NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Czech Republic
Ceska Republika
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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, 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. Now a member of NATO, the Czech Republic has moved toward integration in world markets, a development that poses both opportunities and risks. In December 2002, the Czech Republic was invited to join the European Union (EU). It is expected that the Czech Republic will accede to the EU in 2004. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Central Europe, southeast of Germany |
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Geographic coordinates:
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49 45 N, 15 30 E |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total: 78,866 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km land: 77,276 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than South Carolina |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked) |
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Climate:
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temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
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Terrain:
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Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m |
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Natural resources:
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hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber |
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Land use:
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arable land: 40%
permanent crops: 3.04% other: 56.96% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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240 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding |
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Environment - current issues:
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air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
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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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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10,256,760 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15.7% (male 828,273; female 786,617)
15-64 years: 70.3% (male 3,605,766; female 3,603,058) 65 years and over: 14% (male 551,852; female 881,194) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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-0.07% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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5.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 74.95 years
female: 78.65 years (2002 est.) male: 71.46 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.18 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.04% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2,200 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech |
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Ethnic groups:
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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) |
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Religions:
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atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4% |
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Languages:
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Czech |
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Literacy:
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definition: NA
total population: 99.9% (1999 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |