ōu zhōu:   
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  cháozhèng
捷克
  guó míngjié gòng guó (TheCzechRepublic, CeskaRepublika) dài CZ
   guó chéng cháng fāng xíngcháng kuān zhī wéi yóu lánbáihóng sān chéngzuǒ wéi lán děng yāo sān jiǎo xíngyòu shì liǎng xiāng děng de xíngshàng bái xià hónglánbáihóng sān shì mín huān de chuán tǒng yán jié rén de xiāng shì lǎo de wáng guózhè wáng guó hóngbái liǎng zuò wèiguó zhōng bái dài biǎo shén shèng chún jiéxiàng zhēng zhe rén mín duì píng guāng míng de zhuī qiúhóng xiàng zhēng yǒng gǎn wèi kùn nán de jīng shénxiàng zhēng rén mín wèiguó jiā de jiě fàng fán róng qiáng 'ér fèng xiàn de xiān xuè de shèng lán lái yuán lái de wéi luò shěng huī zhāng de yán
   guó huīfēn xiǎo liǎng zhǒng guó huī wéi fāng xíng dùn huīdùn miàn fēn fēnzuǒ shàng fāng yòu xià fāng wéi hóng shàng bái de shuāng wěi shīshī tóu dài jīn guānzhǎo wéi jīn huáng qián zhǎo téng dài biǎo yòu shàng fāng wéi lán shàng hóng bái xiāngjiàn de yīngdài biǎo wéi zuǒ xià fāng wéi huáng shàng tóu dài jīn guān de hēi yīngzhǎo wéi hóng xiōng qián huì yòu bái yuè shí xíng sān xíng shì fēn bié wèi yuè zhōng yāng liǎng duāndài biǎo jié bāo kuò shǐ shàng de wéi zhè méi dùn huī xíng xiàng jiē shì liǎo jié de shǐ yuān yuánxiǎo guó huī wéi dùn xíngdùn miàn wéi hóng shàng yòu tóu dài jīn guānzhǎo wéi jīn huáng qián zhǎo téng de shuāng wěi shī
   shí chā lín zhì shí jiān zǎo 1 xiǎo shí běi jīng shí jiān wǎn 7 xiǎo shí
   guó diàn huà 420
   huò jié lǎng
   yán guān fāng yán wéi jié luò xiōng bǎo jiā
   guó qìng 10 yuè 28 guó jiā zhèng yàozǒng tǒng · láo (VaclavKlaus),2 03 niányuè dāng xuǎn jié zǒng tǒngtóng niányuè xuān shì jiù zhírèn niánzǒng tuō nèi ,200 nián yuè rèn zhí,200 niányuè zài rèn zhí
  
   rán
     jié gòng guó yuán shǔ jié luò lián bāng gòng guóshì 'ōu zhōu zhōng de nèi guó jiādōng lián luò nán jiē 'ào běi lín lán guó xiāng línmiàn 866 píng fāng gōng zhōng miàn : 77276 píng fāng gōng shuǐ miàn : 1590 píng fāng gōng yóu wéi fēn chéng chù zài sān miàn lóng de biān xíng pén féi běi yòu 'ěr nuò xiè shānnán yòu shū shāndōng dōng nán wéi píng jūn hǎi 500 héng600 de jié héng wéi gāo yuánpén nèi fēn zài hǎi 500 xiàyòu bèi píng yuán 'ěr sēn pén è 'ěr shì shān pén nán jié zhǎo dài 'ěr zuì chángliú jīng běi yuán jié de bèi tōng hángdōng héng 'ào shàng yóu shì jié pén luò shān zhī jiān dàichēng wéi héng 'ào zǒu láng shì běi 'ōu nán 'ōu zhī jiān tōng shāng yào dàoquán guó qiū líng sēn lín fēng jǐng xiù guó fēn wéi liǎng wéi wèi bàn de gāo lìng wéi wèi dōng bàn de 'ěr qiān shān yóu liè dōng zǒu xiàng shān mài chéngzuì gāo diǎn shì hǎi wéi2655 de 'ěr huò fēng。   jìng nèi gāo qiū líng pén xiāngjiànbiān jìng duō shān tái shān de niè shān( Snezka), hǎi 1602 jìng nèi zuì hǎi Elbe : 115 hòu wēn nián jiàng shuǐ liàng píng yuán 450-600 háo shān 1200-1600 háo yòu hùn jiāo lín zhēn línkuàng chǎn yòu méitiěqiānxīnyínyóu děngzài 'ěr shàng jiàn yòu xíng shuǐ diàn zhàn
  
