..... Click the link for more information. is the capital and largest city. In addition to the capital, major cities include Brno Brno , Ger. Brünn, city (1991 pop. 388,296), SE Czech Republic, at the confluence of the Svratka and Svitava rivers. It is the second largest city of the Czech Republic and the chief city of Moravia.
..... Click the link for more information. , Ostrava Ostrava , formerly Moravská Ostrava , Ger. Mährisch Ostrau, city (1991 pop. 327,371), NE Czech Republic, in Moravia, near the junction of the Oder and Ostravice rivers.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Plzeň Plzeň , Ger. Pilsen, city (1991 pop. 173,008), W Czech Republic, in Bohemia, at the confluence of several rivers. One of the Czech Republic's largest cities, it lies near a belt of coalfields in an area where sugar beets and hops are raised.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Land and People
The Czech Republic comprises the former provinces of Bohemia Bohemia, Czech Čechy, historic region (20,368 sq mi/52,753 sq km) and former kingdom, in W and central Czech Republic. Bohemia is bounded by Austria in the southeast, by Germany in the west and northwest, by Poland in the north and northeast, and by
..... Click the link for more information. , Moravia Moravia , Czech Morava, Ger. Mähren, region in the E Czech Republic. The region is bordered on the W by Bohemia, on the E by the Little and White Carpathian Mts., which divide it from Slovakia, and on the N by the Sudetes Mts.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Czech Silesia Silesia , Czech Slezsko, Ger. Schlesien, Pol. Śląsk, region of E central Europe, extending along both banks of the Oder River and bounded in the south by the mountain ranges of the Sudetes—particularly the Krkonoše (Ger.
..... Click the link for more information. , together often called the Czech Lands. In the western part of the republic lies the Bohemian plateau, which is separated by the Bohemian-Moravian heights from the fertile Moravian lowland in the eastern part of the republic. The Sudetes Mts. in the north separate Moravia from Czech Silesia along the Polish border. Agriculture is concentrated in the Moravian lowlands and in the valleys of the Elbe and Vltava rivers.
Almost 95% of the people are Czech, with small minorities of Slovaks, Germans, Poles, Gypsies, and Hungarians; the Gypsies have been subjected to increased discrimination since the fall of Communist rule. Although many Czechs do not profess a religion, about 40% are Roman Catholic. There is also a substantial Hussite minority and a smaller group belonging to the Orthodox Church. Czech is the official language; Slovak is also spoken.
Economy
In state hands during the Communist era, the much of Czech Republic's agricultural and industrial sectors was relatively quickly privatized and showed appreciable growth in the early 1990s. Foreign investment was widely sought. An economic slowdown beginning in 1997, however, revealed problems in the transition from government control to a privatized economy, as many large industrial conglomerates with thousands of employees lost money and sought government aid instead of revamping. In 1999–2000 most of the state-owned banks were privatized, with the government assuming responsibility for bad loans.
The chief crops are corn, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, barley, and rye. Among the country's livestock are hogs, cattle, sheep, and poultry. Manufacturing is the chief economic activity, especially the production of automobiles, machine tools, and machinery. Iron and steel industries are important in Moravia. Other industries include metalworking, chemicals, electronics, and glass. The republic's rather scant natural resources include coal, timber, and uranium. The largest trading partners are Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Poland, and Hungary; recent efforts have increased trade with many Western countries. The Czech Republic is a member of the European Union.
Government
The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy. The bicameral legislature consists of the 81-seat senate, whose members are elected by popular vote to serve staggered two-, four-, and six-year terms, and the 200-seat chamber of deputies, whose members are popularly elected for four-year terms. The president, who is the chief of state, is elected by parliament for a five-year term. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is appointed by the president, as is the cabinet. The leading political parties are the Civic Democratic Party, the Social Democratic party, the Christian Democratic party, and the Civic Democratic Alliance. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into eight administrative regions, including the capital.
History
For a detailed history of the Czech Lands see Bohemia, Moravia, and Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia , Czech Československo , former federal republic, 49,370 sq mi (127,869 sq km), in central Europe. On Jan. 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic (see Slovakia) became independent states and Czechoslovakia ceased to exist.
