Česká republika
Czech Republic
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 |
 |
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Flag |
Coat of arms |
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Motto: "Pravda
vítězí" (Czech)
"Truth prevails" |
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Anthem: Kde
domov můj?
(in
English: Where is My
Home?) |
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Location
of Czech Republic |
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Capital
(and largest city) |
Prague
 50°05′N,
14°28′E |
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Official languages |
Czech |
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Demonym |
Czech |
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Government |
Parliamentary republic |
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- |
President |
Václav Klaus |
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- |
Prime Minister |
Mirek Topolánek |
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Independence |
(formed 9th
century) |
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- |
from
Austria-Hungary |
October 28,
1918 |
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- |
Czechoslovakia
dissolved |
January 1,
1993 |
|
EU
accession |
May 1,
2004 |
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Area |
|
- |
Total |
78,866 km² (117th)
30,450 sq mi |
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- |
Water (%) |
2 |
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Population |
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- |
20081 estimate |
10,403,136 (78th) |
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- |
2001 census |
10,230,060 |
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- |
Density |
132/km² (77th)
341/sq mi |
|
GDP (PPP) |
2007
IMF estimate |
|
- |
Total |
$248.902
billion (39th²) |
|
- |
Per capita |
$24,236 (36th) |
|
GDP (nominal) |
2007
IMF estimate |
|
- |
Total |
$175.309
billion (39th) |
|
- |
Per capita |
$17,070 (36th) |
|
Gini (1996) |
25.4 (low) (5th) |
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HDI (2005) |
▲ 0.891 (high) (32nd) |
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Currency |
Czech koruna (CZK) |
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Time zone |
CET
(UTC+1) |
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- |
Summer (DST) |
CEST (UTC+2) |
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Internet TLD |
.cz³ |
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Calling code |
+4204 |
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The Czech Republic (IPA:
/ˈtʃɛk riˈpʌblɨk/) (Czech: Česká
republika (help·info), short
form in Czech: Česko, IPA: [ʧɛsko]),
is a landlocked country in
Central Europe and a member
state of the European Union. The
country has borders with Poland
to the northeast, Germany to the
west, Austria to the south, and
Slovakia to the east. The
capital and largest city is
Prague (Czech: Praha), a major
tourist destination. The country
is composed of the historic
regions of Bohemia and Moravia,
as well as parts of Silesia.
Following the Battle of the
White Mountain, the Czech lands
fell under the 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 (38 %)[1] in 1946
elections. In an 1948 overturn,
Czechoslovakia became a
communist-ruled state. In 1968,
the increasing dissatisfaction
has culminated in attempts to
reform the communist regime. The
events, known as Prague Spring
of 1968, had ended with a
invasion of armies of Warsaw
Pact countries, and the troops
remained in the country until
the overturn in 1989 Velvet
Revolution, when the communist
regime collapsed. On January 1,
1993 the country Czechoslovakia
peacefully split into 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
Mirek Topolánek). The Parliament
has two chambers the Chamber
of Deputies and the Senate. The
Czech Republic joined NATO in
1999 and the European Union in
2004. 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.[2]
The Czech Republic also ranks
best compared to the former
Comecon countries in the Human
Development Index.