Czechia

Internet country code

.cz

Internet hosts

295,677 (2004)

Internet users

2.7 million (2003)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Telephone system

general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar

Telephones - main lines in use

3.626 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

9,708,700 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Agriculture - products

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Budget

revenues: $33.25 billion expenditures: $38.88 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Currency

Czech koruna (CZK)

Currency code

CZK

Current account balance

$-5.57 billion (2003)

Debt - external

$28 billion (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

25.4 (1996)

Economic aid - recipient

$108 million; EU structural adjustment funds (2002)

Economy - overview

One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-03 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a near doubling of foreign direct investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. High current account deficits - averaging around 5% of GDP in the last several years - could be a persistent problem. Inflation is under control. The EU put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession, which will give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatization will encourage additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks, and improvements in the financial sector, should strengthen output growth. Nonetheless, revival in the European economies remains essential to stepped-up growth.

Electricity - consumption

55.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

18.92 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

9.38 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

70.04 billion kWh (2001)

Exchange rates

koruny per US dollar - 28.209 (2003), 32.7385 (2002), 38.0353 (2001), 38.5984 (2000), 34.5692 (1999)

Exports

$46.77 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures 25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000)

Exports - partners

Germany 37.1%, Slovakia 8%, Austria 6.3%, UK 5.4%, Poland 4.8%, France 4.7%, Italy 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2003)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $161.1 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 35.5% services: 61.4% (2003)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $15,700 (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.9% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Imports

$50.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures 21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000)

Imports - partners

Germany 32.6%, Italy 5.3%, China 5.2%, Slovakia 5.2%, France 4.9%, Russia 4.6%, Austria 4.3%, Poland 4.2% (2003)

Industrial production growth rate

3.3% (2003)

Industries

metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.1% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

26% of GDP (2003)

Labor force

5.25 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

9.892 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

1 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

9.521 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

160 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

3.057 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

175,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

26,670 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

192,300 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

7,419 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

29.7% of GDP (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold

$26.8 billion (2003)

Unemployment rate

9.9% (2003)

Area

total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Environment - current issues

air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geographic coordinates

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

240 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,881 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km

Land use

arable land: 39.8% permanent crops: 3.05% other: 57.15% (2001)

Location

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

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

Administrative divisions

13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj

Capital

Prague

Constitution

ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

Country name

conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Ceska Republika

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador William J. CABANISS embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663 FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Martin PALOUS chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003) note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003 head of government: Prime Minister Stanislav GROSS (since 26 July 2004), Deputy Prime Ministers Zdenek SKROMACH (since 4 August 2004), Martin JAHN (since 4 August 2004), Pavel NEMEC (since 4 August 2004); Milan SIMONOVSKY (since 4 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held NA January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

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)

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

International organization participation

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Legal system

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 5-6 November and 12-13 November 2004 (next to be held NA November 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June 2006) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS 26, KDU-CSL 15, Open Democracy 15, CSSD 9, Caucus "Independent" 5, US-DEU 1, European Democrats 1, Greens 1, KSCM 1, independents 7; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 58, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10

National holiday

Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Political parties and leaders

Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman]; Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jaroslav ROVNY, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Stanislav GROSS, acting chairman]; European Democrats [Jan KASL]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Pavel NEMEC, chairman]; Green Party; Open Democracy

Political pressure groups and leaders

Bohemian and Moravian Trade Union Confederation [Milan STECH]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Military branches

Czech Army: Ground Forces, Air Forces, Special Forces

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1,190.2 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.1% (FY01)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 2,623,386 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 2,003,748 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - military age and obligation

18-50 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation - 12 months; conscription due to end by 2005 (January 2004)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 67,195 (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.)

Birth rate

9.1 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate

10.54 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

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)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 10 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

500 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)

Languages

Czech

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.78 years male: 72.52 years female: 79.24 years (2004 est.)

Literacy

definition: NA total population: 99.9% (1999 est.) male: NA female: NA

Median age

total: 38.6 years male: 36.9 years female: 40.5 years (2004 est.)

Nationality

noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech

Net migration rate

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Population

10,246,178 (July 2004 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.05% (2004 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.18 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Disputes - international

Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II; Austria has minor dispute with Czech Republic over the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime

Airports

120 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 44 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 76 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 48 (2004 est.)

Heliports

2 (2003 est.)

Highways

total: 55,408 km paved: 55,408 km (including 499 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000)

Pipelines

gas 7,020 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2004)

Ports and harbors

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Railways

total: 9,520 km standard gauge: 9,421 km 1.435-m gauge (2,893 km electrified) narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)

Waterways

664 km (on Elbe, Vlatava, and Oder rivers) (2004)