   rén kǒu
     10241138 rén (2005 nián 7 yuè)。 zhù yào mín wéi jié zhàn yuán lián bāng gòng guó zǒng rén kǒu de81 mín yòu wéi (13.2%)、 luò zhì shǎo liàng de lán děngguān fāng yán wéi jié zhù yào zōng jiào shì luó tiān zhù jiào
  
   shǒu
     ( Prague), miàn píng fāng gōng rén kǒu117 wàn rén(2004 nián )。 zuì diǎn hǎi 190 zuì gāo diǎn380 hòu yòu diǎn xíng de zhōng xíng zhēngpíng jūn wēnyuè fèn wéi19.5 ,1 yuè fèn wéi 0.5℃。 zhù yào chéng shì   zhù yào chéng shì hái yòu 'ěr sēn 'ěr nuòé děng
  
   shǐ
     zhù mín wéi kǎi 'ěr réngōng yuán chū bèi 'ěr màn màn rén dài。 5 6 shì rén qiān zhì jié luò 。 623 nián (SLOVANE) luò lián méng gōng guó xíng chéngchéng wéi shǐ shàng wáng guó。 830 nián jiàn wéi (VELKAMORAVIA) gōng guó。 9 shì ~ 10 shì shàng bàn guó jiě měi (PŘEMYSLOVCI) jiā chéng wéi zhōng xīn de jié gōng guó。   1086 nián zhì guó wáng shén shèng luó guó huáng hēng shì shòu jié wáng gōng 'èr shì (vradislav2) guó wáng chēng hào hòu jié gōng guó chén shén shèng luó guó。 12 shì hòu bàn gōng guó gǎi chēng jié wáng guó。 1306 niánshén shèng luó guó sēn bǎo wáng cháo hēng shì zhī yuē hàn jié wáng wèi chéng rén 'ài qiàn (ELIŽKA) wéi yuē hàn chéng wéi jié guó wáng hòu sēn bǎo jiā dài měi (PŘEMYSLOVCI) jiā yōng yòu jié tǒng zhì quán。 1346 nián chá shì (KAREL1) dēng , 1355 nián chá shì (KAREL4) shēn fèn jiē guǎn shén shèng luó guó (PRAHA) chéng wéi guó tǒng zhì zhōng xīn。 15 shì chū (BOHEMIA) shèng xíng (JANHUSA) lǐng dǎo de dài yòu mín zhù cǎi de zōng jiào gǎi yùn dòng。 1415 nián bèi jiào huì jiào zuì míng chù huǒ xíng 'ér hòuyǐn bào jié fǎn kàng luó jiào tíng zhì guì fēng jiàn tǒng zhì de mìng yùn dòng。   luó jiào huáng lián 'ōu zhōu fēng jiàn shì zài 1420~ 1431 nián jiān zhì liǎo 'ōu zhōu shí jūn (KŘIŽACI) duì gāi yùn dòng jìn xíng zhēng tǎo。 1526 niánshēn wéi tiān zhù jiào de 'ào bǎo jiā chéng yuánào huáng fěi nán dāng xuǎn wéi zhōng 'ōu duō mín guó jiā guó wángjié mín luò mín lún wéi bèi mín 。 1867 nián hòu chǔyú 'ào xiōng guó tǒng zhì zhī xià。   shì jiè zhàn hòu 'ào xiōng guó jiě jié luò lián , 1918 nián 10 yuè 28 chéng jié luò shè huì zhù gòng guó (Československásocialistickárepublika,ČSSR)。 1938 nián 9 yuèyīng tóng qiān dìng hēi xié dìng》, jié luò bèi jiāng tái ràng gěi guó。 1939 nián 3 yuè guó zhàn lǐng jié luò quán jìngjié wéi chéng wéi guó de bǎo guó。 1945 nián 4 yuè gòng chǎn dǎng wéi zhù yào lǐng dǎo zhě de jié luò mín zhèn xiàn lián zhèng chéng 。 5 yuè 9 mín zhòng zài lián hóng jūn bāng zhù xià jiě fàng jié luò quán jìng。 1948 nián 5 yuè 9 chéng jié luò rén mín mín zhù gòng guó 'ěr dāng xuǎn wéi zǒng tǒng。 1960 nián 7 yuè 11 gǎi guó míng wéi jié luò shè huì zhù gòng guó qiē (DUBČECH) chū rèn jié gòng shū bìng kāi shǐ liè gǎi 。 1968 nián 8 yuè 21 huá shā gōng yuē zhì chéng yuán xiōngbǎomín zhù guó 5 guó chū dòng 50 wàn jūn qīn jié luò 。 1969 nián 4 yuè chū rèn jié gòng shū , 1975 nián rèn zǒng tǒng。 1989 nián 11 yuè jié zhèng shēng biàn。 12 yuè 29 gōng mín lùn tán zhèng quán tiān 'é róng mìng lǐng dǎo rénzuò jiā wéi 'ěr (HAVEL) dāng xuǎn lín shí zǒng tǒngjié gòng shī zhí zhèng dǎng wèi。 1990 nián 3 yuè gǎi guó míng wéi jié luò lián bāng gòng guó, 4 yuè gǎi chēng jié luò lián bāng gòng guó。   1992 nián 6 yuè xíng shǒu yóu xuǎn gōng mín mín zhù dǎng zhēng mín zhù luò yùn dòng fēn bié zài jié luò zhí zhèng。 11 yuèliǎng gòng guó lǐng dǎo rén jīng guò tán pàntóng jié luò fēn lián bāng huì tōng guò liǎo lián bāng jiě 。 12 yuè 31 lián bāng jiě 。 1993 nián 1 yuè 1 jié gòng guó chéng wéi de zhù quán guó jiā · wéi 'ěr 1 yuè 20 dāng xuǎn wéi jié gòng guó zǒng tǒng。   1996 nián 6 yuèjié xíng hòu shǒu huì xuǎn láo rèn zǒng shè huì mín zhù dǎng zhù màn dān rèn huì zhòng yuàn zhù
  
