Czechia

Czech RepublicCeska Republika

parliamentary democracyIndependence 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

Czechia as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 84 fields, one of 33 editions from 1993 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPrague
Area78,703 sq km
LocationCentral Europe, southeast of Germany
1995

Every edition of Czechia

Populationas each edition published it
10.43 million July 1995 est. · 10.39m in 1993
Population growth% a year
0.26% 1995 est. · 0.16% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 38.4 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
73.54 years 1995 est. · 72.64 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.84 children per woman 1995 est. · 1.85 in 1993
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
8.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 9.7 in 1993
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$7,350 1994 est. · $7,300 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
2.2% 1994 est. · -5% in 1993

Geography

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

14 fields
Area
78,703sq km
land area: 78,645 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none; landlocked
Land boundaries
1,880km
total · Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 214 km

Location

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Map references

Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe

International disputes

  • Liechtenstein claims restitution for l,600 square kilometers of Czech territory confiscated from its royal family in 1918;
  • Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II versus the Czech Republic claims that restitution does not preceed before February 1948 when the Communists seized power;
  • unresolved property issues with Slovakia over redistribution of property of the former Czechoslovak federal government

Climate

  • temperate;
  • cool summers;
  • cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain

two main regions: Bohemia in the west, consisting of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; and Moravia in the east, consisting of very hilly country

Natural resources

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite

Land use

arable land:
NA%
permanent crops:
NA%
meadows and pastures:
NA%
forest and woodland:
NA%
other:
NA%

Environment

current issues:
air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia centered around Zeplica and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
  • party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Note

  • 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

15 fields
Population
10,432,774
(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 0.26% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth
13.46Death
10.85Net migration
0

Ethnic divisions

Czech 94.4%Slovak 3%Polish 0.6%German 0.5%Gypsy 0.3%Hungarian 0.2%other 1%

Religions

atheist 39.8%Roman Catholic 39.2%Protestant 4.6%Orthodox 3%other 13.4%
Labor force
5.389million
by occupation: industry 37.9%, agriculture 8.1%, construction 8.8%, communications and other 45.2% (1990)
Literacy
99%
can read and write

Age structure

0-14 years:
19% (female 981,918; male 1,030,003)
15-64 years:
68% (female 3,529,411; male 3,530,112)
65 years and over:
13% (female 848,599; male 512,731) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
73.54 years
male:
69.87 years
female:
77.41 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.84 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Czech(s)
adjective:
Czech

note: 300,000 Slovaks declared themselves Czech citizens in 1994

Languages

Czech, Slovak

Government

Parliamentary democracy; President Vaclav HAVEL (since 26 January 1993); Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992)

23 fields

Legislature, 200 seatsone dot, one seat

governing coalition: ODS 65KDS 10ODA 16KDU-CSL 15,

Names

conventional long form:
Czech Republic
conventional short form:
Czech Republic
local long form:
Ceska Republika
local short form:
Cechy

Type

parliamentary democracy

Capital

Prague

Administrative divisions

8 regions (kraje, kraj - singular); Jihocesky, Jihomoravsky, Praha, Severocesky, Severomoravsky, Stredocesky, Vychodocesky, Zapadocesky

Independence

1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)

National holiday

National Liberation Day, 9 May; Founding of the Republic, 28 October

Constitution

ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • President Vaclav HAVEL (since 26 January 1993);
  • election last held 26 January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998);
  • results - Vaclav HAVEL elected by the National Council
head of government:
Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan KOCARNIK, Josef LUX, Jan KALVODA (since NA June 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral National Council (Narodni rada)

Senate

elections not yet held; seats (81 total)

Chamber of Deputies

  • elections last held 5-6 June 1992 (next to be held NA 1996);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA given breakup and realignment of all parliamentary opposition parties since 1992;
  • seats - (200 total) governing coalition:
    • ODS 65,
    • KDS 10,
    • ODA 16,
    • KDU-CSL 15,
opposition:
CSSD 18, LB 25, KSCM 10, LSU 9, LSNS 5, CMSS 9, SPR-RSC 6, independents 12

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders

governing coalition:
  • Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Vaclav KLAUS, chairman;
  • Christian Democratic Party (KDS), Ivan PILIP, chairman;
  • Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA), Jan KALVODA, chairman;
  • Christian Democratic Union/Czech People's Party (KDU-CSL), Josef LUX, chairman
opposition:
  • Czech Social Democrats (CSSD - left opposition), Milos ZEMAN, chairman;
  • Left Bloc (LB - left opposition), Marie STIBOROVA, chairman;
  • Communist Party (KSCM - left opposition), Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman;
  • Liberal Social Union (LSU - left opposition), Frantisek TRNKA, chairman;
  • Liberal National Social Party (LSNS - center party), Pavel HIRS, chairman;
  • Bohemian-Moravian Center Party (CMSS - center party), Jan KYCER, chairman;
  • Assembly for the Republic (SPR-RSC - right radical) , Miroslav SLADEK, chairman

Other political or pressure groups

Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions; Civic Movement

Member of

Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (guest), CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIL, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael ZANTOVSKY
chancery:
3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 363-6315, 6316

