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NAVIGATION
Czech Republic
Ceska Republika
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic local short form: Ceska Republika local long form: Ceska Republika |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Prague |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) |
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National holiday:
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Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) |
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Constitution:
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ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003 and three rounds of balloting on 28 February 2003 head of government: Prime Minister Vladimir SPIDLA (since 12 July 2002), Deputy Prime Ministers Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 22 July 1998), Cyril SVOBODA (since July 2002), Stanislav GROSS (since July 2002), Petr MARES (since July 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister 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) 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); prime minister appointed by the president |
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Legislative branch:
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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)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS 26, KDU-CSL 14, CSSD 11, US 9, KSCM 3, independents 18; 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 elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 25-26 October and 1-2 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2004); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by NA June 2006) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Cyril SVOBODA, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS, 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 [Jan SULA, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Milos ZEMAN, chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU [Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]; Freedom Union or US [Petr MARES, chairman]; Quad Coalition [Karel KUHNL, chairman] (includes KDU-CSL, US, ODA, DEU) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions [Richard FALBR] |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Martin PALOUS
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 telephone: [1] (202) 363-6315 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON
embassy: Trziste 15, 118 #01 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663 FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583 |
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Flag description:
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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) |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Basically 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 2000-02 was led by exports to the EU, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. Uncomfortably high fiscal and current account deficits could be future problems. Unemployment is gradually declining as job creation continues in the rebounding economy. Inflation is moderate. 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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $155.9 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.6% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $15,300 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4%
industry: 41% services: 56% (2001) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 22% (1996) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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25 (1996) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.2% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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5.203 million (1999 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 5%, industry 35%, services 60% (2001 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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8.5% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $16.7 billion
expenditures: $18 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.5% (2002) |
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Electricity - production:
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69.589 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 78%
hydro: 3% other: 1% (2000) nuclear: 19% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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54.701 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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18.74 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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8.725 billion kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry |
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Exports:
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$38 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment 44%, intermediate manufactures 25%, chemicals 7%, raw materials and fuel 7% (2000) |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany 35.4%, Slovakia 7.3%, UK 5.5%, Austria 5.3%, Poland 5.2%, (2001) |
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Imports:
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$41.7 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment 40%, intermediate manufactures 21%, raw materials and fuels 13%, chemicals 11% (2000) |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 32.9%, Slovakia 6.4%, Russia 6.0%, Italy 5.8%, Austria 4.6% (2001) |
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Debt - external:
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$24.6 billion (2001) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA |
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Currency:
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Czech koruna (CZK) |
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Currency code:
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CZK |
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Exchange rates:
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koruny per US dollar - 36.325 (January 2002), 38.035 (2001), 38.598 (2000), 34.569 (1999), 32.281 (1998), 31.698 (1997) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |