The Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east.
The capital and largest city is Prague. The country is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Silesia.
The Czech Republic is a member of NATO (since 1999); and the European Union (since 2004).
As of January 1, 2009, the Czech Republic holds the EU Presidency.
Following the Battle of Mohács, the Czech lands fell under Habsburg rule from 1526, later becoming part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary.
The independent Republic of Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire after World War I.
After the Munich Agreement, German occupation of Czechoslovakia and the consequent disillusion with the Western response and
gratitude for the liberation of the major portion of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army, the Communist party won plurality in 1946 elections.
In a 1948 coup d'état, Czechoslovakia became a communist-ruled state.
In 1968, the increasing dissatisfaction culminated in attempts to reform the communist regime.
The events, known as the Prague Spring of 1968, ended with an invasion by armies of Warsaw Pact countries,
and the troops remained in the country until the overturn in 1989 by the Velvet Revolution, when the communist regime collapsed.
On January 1, 1993 Czechoslovakia peacefully dissolved into its constituent states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy.
President Václav Klaus is the current head of state.
The Prime Minister is the head of government (currently Petr Nečas).
The Parliament has two chambers — the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
It is also a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.
The Czech Republic made economic reforms such as fast privatization and flat tax.
Annual gross domestic product growth has recently been around 6%.
The country 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.[
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic
Capital city is Prague
Official languages Czech
Demonym Czech
Government Parliamentary republic
- President Václav Klaus
- Prime Minister Petr Nečas
Independence (formed cca 870)
- from Austria-Hungary October 28, 1918
- Czechoslovakia dissolved January 1, 1993
EU accession May 1, 2004
Area
- Total 78,866 km2 (116th)
30,450 sq mi
- Water (%) 2
Population
- 20081 estimate ^10,424,926 (78th)
- 2001 census 10,230,060
- Density 132/km2 (77th)
Currency Czech koruna (CZK)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .cz3
