The Czech Republic

© Lenka Lexová

INTRODUCTION

it's located in Central Europe it borders on Poland in the northeast, on

Germany in the west and northwest, on Austria in the south and on Slovakia in 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 has been a member of NATO since 1999 and of the European Union since 2004

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GEOGRAPHY the landscape is quite varied Bohemia consists of a basin drained by the Elbe and the

Vltava river. The country is surrounded by mostly low mountains, such as the Krkonoše range, Šumava, Jeseníky, Beskydy

on the river Vltava there are important damps and power stations (Slapy, Orlík)

national parks – Český ráj, Krkonoše, Beskydy, České Švýcarsko, Šumava, Jeseníky etc.

Třeboňsko – manmade ponds the climate is mild continental, with relatively hot

summers and cold, cloudy and snowy winters

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POPULATION

Czech, Moravian and Silesian (94.24%) minorities are: Slovaks (1.89%); Poles (0.51%);

Germans (0.38%); Ukrainians (0.22%); Vietnamese (0.17%); Hungarians (0.14%); Russians (0.12%); Romani (0.11%); Bulgarians (0.04%); and Greeks (0.03%)

more than 200,000 Romani people 59% of the country is atheist or non-believer,

26.8% is Roman Catholic and 2.5% is Protestant

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POLITICAL SYSTEM

it is parliamentary democratic country the Prime Minister is the head of

government the Parliament has two parts: the Chamber

of Deputies and the Senate the President is elected for a five-year term,

he is a formal head of state the Czech armed forces consist of the Army

and Air Force

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REGIONS Since 2000, the Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regionsPrague, the capital cityCentral Bohemian Region - PragueSouth Bohemian Region - Budějovice Plzeň Region - PlzeňKarlovy Vary Region - Karlovy Vary Ústí nad Labem Region - Ústí nad Labem  Liberec Region - Liberec  Hradec Králové Region - Hradec Králové  Pardubice Region - Pardubice  Olomouc Region - OlomoucMoravian-Silesian Region - Ostrava South Moravian Region - Brno  Zlín Region - ZlínVysočina Region - Jihlava

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ECONOMY most of the economy services have been privatised,

including banks and telecommunications industries - heavy and general machine-building,

iron and steel production, metalworking, chemical production, electronics, textiles, glass, brewing, china, ceramics, and pharmaceuticals

agricultural products - sugarbeets, potatoes, wheat, and hops; cattle, poultry, pigs and sheep

services – banking, communication, trade the river Elbe is important for homeland and foreign

cargo shipping

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ŠKODA CAR MLADÁ BOLESLAV

Škoda Auto is one of the largest car manufacturers in Central Europe. In 2007, 630,032 cars were sold worldwide, a record for the company.

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CZECH BEER

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TRANSPORT Ruzyně International Airport – it´s one of the

busiest airports in Central Europe. In total, Czech Republic has 46 airports with paved runways, six of which provide international air services.

České dráhy is the main railway operator in the Czech Republic, it transports cargo and passangers.

Czech motorways

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HISTORY since the 3rd century BC – Celtic tribes the first state started in 830-833 – the Great Moravian

Empire the 2nd half of the 9th century – 1305 the Přemyslid

dynasty the reign of Charles IV (1346-1378) is the Golden Age of

the Czech history the founding of Charles University in Prague in 1348

and Charles Bridge 1357 since 1526-1918 the Habsburg dynasty after WW I the Austrian-Hungarian Empire ended on 28 September 1918 first independent

Czechoslovakian Republic, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk became the president

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1939 Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia established by the German Nazis

8th May 1945 end of WW II after WW II Czechoslovakia became a Communist

country within the Eastern Bloc, nationalizing of private properties, political law suits, emigration

1968 Prague Spring - a period of democratic tendencies to change the politics

stopped on 21 August 1968 by occupation by troops of the Soviet Union and of countries of the communist Warsaw Pact

1989 the Velvet Revolution – end of communism January 1, 1993, the country peacefully split into the

independent Czech Republic and Slovakia

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TOURISM the historic city of Prague is the primary tourist

attraction most other towns in the country attract significant

numbers of tourists, but the spa towns, such as Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, are particularly popular holiday destinations

many castles and chateaux, such as Karlštejn Castle, Český Krumlov, Kost and Hluboká, Orlík or the Lednice–Valtice area

Český ráj, Šumava and Krkonoše attract visitors seeking outdoor activities

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ČESKÝ KRUMLOV

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ZOO PRAGUE

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PILSEN

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HLUBOKÁ CHATEAU

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KARLŠTEJN CASTLE

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THE VLTAVA – THE LONGEST RIVER

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SNĚŽKA – THE HIGHEST MOUTAIN

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ORLÍK CHATEAU

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ORLÍK POWER STATION

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LEDNICE CHATEAU

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UNESCO sites in ČR

Prague Český Krumlov Telč St. Jan Nepomucký Church, Žďár nad Sázavou Kutná Hora Lednice-Valtice area Holašovice – a traditional village Kroměříž Chateau and gardens Chateau area in Litomyšl the Column of the Holy Trinity in Olomouc the Jewish area in Třebíč Villa Tugendhat in Brno

Source: www.wikipedia.org, www.google.com