czech legal terminology

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote in two-rounds if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSSD 33, ODS 14, KDU-CSL 11, ANO 4, SPO 2, Green 2, KSCM 1, S.cz 1, STAN 1, HOPB 1, SLK 1, independent 10; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 20.5%, ANO 2011 18.7%, KSCM 14.9%, TOP 09 12%, ODS 7.7%, Usvit 6.9%, KDU-CSL 6.8% other 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 50, ANO 2011 47, KSCM 33, TOP 09 26, ODS 16, Usvit 14, KDU-CSL 14

elections

Senate - last held in two rounds on 10-11 and 17-18 October 2014 (next to be held in October 2016); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 25-26 October 2013 (next to be held in 2017)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Josef Kajetan TYL/Frantisek Jan SKROUP

name

"Kde domov muj?" (Where is My Home?)

note

adopted 1993; the anthem was originally written as incidental music to the play "Fidlovacka" (1834), it soon became very popular as an unofficial anthem of the Czech nation; its first verse served as the official Czechoslovak anthem beginning in 1918, while the second verse (Slovak) was dropped after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993

National holiday

Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

National symbol(s)

double-tailed lion; national colors: white, red, blue

Political parties and leaders

Citizens for Budejovice or HOPB [Juraj THOMA]

Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Petr FIALA]

Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]

Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Bohuslav SOBOTKA]

Dawn of Direct Democracy or Usvit [Tomio OKAMURA]

Green Party or SZ [Jana DRAPALOVA]

Mayors and Independents or STAN [Martin PUTA]

Mayors for Liberec Region or SLK [Marek PIETER]

Movement of Dissatisfied Citizens or ANO [Andrej BABIS]

North Bohemians or S.cz [Bronislav SCHWARZ]

Party of Civic Rights or SPO [Jan VELEBA]

Tradition Responsibility Prosperity 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG]

Free Citizens Party or Svobodni [Petr MACH]

Liberal Reform Party or Ostravak [Eva SCHWARZOVA]

parties in parliament

Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Pavel BELOBRADEK]

parties outside parliament

Czech Pirate Party [Lukas CERNOHORSKY]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Josef STREDULA]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

expenditures

$85.32 billion (2014 est.)

revenues

$81.98 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

0.05% (31 December 2013)

0.05% (31 December 2012)

note

this is the two-week repo, the main rate CNB uses

Commercial bank prime lending rate

4.7% (31 December 2014 est.)

4.97% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

$1.266 billion (2014 est.)

-$2.853 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$116.1 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$114.3 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

24.9 (2012)

25.4 (1996)

Economy - overview

The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy closely integrated with the EU, especially since the country's EU accession in 2004. The auto industry is the largest single industry, and, together with its upstream suppliers, accounts for nearly 24% of Czech manufacturing. The Czech Republic produced more than a million cars for the first time in 2010, over 80% of which were exported. While the conservative, inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy, the small, open, export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets, especially Germany. When Western Europe and Germany fell into recession in late 2008, demand for Czech goods plunged, leading to double digit drops in industrial production and exports. As a result, real GDP fell sharply in 2009. The economy slowly recovered in the second half of 2009 and registered weak growth in the next two years. In 2012 and 2013, however, the economy fell into a recession again, due both to a slump in external demand in the EU and to the government’s austerity measures, returning to weak growth in 2014. Foreign and domestic businesses alike voice concerns about corruption, especially in public procurement. Other long term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population, funding an unsustainable pension and health care system, and diversifying away from manufacturing and toward a more high-tech, services-based, knowledge economy.

Exchange rates

koruny (CZK) per US dollar -

20.63 (2014 est.)

19.571 (2013 est.)

19.59 (2012 est.)

17.696 (2011 est.)

19.098 (2010 est.)

Exports

$147.3 billion (2014 est.)

$135.6 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, raw materials, fuel, chemicals

Exports - partners

Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 8.4%, Poland 6%, UK 5.1%, France 5.1%, Austria 4.4% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

84.5%

government consumption

19.2%

household consumption

48.2%

imports of goods and services

-77.2%

investment in fixed capital

25%

investment in inventories

0.4%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.6%

industry

37.4%

services

60% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$29,900 (2014 est.)

$29,300 (2013 est.)

$29,500 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2% (2014 est.)

-0.7% (2013 est.)

-0.8% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$205.7 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$314.6 billion (2014 est.)

$308.3 billion (2013 est.)

$310.5 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

25.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

24.5% of GDP (2013 est.)

24.8% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

29.1% (2012 est.)

lowest 10%

1.5%

Imports

$135.1 billion (2014 est.)

$126 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Germany 30.2%, Poland 8.5%, Slovakia 6.8%, China 6.2%, Netherlands 5.7%, Austria 4.2% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2014 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.4% (2014 est.)

1.4% (2013 est.)

Labor force

5.416 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

2.6%

industry

37.4%

services

60% (2012)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$54.92 billion (30 December 3013 est.)

$59.88 billion (28 December 2012)

$53.2 billion (30 December 2011 est.)

Population below poverty line

8.6% (2012 est.)

Public debt

43.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

45.7% of GDP (2013 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$59.15 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$56.22 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$152.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$155.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$22.38 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$21.38 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$140.5 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$136 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$131.9 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$137.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$126.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$126.4 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

41% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

7.9% (2014 est.)

7.7% (2013 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

91.15 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

422.9 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

140,800 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

7,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

15 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

70.45 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

27.46 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

63.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

5.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

19.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

11.5% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

10.57 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

20.52 million kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

81.71 billion kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

8.477 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

8 million cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

8.479 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

252 million cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

4.276 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

187,800 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

35,720 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

60,820 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

166,300 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

roughly 130 TV broadcasters operating some 350 channels with 4 publicly operated and the remainder in private hands; 16 TV stations have national coverage with 4 being publicly operated; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; 63 radio broadcasters are registered operating roughly 80 radio stations with 15 stations publicly operated; 10 radio stations provide national coverage with the remainder local or regional (2008)

Internet country code

.cz

Internet users

percent of population

77.5% (2014 est.)

total

8.2 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Telephone system

domestic

access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s, but the number of fixed line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s, and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population

general assessment

privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems 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

international

country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

18 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

1.89 million

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

131 (2014 est.)

total

14 million

Television broadcast stations

71 (2008)

Airports

128 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

12

2,438 to 3,047 m

9

914 to 1,523 m

2

over 3,047 m

2

total

41

under 914 m

16 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

61 (2013)

1,524 to 2,437 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

25

total

87

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries

1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)

Pipelines

gas 7,160 km; oil 536 km; refined products 94 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

river port(s)

Prague (Vltava); Decin, Usti nad Labem (Elbe)

Railways

narrow gauge

102 km 0.760-m gauge (2014)

standard gauge

9,519.5 km 1.435-m gauge (3,240.5 km electrified)

total

9,621.5 km

Roadways

paved

130,671 km (includes 730 km of expressways) (2010)

total

130,671 km (includes urban roads)

Waterways

664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

2,407,634 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

2,506,826

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

1,988,839 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

2,072,267

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

47,501 (2010 est.)

male

49,999

Military branches

Army of the Czech Republic (Armada Ceske Republiky): General Staff (Generalni Stab; includes Land Forces (Pozemni Sily) and Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily)) (2015)

Military expenditures

1.04% of GDP (2015)

1.08% of GDP (2014)

1.06% of GDP (2013)

1.13% of GDP (2012)

1.15% of GDP (2011)

Military service age and obligation

18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

Disputes - international

while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin, bordering Austria

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; significant consumer of ecstasy (2008)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

stateless persons

1,502 (2014)