   zhèng zhì
    1992 nián12 yuè16 jié mín huì tōng guò xiàn xiàn què jié gòng guó shì zhù quántǒng mín zhù zhì de guó jiāxiàn guī dìng quán guī huì huì yóu cān yuàn zhòng yuàn chénggòng guó zǒng tǒng wèiguó jiā yuán shǒuyóu huì liǎng yuàn lián huì xuǎn chǎn shēng huò bàn shàng duō shù piào cái néng dāng xuǎnzǒng tǒng nián mǎn40 suìrèn niánzuì duō lián rèn liǎng jièzhèng wéi zuì gāo xíng zhèng quán gòuduì zhòng yuàn zhòng yuàn yòu quán duì zhèng biǎo shì xìn rèn huò xìn rèn yuàn dài biǎo gòng guó zhí xíng quángòng guó shè xiàn yuànwéi zhìxiàn yuàn yóu15 míng guān chéng guān rèn 10 niányóu zǒng tǒng rèn mìngbìng jīng cān yuàn tóng
  
   jīng
     jié yuán wéi 'ào xiōng guó de gōng ,70% de gōng zhōng zài xiè zhì zào zhǒng chuángdòng shè bèichuán chēdiàn chēzhá gāng shè bèijūn gōngqīng fǎng wéi zhùhuà xué gōng jiào fǎng zhìzhì xié jiǔ niàng zào jūn wén míng shìgōng chǔ xióng hòuèr zhàn hòugǎi biàn liǎo yuán lái de gōng jié gòuzhòng diǎn zhǎn gāng tiězhòng xíng xiè gōng gōng zài guó mín shēng chǎn zǒng zhí zhōng de zhòng zhàn40%(1999 nián)。 jié shì jiǔ shēng chǎn xiāo fèi guó chū kǒu de zhù yào duì xiàng shì luò lán guóào měi guó。1996 nián jiǔ zǒng chǎn liàng 18.3 shēng。1999 nián jié rén jūn jiǔ xiāo fèi liàng dào161.1 shēng jiǔ xiāo fèi guó guó duō30 shēng rén jūn jiǔ xiāo fèi liángjìjié lián nián wèi shì jiè bǎng shǒutōng xùn zhǎn xùn ,1998 nián dòng diàn huà shuài jiē jìn10%, dòng diàn huà yòng 93 wàngǎn chāo liǎo mǒu xiē fāng guó jiā。   huò míng chēngjié lǎng( CzechKoruna)。 gōng nóng    gōng rán liào dòng jīnhuà gōng xiè zhì zàoqīng gōngshí pǐnfǎng zhì jiǔ niàng zàozhì xié táo wéi zhùnóng chǎn pǐn yòu mài lèitián cài líng shǔ jiǔ huāshuǐ guǒ děng ròu chù yǎng qín jiào jiāo tōng gōng tiě háng kōng yùn shū wéi zhùgōng zǒng cháng 55432 gōng zhōng gāo gōng 499 gōng yùn liàng zǒng 4.34 rén huò yùn liàng zǒng 4.39 dūntiě zǒng cháng 9444 gōng zhōng xiàn 1929 gōng diàn huà tiě 2843 gōng yùn liàng zǒng 1.9 rén huò yùn liàng zǒng 9722 wàn dūnshuǐ yùnnèi háng dào 303 gōng huò yùn liàng zǒng 159.4 wàn dūnkōng yùn: 2001 nián fēi xíng zǒng shù 57074 guó háng xiàn fēi xíng 6312.1 wàn gōng yùn liàng zǒng 394.6 wàn rén huò yùn liàng zǒng 16079 dūnzài 'ěr nuò shì fēn bié yòu chǎngshǒu chǎng shì guó chǎng
  
