 Czech
Republic, landlocked republic in central Europe, comprising the historic regions
of Bohemia and Moravia, and part of Silesia. The republic borders Poland to the
north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to
the east. Prague is its capital and largest city.
The Czech-inhabited lands
of Bohemia and Moravia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the early
17th century until 1918, when they were united in a common state with Slovakia
and part of Silesia. The new state, a democratic republic known as Czechoslovakia,
was broken up during World War II, but was reestablished at the end of the war
in 1945. From 1948 to 1989 the republic was ruled by a Communist regime. In November
1989 the Communist government was ousted and Czechoslovakia again became a democratic
state. During the early 1990s, political and economic conflicts developed between
the Czechs and Slovaks, and leaders of both groups decided to dissolve the republic.
In January 1993 Czechoslovakia was replaced by two independent states, the Czech
Republic and Slovakia.
 Land
and Resources
The total area of the Czech Republic is 78,864 sq km (30,450
sq mi). The maximum distance from east to west is about 490 km (about 305 mi),
and the maximum distance from north to south is about 280 km (about 175 mi). Mountain
ranges bound much of the country.
Natural Regions
The Czech
Republic contains two main regions—Bohemia, located in the west, and Moravia,
located in the east. Part of the region of Silesia occupies the north-central
section of the country.
The central part of the Czech Republic is dominated
by the elevated plateaus of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and the low plains
and rolling hills of the Bohemian Basin. A number of rivers drain these areas,
and much of the country’s farmland is located there. Rising along the edges
of these central regions and extending outward to form much of the country’s
natural border are a number of mountain ranges. The Erzgebirge in the north and
the Šumava Mountains in the west, are known for their spas and ski resorts.
The Šumava comprise part of the Böhmerwald (Bohemian Forest), a highland
region located in the west and southwest that forms the country’s border
with Germany. The Sudety mountains are located in the north and form part of the
border with Poland. The Sudety range includes the Krkonoše Mountains, which
contain the country’s highest point, Snežka (1,603 m/5,259 ft). One
of the country’s largest nature reserves is also located in the Sudety range.
Extending along the Czech-Slovak border in the southeastern part of the country
is a section of the Carpathian Mountains. Also located in the southeast are the
Moravian Lowlands, which contain the fertile valley of the Morava River where
a variety of crops are grown.
 Rivers
and Lakes
The main rivers of the Czech Republic are the Elbe (known locally
as the Labe), the Vltava, the Ohre, the Morava, the Lužnice, the Jihlava,
and the Svratka. The Sázava, Odra (Oder), and Opava rivers are also important.
Climate
The Czech Republic has a humid, continental climate, with cold winters
and warm summers. The average temperature range in Prague is -5°C (22°F)
to 0°C (33°F) in January and 12°C (53°F) to 23°C (74°F)
in July. Temperatures generally decrease with increasing altitude. Prague receives
an average of 530 mm (21 in) of precipitation annually. Precipitation is generally
heaviest during the summer months.
Population and Settlement
The
Czech people are descended from Slavic tribes who arrived in Bohemia and Moravia
in the 5th century ad. The Czechs are the country’s dominant ethnic group,
representing about 94 percent of the population; Slovaks account for about 3 percent;
and Poles, Germans, Roma (Gypsies), and Hungarians comprise most of the remainder.
 Principal
Cities
Prague (population, 1999 estimate, 1,193,270) is the capital and
largest city of the Czech Republic. Other important cities include Brno (384,727),
an educational and industrial center; Ostrava (322,111), a center for metallurgical
industries; Plzen (168,422), noted for its breweries; and Olomouc (103,372), a
trade and industrial center.
Language
The official language
of the Czech Republic is Czech, a language of the West Slavic subgroup of Slavic
languages. Moravians speak a form of Czech that differs slightly from the form
spoken in Bohemia. Slovaks speak Slovak, a language closely related to Czech.
Members of other ethnic groups generally speak Czech in addition to their own
native languages.
Religion
The principal religion of the Czech
Republic is Christianity. Approximately 40 percent of the population is Roman
Catholic. Protestant denominations account for about 3 percent of the population.
About 5 percent of people in the Czech Republic are athiest. Many of those who
identify as members of religious organizations do not practice their religion
actively.
Prior to World War II (1939-1945), the country had a large Jewish
population. Most of the Jews died in the Holocaust, the Nazi campaign to exterminate
the Jews of Europe. There are currently between 15,000 and 18,000 Jews living
in the Czech Republic; the Jewish population is centered in Prague.
 Recent
Developments
In November 1997 Václav Klaus and his cabinet were
forced to resign amid a campaign finance scandal, and a caretaker administration
was appointed to lead the government until parliamentary elections could be held
in June. President Havel was reelected in January 1998 to a second five-year term.
Havel, who had earned enemies with his public criticism of Klaus, won by a narrow
margin in parliament.
The Social Democrats emerged as the largest party
following parliamentary elections in June 1998, winning 32 percent of the seats.
Miloš Zeman, chairman of the Social Democrats, was appointed prime minister
and formed a minority government after promising key parliamentary posts to Klaus’s
Civic Democrats, who won the second-largest number of seats. In June 2002 parliamentary
elections the Social Democrats again emerged as the largest party, this time claiming
30 percent of the seats. Vladimir Spidla, who took over leadership of the Social
Democrats following Zeman’s decision to retire, was appointed prime minister.
Spidla’s Social Democrats formed a coalition government with the center-right
Coalition, an electoral alliance of the Christian-Democratic Union-Czech People’s
Party and the Freedom Union.
In February 2003 Klaus was elected president
of the Czech Republic by the national parliament. Klaus succeeded Havel, who was
barred by the constitution from seeking a third term in office. The vote revealed
deep rifts within the Social Democrat-led government, which failed in two previous
votes, held in January, to elect their own candidate to the presidency. Klaus
was narrowly elected with 142 votes in the 181-seat parliament, just one vote
more than he needed for a majority.
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