..... Click the link for more information. . In response to Slovakia's demands for greater autonomy, Czechoslovakia was on Jan. 1, 1969, declared a federation. The constituent Czech and Slovak republics received autonomy over local affairs, with the federal government responsible for foreign relations, defense, and finance. The Communist regime collapsed in 1989, and in 1990 economic reforms were begun that were especially disruptive in Slovakia, which had a disproportionate share of subsidized state-owned heavy industry. A strong secessionist movement in Slovakia led to a declaration in 1992 that the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic would separate into independent states. In response to the imminent breakup of Czechoslovakia, a new Czech constitution was written. It was implemented with the birth of the new Czech Republic on Jan. 1, 1993.
Václav Havel Havel, Václav , 1936–, Czech dramatist and essayist, president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and the Czech Republic (1993–2003). The most original Czech dramatist to emerge in the 1960s, Havel soon antagonized the political power structure by
..... Click the link for more information. , who had been president of Czechoslovakia, became the Czech Republic's president; after legislative elections a right-of-center coalition government came into office, headed by Václav Klaus Klaus, Václav , 1941–, Czech politician. A free-market economist and leader of the Civic Democratic party, he has been one of Eastern Europe's most influential post-Communist leaders.
..... Click the link for more information. . The government moved quickly to privatize state-owned businesses, and mutual funds became a popular investment vehicle for a public unused to dealing with a stock market. The Czech Republic actively sought membership in Western institutions and alliances. In 1994 it became an associate member of the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the
European Community
..... Click the link for more information. (it became a full member ten years later), in 1995 it was admitted to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), international organization that came into being in 1961. It superseded the Organization for European Economic Cooperation, which had been founded in 1948 to coordinate the Marshall Plan for European
..... Click the link for more information. , and in 1999 it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), established under the North Atlantic Treaty (Apr. 4, 1949) by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Meanwhile, the economy faltered in 1997 and Klaus was forced to resign. Austerity measures were put in place and Josef Tosovsky, a banker, was appointed caretaker prime minister. Havel was reelected in 1998 and, following legislative elections later that year, Social Democrat Milos Zeman became prime minister, vowing to slow privatization and return more control to the state.
In the 2002 elections the Social Democrat–led coalition was returned to power, but Zeman, who had resigned as party leader prior to the election, was replaced as prime minister by Vladimír Spidla. Václav Klaus was elected president in 2003, succeeding the retiring Havel. In 2004, after the Social Democrats made a poor showing in the European Parliament elections, Spidla only narrowly survived a party confidence vote, and subsequently resigned as prime minister.
Social Democrat Stanislav Gross succeeded Spidla as government leader, but Gross resigned in Apr., 2005, dogged by charges of personal financial impropriety. He was succeeded as prime minister by fellow Social Democrat Jiri Paroubek. In the June, 2006, elections the Civic Democrats won the largest share of the vote and the most seats in parliament, but the Social Democrat–led coalition secured half the seats. The Civic Democrats formed a three-party coalition, and Mirek Topolánek became prime minister in August. In October, however, the coalition lost a confidence vote, forcing the president to open negotiations on formation of a new government. In Jan., 2007, the president again approved a government headed by Topolánek that involved the same three parties, and it narrowly won a vote of confidence.
Czech Republic
formerly (1918–92, with Slovakia) Czechoslovakia)
)
Czech Republic
Official name: Czech Republic
Capital city: Prague
Internet country code: .cz
Flag description: Two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
National anthem: “Kde domov muj?” (Where Is My Home?), lyrics by Josef Kajetán Tyl, music by Frantisek Skroup
National symbols: Lion, eagle, linden tree
Geographical description: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Total area: 30,450 sq. mi. (78,864 sq. km.)
Climate: Temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Nationality: noun: Czech(s); adjective: Czech
Population: 10,228,744 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%,
other (including Roma, Silesian, Polish, and German) 4%
Languages spoken: Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8%
Religions: Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59%
Legal Holidays:
| Christmas Day | Dec 25 |
| Christmas Eve | Dec 24 |
| Czech Statehood Day | Sep 28 |
| Easter Monday | Apr 25, 2011; Apr 9, 2012; Apr 1, 2013; Apr 21, 2014; Apr 6, 2015 |
| Freedom and Democracy Day | Nov 17 |
| Independence Day | Oct 28 |
| Jan Hus Day | Jul 6 |
| Labor Day | May 1 |
| Liberation Day | May 8 |
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 |
| St. Stephen's Day | Dec 26 |
| Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day | Jul 5 |
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