   jūn shì
     jié luò 1993 niányuè hòuyuán lián bāng guó jiā jūn duì zhuāng bèi 'àn2 :1 fēn pèizǒng tǒng shì jūn duì zuì gāo tǒng shuài。2004 niányuèjié zhòng yuàn tōng guò liǎo zhèng guān xiāo bīng zhì de 'àn 'ér dài zhī de shì zhí huà jūn duìgēn zhèng 'àncóng2005 nián nián chū jié jūn duì shí xiàn quán miàn zhí huàzuì hòu bīng jiāng 2004 nián12 yuè22 kāi duì bīng zhì jiāng 2004 nián12 yuè31 jié shù hòuzhǐ yòu zài guó jiā miàn lín wēi xié huò chǔyú zhàn zhēng zhuàng tài shíjié mín zhòng cái néng bèi yào qiú xíng bīng zhè xiàng 'àn jīng jié zǒng tǒng qiān hòu shēng xiào
  
   wài jiāo
  
     1993 nián hòu fèng xíngfǎn huí 'ōu zhōude duì wài zhèng zhòng diǎn zhǎn tóng měi děng fāng guó jiā de guān zhòng shì jiā qiáng tóng lánào luò děng lín guó de guān bìng zhù běn wài de guó jiā zhǎn jīng guān 。   zhōng guó guān :1993 niányuèzhōng guó chéng rèn jié gòng guó wéi guó jiā bìng jiàn shǐ wài jiāo guān
  
  
  
   yán :
  
  
  
   jié
   jié shǐ yòng rén shù jìn qiān bǎi wàn rénshǔ zhī de nán fēn zhīzǎo jié jìng nèi tōng xíng jiào huì dīng huò shí sān shì xià bàn shí kāi shǐ chū xiàn zhēn zhèng de jié wén xiànshí shì chū zōng jiào gǎi yùn dòng de tóng shí diàn dìng liǎo jié de pīn yīn guī duì shǐ yòng dīng pīn xiě de chǎn shēng zhòng yǐng xiǎngjié céng shì yuán jié luò de zhù yào guān fāng yán luò tōng
  
   xiàn jīn jié shǐ yòng shí 'èr zhōng yòu shí yuán yīn èr shí yīn shuāng fèn zài dīng shàng jiā hàofāng yán yòu sān fāng yánzhōng jié fāng yán fāng yán lāi fāng yán wéi guò fāng yán biāo zhǔn zhōng jié fāng yán wéi chǔyīn wèi yòu sān shí bāo hán shí yuán yīn 'èr shí yīnér yīn zhōng yòu sān chōng zuò yuán yīn de chéng jié yīnzhòng yīn dìng luò zài yīn jié shàng bǎo yòu


  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 north, 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.
  
  The Czech lands were under Habsburg rule from 1526, later becoming part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. The independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created 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 liberation of major part of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army, the Communist party gained the majority in 1946 elections. Following a coup in 1948, Czechoslovakia became a Communist-ruled state. Prague Spring of 1968, an attempt at reformation of the Communist regime, ended by invasion of armies of Warsaw Pact countries which didn't leave until after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. On January 1, 1993 the country peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
  
  The Czech Republic made economic reforms such as massive 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. The Czech Republic also ranks best compared to the former Comecon countries in the Human Development Index.
  
  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.
  
  After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the Czech portion found itself without a common single-word name in English. In 1993, The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested the name Czechia as an official alternative in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions; however, this has not become widely used--though other languages have single-word names, e.g. Tschechien in German, and Czechy in Polish. The official website of the Czech Republic (www.czech.cz) run by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not use the name Czechia as of 2005. Its Czech equivalent is Česko.
  
  History
  
  Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlement in the area dating back to the Neolithic era. In the classical era, from the 3rd century BC Celtic migrations, the Boii (see Bohemia) and later in the 1st century Germanic tribes of Marcomanni and Quadi settled there. During the Migration Period around the 5th century, many Germanic tribes moved westwards and southwards out of Central Europe. In an equally significant migration, Slavic people from the Black Sea and Carpathian regions settled in the area (a movement that was also stimulated by the onslaught of peoples from Siberia and Eastern Europe: Huns, Avars, Bulgars and Magyars). Following in the Germans' wake, they moved southwards into Bohemia, Moravia, and some of present day Austria. During the 7th century the Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe. The Moravian principality arose in the 8th century (see Great Moravia). The Bohemian or Czech state emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the Přemyslid dynasty. The kingdom of Bohemia was a significant regional power during the Middle Ages. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire during the entire existence of this confederation.
  
