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FACTS
Location | |
Central Europe, southeast of Germany |
Area in total | |
78,866 sq km |
Land boundaries in total | |
1,881 km |
Border countries | |
Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km |
Coastline | |
0 km (landlocked) |
Climate | |
Temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
Terrain | |
Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country |
Elevation extremes | |
Lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
Highest point: Snezka 1,602 m |
Natural resources | |
Hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber |
Natural hazards |
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Flooding |
Geography - note |
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Landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe |
Population | |
10,246,178 (July 2004 est.) |
Age structure | |
0-14 years: 15% (male 789,987; female 748,476)
15-64 years: 70.9% (male 3,643,574; female 3,622,276)
65 years and over: 14.1% (male 557,496; female 884,369)
(2004 est.)
Median age: 38.6 years |
Ethnic groups | |
Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 0.5% (1991) |
Religions | |
Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8% |
Languages | |
Czech |
Independence | |
January 1, 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) |
National holiday | |
Czech Founding Day, October 28 (1918) |
GDP | |
USD 161.1 billion |
GDP per capita | |
USD 11,300 |
Unemployment rate | |
9.9% (2003) |
Government | |
Parliamentary democracy |
Capital | |
Prague |
Head of state | |
President Václav Klaus
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Inflation | |
0.6% |
Major Trading partners | |
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Russia, Italy |
Member of EU |
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Yes |
Agriculture products | |
Wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry |
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Industries | |
Metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments |
Currency | |
Czech koruna (CZK) |
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Internet country code | |
.cz |
Internet users | |
2.7 million (2003) |
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Time zone | |
GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time) |
Dialing code | |
420 |
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Electricity | |
220V, 50Hz |
| Tipping |
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A tip of 5-10% is appreciated in any tourist restaurant with table service. The usual protocol is for them to tell you the total food bill and for you, as you hand over the money, to say how much you are paying with the tip included. |
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State and Public Holidays |
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January 1: Independent Czech State Renewal Day, New Year
Variable: Easter Monday
May 1: Labour Day
May 8: Liberation Day (1945)
July 5: Cyril and Methodius Day - the Slavic Christianity Day
July 6: Master John Hus burning at the stake (1415)
September 28: Czech Statehood Day
October 28: Independent Czechoslovak State Proclamation Day (1918)
November 17: Day of Fight for Freedom and Democracy
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas Day
December 26: St. Stephen's Day |
Flag | |
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