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| Do you know? The world famous ‘brands’ of the Czech Republic are Škoda Cars, AVG ‘Anti-Virus’ Software, Avast! Security Softwares, Bata Shoes and Footwear, Tatra Indian Army Trucks, Budweiser Beer and Mattoni Mineral Water. |
The Czech Republic, in short form ‘Czech’ is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country has borders with Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and southwest, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and largest city is Prague (in Czech: Praha), a major tourist destination. The country is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Silesia.
The Czech lands were under the ‘Habsburg Rule’ from 1526, later become part of the Austrian Empire. The independent Republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, following the collapse of the ‘Austro-Hungarian’ empire after the World War I. After the ‘Munich Agreement’, German occupation of Czechoslovakia and the consequent disillusion with the Western response and liberation of major part of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army, the Communist party gained majority in 1946 elections. Following a coup in 1948, Czechoslovakia became a Communist-ruled state. During the spring of 1968, in Prague, an attempt at reformation of the Communist regime, ended by invasion of armies of Warsaw Pact countries, which didn’t leave until after the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
On Jan 1, 1993 the country was peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia..
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy. The President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Parliament has two chambers - the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Czech Republic has joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. It is also a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
The Czech Republic made economic reforms such as privatization and annual flat tax. Due to privatization and tax reforms, the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth has been around 6.5%. The Czech Republic is the first former member of the Comecon to achieve the status of a ‘developed country’ (2006) according to the World Bank. The Czech Republic also ranks best compared to the former Comecon countries in the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). According to Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), education in the Czech Republic rank 15th best in the world.
The Czech Republic has implemented the ‘Schengen Agreement’ and therefore has abolished it’s border controls with all of its neighbours (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia) on December 21, 2007.
Geography: The Czech landscape is quite varied. Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by Elbe and Vltava rivers, and surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Krkonoše range of the Sudetes. The highest point in the country, Sněžka, at 1,602 m (5,262 ft), is located here. Moravia, the eastern part of the country, is also quite hilly. It is drained mainly by the Morava River, but it is also contains the source of the Oder River. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea.
Weather and Climate: The Czech Republic has a temperate, continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow. Most rains are during the summer months. The temperature difference between summers and winters is relatively high due to its landlocked geographical position. Even within the Czech Republic, temperatures vary greatly depending on the elevation.
In general, at higher altitudes, the temperatures decrease and precipitation increases. Another important factor is the distribution of the mountains. Therefore the climate is quite varied. At the highest peak (Sněžka, 1,602 m/5,260 ft) the average temperature is only −0.4 °C (31 °F), whereas in lowlands of South Moravia, the average temperature is as high as 10 °C (50 °F). This also applies for the country‘s capital Prague, but this is due to urban factors.
The coldest month is usually December, January or February. During these months, there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes in the cities and the lowlands. During March, April and May, the temperature increases rapidly. Especially, in April, the weather and temperature tends to vary during the day. Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers due to melting snow followed by floods at times.
The warmest month of the year is usually June, July or August. On an average, the summer temperatures are about 20 °C (68 °F) higher than during winter. Especially in the last decade, temperature above 30 °C (86 °F) is not quite unusual. Summer is also characterized by rain and storms.
Autumn generally begins in September, which is still relatively warm, but much drier. During October, temperatures usually fall back under 15° or 10°C (59° or 50°F) and deciduous trees begin to shed their green leaves. By end of November, temperatures usually range around 3°C to 7°C.
Population: The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (94.2%). Significant minorities include the Slovaks (1.9%), Poles (0.5%), Vietnamese (0.44%) Germans (0.4%) and Roma Gypsies. According to the Interior Ministry of the Czech Republic, there are 452,067 foreigners legally residing in the country at the end of 2008, making up 3.2% of the population, with the largest groups being Ukrainians, Slovaks and the Vietnamese.
Religion: The Czech Republic, along with Estonia, has one of the very least religious countries in the Europe. According to 2001 census, 59% of the country is atheist or agnostic, 26.8% Roman Catholic and 2.5% Protestant. In Prague, there are followers of ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ movement and Buddhism.
Economy: The Czech Republic possesses a developed, high-income economy with a GDP per capita of 82% of the European Union average. One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has seen a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth of over 6.5% annually during the last three years. Recent growth has been led by exports to the EU countries, especially Germany, and the foreign direct investment (FDI), while domestic demand is growing.
Most of the economy has been privatized, including banks and telecommunications. The government plans to continue with major privatization, including the energy industry, Roadways, Transportation and the Prague airport.
Communications: The Czech Republic has the most Wi-Fi subscribers in the EU. In 2009, there are over 900 local WISPs with about 550,000 subscribers. Mobile Internet is also quite popular. Plans based on either GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or CDMA2000 are being offered by all three mobile phone operators (T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telefonica O2) and by a data-only wireless operator U:fon. As of January 2009, ADSL2+ is offered in many variants, both with and without data limit with speed up to 10 Mbit/s. Cable internet is also gaining popularity with its higher download speeds beginning at 5 Mbit/s up to 20 Mbit/s.
Tourism: The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism: in 2008, the total earnings from tourism reached 165.41 billion CZK, making up 5.9% of GNP and 9.9% of overall export earnings. The tourism industry employs more than 150,000 people - over 1.7% of the population. There are several centres of tourist activity: The historic city of Prague is the primary tourist attraction, and the city is also the most common point of entry for tourists visiting other parts of the country. Other cities in the country attract significant numbers of tourists, but the spa towns such as Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně are also popular holiday destinations. Other popular tourist places are the castles and chateaux, such as those at Karlštejn, Konopiště and Český Krumlov. Away from the popular towns, areas as Český ráj, Šumava and the Krkonoše Mountains attract tourists and visitors seeking outdoor activities. The country is also famous for the puppetry and marionettes. The Pilsner style beer was actually originated in the western Bohemian city of Plzeň.
Cuisine: Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis of meat dishes. Pork is quite common, and beef and chicken are also popular. Goose, duck, rabbit and wild game are served. Fish is popular in season, with the occasional exception of fresh trout, and carp, which is served during the Christmas. Aside from Slivovitz, a distilled beverage made from Damson Plums, Czech beer and wines are world renowned. Czechs also produce two uniquely Czech liquors, Fernet Stock and Becherovka. Kofola is a Czech soft drink somewhat similar in look and taste to Coca-Cola.
Sports: Sport plays a significant part in the life of many Czechs, who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals. The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are football and ice hockey, both drawing the largest attention of the media and supporters. Other sports with professional leagues include the basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics and floorball. Sport is a source of expressing patriotism, usually rising several days or weeks before an event and sinking several days after. The events considered the most important by the Czech fans are: Ice Hockey World Championship, Olympic Ice Hockey, the Euro Cup, the Football World Cup and all the qualification matches for such events. In general, any international match of the Czech ice hockey or national football team draws attention, especially when played against a friendly rival: Germany in football; Russia, Sweden and Canada in ice hockey; and Slovakia in both. Tennis, Badminton and Swimming are also gaining popularity. Cricket is primarily played by the expats from UK, Ireland and Australia.
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