  Religious conflicts such as the 15th century Hussite Wars and the 17th century Thirty Years' War had a devastating effect on the local population. From the 16th century, Bohemia came increasingly under Habsburg control as the Habsburgs became first the elected and then hereditary rulers of Bohemia. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of Austrian Empire and later of Austria-Hungary.
  
  From Independence to World War 2
  Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, the independent republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. This new country incorporated regions of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia (known as Subcarpathian Rus at the time) with significant German, Hungarian, Polish and Ruthenian speaking minorities. Although Czechoslovakia was a unitary state, it provided what was at the time rather extensive rights to its minorities. However, it did not grant its minorities any territorial political autonomy, which resulted in discontent and strong support among some of the minorities to break away from Czechoslovakia. Adolf Hitler used the opportunity and, supported by Konrad Henlein's Sudeten German National Socialist Party, gained the largely German speaking Sudetenland through the 1938 Munich Agreement. Poland occupied Polish inhabited areas around Český Těšín. Hungary gained parts of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus as a result of the First Vienna Award in November 1938.
  
  Kutná HoraSlovakia and Subcarpathian Rus gained greater autonomy, with the state renamed to "Czecho-Slovakia" (The Second Republic; see Occupation of Czechoslovakia). Slovakia seceded in March 1939 and allied itself with Hitler's coalition. The remaining Czech territory was occupied by Germany, transformed it into the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The Protectorate was proclaimed part of the Third Reich, and President and Prime Minister were subordinate to the Nazi Reichsprotektor ("imperial protector"). Subcarpathian Rus declared independence as the Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine on 15 March 1939 but was invaded by Hungary the same day and formally annexed on 16 March. Approximately 390,000 Czechoslovak citizens, including 83,000 Jews, were killed or executed, and hundreds of thousands of others were sent to prisons and concentration camps or as forced labour. A Nazi concentration camp existed at Terezin to the north of Prague. There was Czech resistance to Nazi occupation both home and abroad, most notably with the assassination of leading Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich in Prague suburbs on May 27, 1942. The Czechoslovak government-in-exile and its army fighting against the Germans were acknowledged by Allies (Czechoslovak troops fought in Great Britain, North Africa, Middle East and Soviet Union). The occupation ended on 9 May 1945 with the arrival of Soviet and American armies and the Prague uprising.
  
  In 1945-46 almost the entire German minority of Czechoslovakia, about 2.7 million people, were expelled to Germany and Austria. During this time, thousands of Germans were held in prisons, detention camps, and used as forced labour. In the summer of 1945, there were several massacres. Only 250,000 Germans who had been active in the resistance against the Nazis or were necessary for the economy were not expelled, though many of them emigrated later. Following a Soviet-organised referendum, the Subcarpathian Rus has never returned under Czechoslovak rule and became part of the Ukrainian SSR, as the Zakarpattia Oblast in 1946.
  
  Communist era
  Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia rapidly increased in popularity, particularly because of a general disappointment with the West (due to the pre-war Munich Agreement) and a favourable popular attitude towards the Soviet Union (due to the Soviets' role in liberating Czechoslovakia from German rule). In the 1946 elections, with 38% of the votes, the Communists became the largest party in the Czechoslovak parliament. They formed a coalition government with other parties of the National Front, and moved quickly to consolidate power. The decisive step took place in February 1948. During a series of events characterized by Communists as a "revolution" and by anti-Communists as a "takeover", the Communist People's Militias secured control of key locations in Prague, and a new, all-Communist government was formed.
  
  For the next forty-one years, Czechoslovakia was a Communist state within the eastern bloc (see Czechoslovakia: 1948-1989). This period was marked by a variety of social developments. The Communist government completely nationalized the means of production and established a command economy. The economy grew rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s, but slowed down in the 1970s with increasing problems during the 1980s. The political climate was highly repressive during the 1950s (including numerous show trials), but became more open and tolerant in the 1960s, culminating in Alexander Dubček's leadership in the 1968 Prague Spring that tried to create "socialism with a human face" and perhaps even introduce political pluralism. This was forcibly ended by 21 August 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. From then until 1989, the political establishment returned to censorship of opposition, though using more "carrot" than "whip" policy to ensure the populace's passivity.
  
  Modern era
  In November 1989, Czechoslovakia returned to democracy through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution". However, Slovak national aspirations strengthened until on January 1, 1993, the country peacefully split into the independent Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both countries went through economic reforms and privatisations, with the intention of creating a market economy.
  