FAX

[1] (202) 966-8540

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador Adrian A. BASORA
embassy:
Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address:
Unit 1330; APO AE 09213-1330
telephone:
[42] (2) 2451-0847

FAX

[42] (2) 2451-1001

Flag

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

Economy

19 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$7,350
(1994 est.)
Real growth rate
2.2%
(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 4.9% (January-September 1994)
Unemployment rate
3.2%
(1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$14 billionExpenditures
$13.6 billion (1994 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

Electricity production
56.3 billionElectricity consumption per capita
4,842 (1993)

Overview

The government of the Czech Republic, using successful stabilization policies to bolster its claims to full membership in the western economic community, has reduced inflation to 10%, kept unemployment at 3%, balanced the budget, run trade surpluses, and reoriented exports to the EU since the breakup of the Czechoslovak federation on 1 January 1993.

GDP grew 2% in 1994 after stagnating in 1993 and contracting nearly 20% since 1990. Prague's mass privatization program, including its innovative distribution of ownership shares to Czech citizens via 'coupon vouchers,' has made the most rapid progress in Eastern Europe. When coupon shares are distributed in early 1995, 75%-80% of the economy will be in private hands or partially privatized, according to the Czech government.

Privatized companies still face major problems in restructuring; the number of annual bankruptcies quadrupled in 1994. In September 1994, Prague repaid $471 million in IMF loans five years ahead of schedule, making the Czech Republic the first East European country to pay off all IMF debts.

Despite these outlays, hard-currency reserves in the banking system totaled more than $8.5 billion in October. Standard & Poor's boosted the Republic's credit rating to BBB+ in mid-1994 - up from a BBB rating that was already two steps higher than Hungary's and one step above Greece's rating.

Prague forecasts a balanced budget, at least 3% GDP growth, 5% unemployment, and single-digit inflation for 1995. Inflationary pressures - primarily as a result of foreign bank lending to Czech enterprises but perhaps also due to eased currency convertibility controls - are likely to be the most troublesome issues in 1995.

Continuing economic recovery in Western Europe should boost Czech exports and production but a substantial increase in prices could erode the Republic's comparative advantage in low wages and exchange rates. Prague already took steps in 1994 to increase control over banking policies to neutralize the impact of foreign inflows on the money supply.

Although Czech unemployment is currently the lowest in Central Europe, it will probably increase 1-2 percentage points in 1995 as large state firms go bankrupt or are restructured and service sector growth slows.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $76.5 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$13.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, minerals, metals, agricultural products (January-November 1994)
partners:
Germany 28.7%, Slovakia 15.5%, Austria 7.9%, Italy 6.4%, France 3.2%, Russia 3.2%, Poland 3.1%, UK 2.9%, Netherlands 2.4%, Hungary 2.2%, US 2.1%, Belgium 1.3% (January-June 1994)

Imports

$13.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, raw materials, agricultural products (January-November 1994)
partners:
Germany 24.1%, Slovakia 15.6%, Russia 9.8%, Austria 7.6%, Italy 4.9%, France 3.6%, US 3.2%, Netherlands 2.9%, UK 2.8%, Poland 2.7%, Switzerland 2.2%, Belgium 2.0% (January-June 1994)

External debt

$8.7 billion (October 1994)

Industries

fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Agriculture

  • largely self-sufficient in food production;
  • diversified crop and livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry;
  • exporter of forest products

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe

Economic aid

donor: 1.4 million annually to IMF beginning in 1994

Currency

1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru

Exchange rates

koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 27.762 (January 1995), 28.785 (1994), 29.153 (1993), 28.26 (1992), 29.53 (1991), 17.95 (1990) note: values before 1993 reflect Czechoslovak exchange rates

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 116 in all

2
over 3,047 m
1
9
2,438 to 3,047 m
3
13
1,524 to 2,437 m
5
under 914 m
41
1,524 to 2,438 m
10
914 to 1,523 m
32
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm · (1988)

Highways
55,890Railroads
9,434
Highways: paved: NA · unpaved: NA · Railroads: (include 1.520-m broad, 1.435-m standard, and several narrow gauges)

Railroads

total: 9,434 km (include 1.520-m broad, 1.435-m standard, and several narrow gauges) (1988)

Highways

total:
55,890 km (1988)
paved:
NA
unpaved:
NA

Inland waterways

NA km; the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river

Pipelines

natural gas 5,400 km

Ports

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Merchant marine

total:
14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 181,646 GRT/282,296 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 5, cargo 9

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

NA telephones

local:
NA
intercity:
NA
international:
NA

Radio

broadcast stations:
AM, FM, shortwave
radios:
NA

Television

broadcast stations:
NA
televisions:
NA

Defense Forces

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Railroad | Units

3 fields
Defense expenditures
27billion koruny
NA% of GNP (1994 est.); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results DENMARK

Branches

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Railroad Units

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 2,753,301;
  • males fit for military service 2,095,661;
  • males reach military age (18) annually 91,177 (1995 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Czech Republic.” The World Factbook 1995. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/czechia/1995.

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