Geography
Climate
History
Population
Public Administration
Time
Languages
Characteristics

Geography

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague, a major tourist destination. The second largest city is Brno, followed by Ostrava, Pilsen and Liberec.

The country is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Silesia.With a total area of almost 79,000 square kilometers, the Czech Republic is a mid-size European country, comparable to Austria or Ireland.

Climate

The Czech Republic is located in moderate geographical latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. In common with other countries in the moderate northern band, the Czech Republic has a warm summer climate and a cold winter climate, often with heavy falls of snow. The alternation of the seasons has a marked effect, above all on vegetation. Average temperatures in winter are between 0 and -5° C, in summer between 13 and 26° C.

History

The Czech lands were under Habsburg rule from 1526, later becoming part of the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian Empires. The independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, disillusion with the Western response and occupation by the Red Army, the Communist party got a majority in 1946 elections. Czechoslovakia was a Communist state from 1948 until the 1989 Velvet Revolution. On 1 January 1993, the country peacefully split into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

Population

According to the Czech Statistical Office, there were over 10.2 million inhabitants in the Czech Republic in 2005; estimate for 2007 is 10.3 million. Population density is 337/sq mile.

Public Administration

The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy. President Vaclav Klaus is the current Head of State. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The Parliament has two chambers — the Chamber of Deputies [200 members] and the Senate [81 members]. Administratively, the Czech Republic is divided into 14 regions; one of those being the capital city of Prague. There are over six thousand municipalities in the Czech Republic. Each municipality is administered by a Mayor, and the head of corporate towns is a Lord Mayor. Regions are administered by a Marshall; only in the capital city of Prague is this position reserved for Prague´s Lord Mayor.

Time

GMT + 1 (Summer time from end March till the end October GMT + 2 hours)

Languages

Official language is Czech. People in the larger cities and towns often speak English or German and sometimes French.

Characteristics

A lot of architectural sights can be found in the Czech Republic. The most beautiful ones - Prague, Cesky Krumlov and Telc - are listed in the UNESCO registry.
In addition to the above-mentioned cities, there are many other interesting towns and places that are well worth visiting: Kutna Hora, Tabor, Ceske Budejovice (world-famous Budweiser beer is made here), Prachatice, Cheb, Slavonice, Olomouc, and many castles (Hluboka, Cervena Lhota, Karlstejn etc.).

Czech Republic has very good conditions for hunting and fishing. A large number of sports and recreation resorts can be found, for example, in the Krkonose Mountains, Krusne Mountains, Sumava Forrest, Orlicke Mountains and Jeseniky Mountains.

 The Czech Republic is also world-famous for the therapeutic utilization of its mineral springs and healing mud. More than thirty spas offer health care and comfort to their guests. The most popular Czech spas are: Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) and Marianske Lazne (Marienbad).

If you require further information on the Czech Republic, please see the related links provided below.