Czech Republic

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Czech Republic

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Ceská Republika/Czech Republic Area 78,864 sq km/30,449 sq mi Capital Prague Language Czech (official), Slovak Religion Roman Catholic 39%, atheist 30%, Protestant 5%, Orthodox 3% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1 January, 1 May, 5–6, July, 28 October, 24–26 December; variable: Easter Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Brno, Ostrava, Olomouc, Liberec, Plzen, Hradec Králové, Ceské Budejovice Physical features mountainous; rivers: Morava, Labe (Elbe), Vltava (Moldau) Airports five international airports; total passengers carried: 4.6 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 9,520 km/5,915 mi; total passenger journeys: 178 million (2001) Roads total road network: 127,672 km/79,331 mi, of which 100% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 391.3 per 1,000 people (2002 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Václav Klaus from 2003 Head of government Mirek Topolánek from 2006 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions four municipalities and 72 districts Political parties Civic Democratic Party (CDP), right of centre, free-market; Civic Democratic Alliance (CDA), right of centre, free-market; Civic Movement (CM), liberal, left of centre; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), reform socialist; Agrarian Party, centrist, rural-based; Liberal National Social Party (LNSP; formerly the Czech Socialist Party (SP)), reform socialist; Czech Social Democratic Party (CSDP), moderate left of centre; Christian Democratic Union–Czech People's Party (CDU–CPP), right of centre; Movement for Autonomous Democracy of Moravia and Silesia (MADMS), Moravian and Silesian-based, separatist; Czech Republican Party, far right Death penalty abolished in 1990 Armed forces 22,300; plus paramilitary forces of 5,600 (2006 est) Conscription compulsory for 12 months Defence spend (% GDP) 1.8 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.4 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 6.8 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency koruna (based on the Czechoslovak koruna) GDP (US$) 122.3 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 6 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 109.2 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 20,140 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 2.9% (2006 est) Unemployment 7.4% (2006 est) Labour force 4% agriculture, 39.5% industry, 56.5% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 48.1 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Germany, Slovak Republic, Russia, Austria, Italy, France, Poland, China Resources coal, lignite Industries steel, cement, motor cars, textiles, bicycles, beer, trucks and tractors; tourism Exports machinery and transport equipment, basic manufactures, miscellaneous manufactured articles, chemicals, beer. Principal market: Germany 33.6% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, basic manufactures, chemicals and chemical products, mineral fuels. Principal source: Germany 33% (2005) Arable land 38.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, barley, sugar beet, potatoes, hops; livestock rearing (cattle, pigs, and poultry); dairy farming


POPULATION

Population 10,209,200 (2006 est) Population growth rate -0.1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 139 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 75 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 15%, 15–59 65%, 60+ 20% (2005 est) Ethnic groups predominantly Western Slav Czechs (94%); there is also a sizeable Slovak minority (4%) and small Polish (0.6%), German (0.5%), and Hungarian (0.2%) minorities Life expectancy 73 (men); 79 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 4 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 10 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 34.3 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 8.6 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 31.5 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 115.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 803 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 603 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 24 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 50 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

5th century Settled by West Slavs. 8th century Part of Charlemagne's Holy Roman Empire. 9th century Kingdom of Greater Moravia, centred around the eastern part of what is now the Czech Republic, founded by the Slavic prince Sviatopluk; Christianity adopted. 906 Moravia conquered by the Magyars (Hungarians). 995 Independent state of Bohemia in the northwest, centred around Prague, formed under the Premysl rulers, who had broken away from Moravia; became kingdom in 12th century. 1029 Moravia became a fief of Bohemia. 1355 King Charles IV of Bohemia became Holy Roman Emperor. early 15th century Nationalistic Hussite religion, opposed to German and papal influence, founded in Bohemia by John Huss. 1526 Bohemia came under the control of the Austrian Catholic Habsburgs. 1618 Hussite revolt precipitated the Thirty Years' War, which resulted in the Bohemians' defeat, more direct rule by the Habsburgs, and re-Catholicization. 1867 With creation of dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Bohemia was reduced to a province of Austria, leading to growth in national consciousness. 1918 Austro-Hungarian Empire dismembered; Czechs joined Slovaks in forming Czechoslovakia as independent democratic nation, with Tomas Masaryk president. 1938 Under Munich Agreement, Czechoslovakia forced to surrender the Sudeten German districts in the north to Germany. 1939 Remainder of Czechoslovakia annexed by Germany, Bohemia-Moravia being administered as ‘protectorate’; President Eduard Benea set up government-in-exile in London; liquidation campaigns against intelligentsia. 1945 Liberated by Soviet and US troops; communist-dominated government of national unity formed under Benea; 2 million Sudeten Germans expelled. 1948 Benea ousted; communists assumed full control under Soviet-style single-party constitution. 1950s Political opponents purged; nationalization of industries. 1968 ‘Prague Spring’ political liberalization programme, instituted by Communist Party leader Alexander Dubcek, crushed by invasion of Warsaw Pact forces to restore ‘orthodox line’. 1969 New federal constitution, creating separate Czech Socialist Republic; Gustáv Husák became Communist Party leader. 1977 Formation of ‘Charter '77’ human-rights group by intellectuals encouraged crackdown against dissidents. 1987 Reformist Miloa Jakea replaced Husák as communist leader, and introduced prestvaba (‘restructuring’) reform programme reflecting reformist policies of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. 1989 Pro-democracy demonstrations in Prague; new political parties formed and legalized, including Czech-based Civic Forum under Václav Havel; Communist Party stripped of powers; new ‘grand coalition’ government formed; Havel appointed state president. 1991 Civic Forum split into centre-right Civic Democratic Party (CDP) and centre-left Civic Movement (CM); evidence of increasing Czech and Slovak separatism. 1992 Václav Klaus, leader of Czech-based CDP, became prime minister; creation of separate Czech and Slovak states and customs union agreed; free-market economic reform programme launched. 1993 Czech Republic became sovereign state within United Nations (UN), with Klaus as prime minister; Havel elected president. 1994 Czech Republic joined NATO's ‘partnership for peace’ programme; strong economic growth registered. 1997 Ruling coalition survived currency crisis; Klaus resigned after allegations of misconduct. 1998 Havel re-elected president; centre-left Social Democrats won a general election and formed minority government. Full EU membership negotiations commenced. 1999 Czech Republic became full member of NATO. 2003 Havel stepped down and replaced as president by Václav Klaus. Referendum supported accession to EU. 2004 Czech Republic joined EU. 2006 Hung parliament and political stalemate following general elections in June. 2007 Parliament narrowly approved three-party, centre-right coalition under Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek in January. Demonstrations in June against US plans to build missile defence facility near Prague.


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