The Czech Republic
The Czech Republic (Czechia) is situated in Central Europe. Because of its geographical position it
is often referred to as the heart of Europe. It is a landlocked country 326 km from the Baltic and 322
km from the Adriatic. It shares borders with Germany (810km), Poland (762 km), Austria (466 km)
and Slovakia (265 km). The total area of the republic is 78,864 sq km.
Geography: The Czech Republic is mostly hilly with the highest mountain ranges in the border
regions. The principal mountain ranges are Krkonoše / the Giant Mountains, which creates a
natural border between the CR and Poland. The highest peak is Sněžka (1,602 m). In order to
preserve both wildlife and the environment, the Krkonoše was proclaimed a national park in 1963.
The second highest mountain range in the CR is the Hrubý Jeseník /Ash Mountains. Its highest
point is Praděd Peak (1,491 m). Located in northern Moravia, this range is similar in character to the
Krkonoše and has been a protected region since 1969. The third highest mountain range is the
Šumava / Bohemian Forest. It creates a natural border with Germany. The Šumava was declared a
national park in 1991. The highest point is Plechý Peak (1, 373 m)
The CR is called the roof of Europe since its only source of water is atmospheric rain and
snowfall. All the rivers which have their source in this area drain into neighbouring countries.Their
waters flow into three seas, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. The main river in
Bohemia is the Labe, which flows into the North Sea, in Moravia the most important river is the
Morava, which flows into the Danube. There are not many natural lakes in the land. Much larger
and numerous are the artificial lakes created for fish-farming. They number 21, 800 in total. These
are mostly in southern Bohemia. The largest of them is Lake Rožmberk.
The abundance and quality of mineral springs in the CR makes the country a world leader in this
area. Many large and famous spas have been founded around the mineral springs, including Karlovy
Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně, Poděbrady, Luhačovice, Jáchymov, ...
Population: According to a 1997 census, the CR has a population of 10.3 million people, 5 million
males and 5.3 million females. Three quarters of the population live in cities. The population
density is 131 inhabitants per sq km. Since 1994 the population has been decreasing and is expected
to have fallen to around 10 million by 2 000. Average life expectancy is 70.4 for males and 77.3 for
females. The majority of the Czech Republic´s inhabitants are of Czech nationality. Minorities are
Moravians, Slovaks, Polish, Germans and Romanies. Nowadays there are also lots of immigrants
in the country ( theVietnamese, Chinese, Ukrainians, ...)
More than 50 % of the population describe themselves as atheists.
Czechia has a typical Central European climate with warm summers and cold winters.
Politically the CR is composed from Bohemia (called after the Celtic tribe of the Boii, who
inhabited the Czech territory in the 2nd century BC), Moravia, and a part of Silesia. The capital city
of the CR is Prague. Other big cities are Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Olomouc, Liberec,...
The name Czech is after the tribe of the Czechs who lived in Bohemia and in the 9th-10th centuries
defeated other tribes in this region.
The state emblem is a red coat of arms with a silver, two-tailed lion rampant with golden crown and
golden harness. The state flag consists of an upper white stripe, a lower red stripe and a blue
triangular part half of the flag´s length in between the two stripes. The state anthem „Where is my
homeland“ was composed by Fr.Škroup for J.K.Tyl´s libretto. Both the flag and the anthem became
symbols of the state in 1920.
The Czech Republic was established on January 1st, 1993, as one of the successors to the Czech
and Slovak Federal Republic.
The unit of currency is the crown, which is divided into ten hellers.
The CR is a democratic state, governed according to the constitution of 1992.
The head of the state is the president. He is elected for a period of 5 years by the Parliament at an
assembly of both parliament chambers. The president can be elected for two terms of office. The
president appoints the chairman and other members of the government. The Government is the
supreme executive authority of state power in the CR. It consists of the Prime Minister and
ministers. The parliament of the CR is called the Assembly. It consists of two chambers -the Senate
and the Chamber of Deputies. The right to vote is given to every citizen who is more than 18 years
old. Every citizen who is more than 21 years old can be elected a deputy, every citizen over 40 can
be elected a senator. The Senate consists of 81 senators, who are elected for the period of 6 years.
Every two years one third of the senators is elected. The Chamber of deputies consists of 200
deputies, who are elected for 4 years. The candidates for deputies are nominated by political parties.
There are four main political parties in the republic - the Civic Democratic Party, the Social
Democratic Party, the Communist Party and the Four-Coalition, consisting of four smaller parties.
State holidays: 8th May.............................................................................................................
5th July ..............................................................................................................
6th July .............................................................................................................
28th September ....................................................................................................
28th October .........................................................................................................
17th November .......................................................................................................