Geography
Area: 78,864 sq. kilometers; about the size of Virginia.
Cities: Capital--Prague (pop. 1.16 million). Other cities--Brno
(376,172), Ostrava (314,744), Plzen (165,529).
Terrain: Low mountains to the north and south, hills in the west.
Climate: Temperate.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Czech(s).
Population (est.): 10.2 million.
Annual growth rate: 0.1%.
Ethnic groups: Czech (90.4% or 9.25 million); Moravian (more than
380,000); Slovak (193,000); Roma (171,000); Silesian (11,000); Polish
(52,000); German (39,000); Ukrainian (22,000); and Vietnamese
(18,000).
Christian singles note-Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant.
Language: Czech.
Education: Literacy—99.8%.
Health: Life expectancy--males 72.1 yrs., females 78.5 yrs.
Work force (5.13 million): Industry, construction, and commerce—54.3%;
government and other services--41%; agriculture—4.7%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary republic.
Independence: The Czech Republic was established January 1, 1993
(former Czechoslovak state established 1918).
Constitution: Signed December 16, 1992.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister
(head of government), cabinet. Legislative--Chamber of
Deputies, Senate. Judicial--Supreme Court, Constitutional
Court.
Political parties (June 2002 election): Czech Social Democratic Party
(CSSD), 70 seats; Civic Democratic Party (ODS), 58 seats; Communist
Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), 41 seats; Christian and
Democratic Union-Czechoslovak Peoples Party (KDU-CSL), 21 seats;
Freedom Union (US), 10 seats.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Administrative subdivisions: Two regions--Bohemia and Moravia; 13
administrative districts and Prague.
Economy
GDP (2003 est.): $89.6 billion (at current prices and exchange rates).
Per capita income (2003): $8,793.
Natural resources: Coal, coke, timber, lignite, uranium, magnesite.
Agriculture: Products--wheat, rye, oats, corn, barley, hops,
potatoes, sugarbeets, hogs, cattle, horses.
Industry: Types--motor vehicles, machinery and equipment, iron,
steel, cement, sheet glass, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood,
paper products, and footwear.
Trade (2003): Exports--$48.48 billion: motor vehicles,
machinery, iron, steel, chemicals, raw materials, consumer goods. Imports--$51.1
billion. Trading partners--Germany (35%), Slovakia, Austria,
Italy, U.K., France, Poland, Russia, United States.
PEOPLE
Christian singles note-The majority of the 10.2 million inhabitants of
the Czech Republic are ethnically and linguistically Czech (95%).
Other ethnic groups include Germans, Roma, and Poles. After the 1993
division of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, some Slovaks
remained in the Czech Republic and comprise roughly 3% of the current
population. The border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia is open
for citizens of the former Czechoslovakia. Laws establishing religious
freedom were passed shortly after the revolution of 1989, lifting
oppressive regulations enacted by the former communist regime. Major
denominations and their estimated percentage populations are Roman
Catholic (39%) and Protestant (3%). A large percentage of the Czech
population claim to be atheists (40%), and 16% describe themselves as
uncertain. The Jewish community numbers a few thousand today; a
synagogue in Prague memorializes the names of more than 80,000
Czechoslovak Jews who perished in World War II.