  From 1991 the Czech Republic (originally as part of Czechoslovakia, and now in its own right) has been a member of the Visegrad Group and from 1995 of the OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on March 12, 1999 and the European Union on May 1, 2004.
  
  Geography
  
  The Czech landscape is quite varied. Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Elbe (Czech: Labe) and the Vltava rivers, and surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Krkonoše range of the Sudetes. The highest point in the country, Sněžka, at 1,602 m (5,262 ft), is located here. Moravia, the eastern part of the country, is also quite hilly. It is drained mainly by the Morava River, but it also contains the source of the Oder (Czech: Odra) River. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The Czech Republic also leases the Moldauhafen, a 30,000-square-metre (7.4-acre) lot in the middle of the Hamburg Docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported downriver could be transferred to seagoing ships. The territory reverts to Germany in 2028.
  
  Phytogeographically, the Czech Republic belongs to the Central European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of the Czech Republic can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the Central European mixed forests, Pannonian mixed forests, Western European broadleaf forests and Carpathian montane conifer forests.
  
  Weather and climate
  The Czech Republic has a temperate, continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow. Most rains are during the summer. The temperature difference between summers and winters is relatively high due to its landlocked geographical position.
  
  Even within the Czech Republic, temperatures vary greatly depending on the elevation. In general, at higher altitudes the temperatures decrease and precipitation increases. Another important factor is the distribution of the mountains. Therefore the climate is quite varied.
  
  At the highest peak (Sněžka, 1,602 m/5,260 ft) the average temperature is only −0.4 °C (31 °F), whereas in the lowlands of South Moravia, the average temperature is as high as 10 °C (50 °F). This also applies for the country's capital Prague, but this is due to urban factors.
  
  The coldest month is usually January followed by February and December. During these months there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes in the major cities and lowlands. During March, April and May, the temperature usually increases rapidly and especially during April the temperature and weather tends to vary widely during the day. Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers due to melting snow followed by floods at times.
  
  The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, the summer temperatures are about 20 °C (68 °F) higher than during winter. Especially in the last decade,[citation needed] temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) are not unusual. Summer is also characterized by rain and storms.
  
  Autumn generally begins in September, which is still relatively warm, but much drier. During October, temperatures usually fall back under 15° or 10°C (59° or 50°F) and deciduous trees begin to shed their leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.
  
  Demographics
  
  Population
  Population of the Czech lands Year Total Change Year Total Change
  1857 7,016,531 — 1930 10,674,386 6.6%
  1869 7,617,230 8.6% 1950 8,896,133 -16.7%
  1880 8,222,013 7.9% 1961 9,571,531 7.6%
  1890 8,665,421 5.4% 1970 9,807,697 2.5%
  1900 9,372,214 8.2% 1980 10,291,927 4.9%
  1910 10,078,637 7.5% 1991 10,302,215 0.1%
  1921 10,009,587 -0.7% 2001 10,230,060 -0.7%
  The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (94.2%). Significant minorities include the Slovaks (1.9%), Poles (0.5%), Vietnamese (0.44%) Germans (0.4%), and Romani.
  
  According to the Interior Ministry of the Czech Republic, there were 392,087 foreigners legally residing in the country at the end of 2007, making up 3.2% of the population, with the largest groups being Ukrainians, Slovaks and Vietnamese.
  
  Total fertility rate was low at 1.44 children born/woman. In 2007, immigration increased population by nearly 1%.
  
  Religion
  The Czech Republic, along with Estonia, has one of the least religious populations in all of Europe. According to the 2001 census, 59% of the country is agnostic, atheist, non-believer or no-organised believer, 26.8% Roman Catholic and 2.5% Protestant.
  
  According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 19% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 50% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 30% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force", the lowest rate of EU countries after Estonia with 16%.
  
  Politics
  
  Political system
  The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy, where the Prime Minister is the head of government. The Parliament is bicameral, with the Chamber of Deputies (Czech: Poslanecká sněmovna) (200 members) and the Senate (81 members).
  
  Foreign policy
  A key goal in foreign policy has been European integration.
  
  According to The Economist, the Czech Republic has earned a reputation for promoting human rights at every turn. Czech officials have pushed Europe's weight behind democrats everywhere from Myanmar to Belarus, Moldova and Cuba. Czech foreign ministry has an entire unit devoted to helping dissidents in other countries.
  
  Czech Republic is motivated by its experience of Nazi and communist oppression. Also, the country's first post-communist president Václav Havel is ex-dissident writer, who has set moral example and has attracted ex-dissidents to key government positions. For example, every March since 2003, when Fidel Castro locked up 75 political opponents, activists have set up a cage in Wenceslas Square representing a Cuban prison cell. Frequent prison uniform-wearing protesters have included names such as the foreign minister, the mayor of Prague and musical stars. Some EU officials have been irritated by Czech Republic's activism in human rights. Czech Republic and other countries stressing human rights have been in conflicts with EU countries who favor closer ties with dictatorships.
  
  Armed forces
  
  The Czech armed forces consist of the Army and Air Force and of specialized support units. In 2004, the Czech armed forces completely phased out conscription and transformed into a fully professional army and air force. The country has been a member of NATO since March 12, 1999. Defence spending is around 1.8% of GDP (2006).
  
  Regions and districts
  
  Since 2000, the Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions (Czech: kraje, singular kraj) and the capital city of Prague. Each region has its own elected Regional Assembly (krajské zastupitelstvo) and hejtman (usually translated as hetman or "president"). In Prague, their powers are executed by the city council and the mayor.
  
  The older seventy-six districts (okresy, singular okres) including three 'statutory cities' (without Prague, which had special status) were disbanded in 1999 in an administrative reform; they remain as territorial division and seats of various branches of state administration.
  
  Map of the Czech Republic with regions.(Lic. plate) Region Capital Population (2004 est.) Population (2008 est.)
  A Capital of Prague (Hlavní město Praha) 1,170,571 1,218,644
  S Central Bohemian Region (Středočeský kraj) offices located in Prague (Praha) 1,144,071 1,208,145
  C South Bohemian Region (Jihočeský kraj) České Budějovice 625,712 633,750
  P Plzeň Region (Plzeňský kraj) Pilsen (Plzeň) 549,618 562,783
  K Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj) Karlovy Vary 304,588 307,975
  U Ústí nad Labem Region (Ústecký kraj) Ústí nad Labem 822,133 833,218
  L Liberec Region (Liberecký kraj) Liberec 427,563 434,751
  H Hradec Králové Region (Královéhradecký kraj) Hradec Králové 547,296 552,850
  E Pardubice Region (Pardubický kraj) Pardubice 505,285 512,380
  M Olomouc Region (Olomoucký kraj) Olomouc 635,126 641,809
  T Moravian-Silesian Region (Moravskoslezský kraj) Ostrava 1,257,554 1,249,844
  B South Moravian Region (Jihomoravský kraj) Brno 1,123,201 1,142,013
  Z Zlín Region (Zlínský kraj) Zlín 590,706 590,828
  J Vysočina Region (Vysočina) Jihlava 517,153 514,146
  
  Economy
  
  The Czech Republic possesses a developed, high-income economy with a GDP per capita of 82% of the European Union average. One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has seen a growth of over 6% annually in the last three years. Recent growth has been led by exports to the European Union, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. However, the rate of corruption remains one of the highest among OECD countries.
  
  The public budgets remain in deficit despite strong growth of the economy in recent years. However, the 2007 deficit has been 1.58% GDP (according to EU accounting rules), far less than originally expected.
  
  Most of the economy has been privatized, including banks and telecommunications. The current right-center government plans to continue with privatization, including the energy industry and the Prague airport. It has recently agreed to the sale of a 7% stake of the energy producer ČEZ, with the sale of the Budějovický Budvar brewery also mooted.
  
  The country has fully implemented the Schengen Agreement and therefore has abolished border controls with all of its neighbours (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia) on December 21, 2007. The Czech Republic is a member of the WTO.
  
  The last Czech government had expressed a desire to adopt the euro in 2010, but the current government has postponed it due to budget deficits. An exact date has not been set up, but the Finance Ministry described adoption by 2012 as realistic if public finance reform passes. However, the most recent draft of the euro adoption plan omits giving any date.
  
  Education
  The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Czech education as the 15th best in the world, being higher than the OECD average.
  
  Transport
  Prague Airport is the main international airport. Czech Republic has 46 airports, out of which two have over 3,047 meter runaways.
  
  Energy
  In 2005, according to the Czech Statistical Office, 65.4% of electricity was produced in steam, combined, and combustion power plants (mostly coal); 30% in nuclear plants; and 4.6% from renewable sources, including hydropower. Russia (via pipelines through Ukraine) and, to a lesser extent, Norway (via pipelines through Germany) supply the Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.
  
  Communications
  
  The Czech Republic has the most Wi-Fi subscribers in the European Union. By the beginning of 2008 there was over 800 mostly local WISPs with about 350 000 subscribers in 2007. Mobile internet is quite popular. Plans based on either GPRS, EDGE, UMTS or CDMA2000 are being offered by all three mobile phone operators (T-Mobile, Vodafone, Telefonica O2) and by a data-only wireless operator U:fon. Government-owned Český Telecom slowed down broadband penetration. At the beginning of 2004, local loop unbundling began, and alternative operators started to offer ADSL (and also SDSL). This, and later privatisation of Cesky Telecom helped drive down prices. On July 1, 2006, Český Telecom was renamed to Telefónica O2 Czech Republic. As of January 2006, ADSL2+ is offered in many variants, both with data limit and without with speeds up to 10 Mbit/s. Cable internet is gaining popularity with its higher download speeds beginning at 2 Mbit/s up to 20 Mbit/s. The biggest ISP, UPC (which has bought another CATV internet provider Karneval in 2007) is providing its service in big cities (Prague, Brno, Ostrava)
  
  Tourism
  
  The Czech economy gets a substantial income from tourism: in 2001, the total earnings from tourism reached 118.13 billion CZK, making up 5.5% of GNP and 9.3% of overall export earnings. The industry employs more than 110,000 people - over 1% of the population.
  
  There are several centres of tourist activity: The historic city of Prague is the primary tourist attraction, and the city is also the most common point of entry for tourists visiting other parts of the country. Most other cities 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. Other popular tourist sites are the many castles and chateaux, such as those at Karlštejn, Konopiště and Český Krumlov. Away from the towns, areas as Český ráj, Šumava and the Krkonoše Mountains attract visitors seeking outdoor pursuits.
  
  The country is also famous for its love of puppetry and marionettes. The Pilsner style beer originated in western Bohemian city of Plzeň.
  
  Culture
  
  Cuisine
  
  Vepřo-knedlo-zelo (Roast pork with dumplings and cabbage)Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis on meat dishes. Pork is quite common, and beef and chicken are also popular. Goose, duck, rabbit and wild game are served. Fish is rare, with the occasional exception of fresh trout, and carp, which is served at Christmas.
  
  Aside from Slivovitz, Czech beer and wine, Czechs also produce two uniquely Czech liquors, Fernet Stock and Becherovka. Kofola is a non-alcoholic Czech soft drink somewhat similar in look and taste to Coca-Cola.
  
  Sport
  
  Sport plays a significant part in the life of many Czechs who are generally loyal supporters of their favourite teams or individuals. The two leading sports in the Czech Republic are football and ice hockey, both drawing the largest attention of both the media and supporters. The many other sports with professional leagues and structures include basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics, floorball and others. Sport is a source of strong waves of patriotism, usually rising several days or weeks before an event and sinking several days after. The events considered the most important by Czech fans are: the Ice Hockey World Championship, Olympic Ice hockey tournament, the Euro, the football World Cup and qualification matches for such events. In general, any international match of the Czech ice hockey or football national team draws attention, especially when played against a traditional rival: Germany in football; Russia, Sweden and Canada in ice hockey; and Slovakia in both.
  
  Music
  
  Music in the Czech Republic has roots both in high-culture opera and symphony and in the traditional music of Bohemia and Moravia. Cross-pollination and diversity are important aspects of Czech music: Composers were often influenced by traditional music; jazz and bluegrass music have become popular; pop music often consisted of English language hits sung in Czech.
  
  Literature
  
  Czech literature is the literature of the historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and the Czech-speaking part of Silesia, (now part of the Czech Republic, formerly of Czechoslovakia). This most often means literature written by Czechs, in the Czech language, although Old Church Slavonic, Latin, and German were also used, mostly in the early periods. Modern authors from the Czech territory who wrote in other languages (e.g. German) are generally considered separately, and their writing usually existed in parallel with Czech-language literature and did not interact with it. Thus Franz Kafka, for example, who wrote in German (though he also knew Czech rather well), falls within Austrian literature, though he lived his entire life in Bohemia.
  
  Czech literature is divided into several main time periods: the Middle Ages; the Hussite period; the years of re-Catholicization and the baroque; the Enlightenment and Czech reawakening in the 19th century; the avantgarde of the interwar period; the years under Communism and the Prague Spring; and the literature of the post-Communist Czech Republic. Czech literature and culture played a major role on at least two occasions when Czech society lived under oppression and no political activity was possible. On both of these occasions, in the early 19th century and then again in the 1960s, the Czechs used their cultural and literary effort to create political freedom and to establish a confident, politically aware nation.
  
  International rankings
  Human Development Index 2007: Rank 32nd out of 178 countries
  Index of Economic Freedom 2007: Rank 31st out of 157 countries
  Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2007: Rank 14th out of 169 countries
  Global Competitiveness Report 2006: Rank 29th out of 125 countries
  Democracy Index (January 2007): Ranks 18th of 167 countries (a functioning democracy along with only 27 others)
  It was also ranked as the highest alcohol-consuming nation by The Economist in 2006.
 

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