Czechoslovakia

federal republic in transitionIndependence 28 October 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Czechoslovakia as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 76 fields, the last of 3 editions from 1990 to 1992.

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

Area127,870 km2

Populationas each edition published it

15.73 million July 1992 · 15.68m in 1990

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.9 children per woman 1992 · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

11 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 11 in 1990

Corrected. Source files these entries under Slovakia. Czechoslovakia is a separate state that dissolved in 1993. All corrections

Geography

13 fields

Total area

127,870km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than New York State

Land boundaries

3,438km

Austria 548 km, Germany 815 km, Hungary 676 km, Poland 1,309 km, Ukraine 90 km

Disputes

Gabcikovo Nagymaros Dam dispute with Hungary

Climate

temperate;
cool summers;
cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain

mixture of hills and mountains separated by plains and basins

Natural resources

hard coal, timber, lignite, uranium, magnesite, iron ore, copper, zinc

Land use

arable land 37%;
permanent crops 1%;
meadows and pastures 13%;
forest and woodland 36%;
other 13%;
includes irrigated 1%

Environment

infrequent earthquakes;
acid rain;
water pollution;
air pollution

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

14 fields

Population

15,725,680

(July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

13Death

Ethnic divisions

Czech 62.9%Slovak 31.8%Hungarian 3.8%Polish 0.5%German 0.3%Ukrainian 0.3%Russian 0.1%other 0.3%

Religions

Roman Catholic 50%Protestant 20%Orthodox 2%other 28%

Labor force

8,200,000

(1987); industry 36.9%, agriculture 12.3%, construction, communications, and other 50.8% (1982)

Literacy

99%

(male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)

Nationality

noun - Czechoslovak(s); adjective - Czechoslovak

Organized labor

Czech and Slovak Confederation of Trade Unions (CSKOS); several new independent trade unions established

Government

Federal republic in transition

20 fields

Administrative divisions

2 republics (republiky, singular - republika);
Czech Republic (Ceska Republika), Slovak Republic (Slovenska Republika);
note - 11 regions (kraj, singular);
Severocesky, Zapadocesky, Jihocesky, Vychodocesky, Praha, Severomoravsky, Jihomoravsky, Bratislava, Zapadoslovensky, Stredoslovensky, Vychodoslovensky

Independence

28 October 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Constitution

11 July 1960;
amended in 1968 and 1970;
new Czech, Slovak, and federal constitutions to be drafted in 1992

Legal system

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, modified by Communist legal theory;
constitutional court currently being established;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction;
legal code in process of modification to bring it in line with Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

National holiday

National Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) and Founding of the Republic, 28 October (1918)

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Assembly (Federalni Shromazdeni) consists of an upper house or Chamber of Nations (Snemovna Narodu) and a lower house or Chamber of the People (Snemovna Lidu)

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Vaclav HAVEL; (interim president from 29 December 1989 and president since 5 July 1990)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Marian CALFA (since 10 December 1989);
Deputy Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since 3 October 1991);
Deputy Prime Minister Jiri DIENSTBIER (since 28 June 1990);
Deputy Prime Minister Jozef MIKLOSKO (since 28 June 1990);
Deputy Prime Minister Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 28 June 1990);
Deputy Prime Minister Pavel HOFFMAN (since 3 October 1991);
note - generally, "prime minister" is used at the federal level, "premier" at the republic level;
Czech Premier - Petr PITHART;
Slovak Premier - Jan CARNOGVRSKY

Political parties and leaders

note - there are very few federation-wide parties;
party affiliation is indicted as Czech (C) or Slovak (S);
Civic Democratic Party, Vaclav KLAUS, chairman, (C/S);
Civic Movement, Jiri DIENSTBIER, chairman, (C);
Civic Democratic Alliance, Jan KALVODA, chairman;
Christian Democratic Union Public Against Violence, Martin PORUBJAK, chairman, (S);
Christian Democratic Party, Vaclav BENDA, (C);
Christian Democratic Movement, Jan CARNOGURSKY,(S);
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, Juri SVOBODA, chairman;
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, Vladimir MECIAR, chairman - removed from power in November 1989 by massive antiregime demonstrations;
Czechoslovak Social Democracy, Jiri HORAK, chairman, (C);
Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Ladislav DVORAK, chairman, (C)(S);
Movement for Self-Governing Democracy Society for Moravia and Silesia, Jan KRYCER, chairman, (C);
Party of the Democratic Left, Peter WEISS, chairman (Slovakia's renamed Communists) (S);
Slovak National Party, Jozef PROKES, chairman, (S);
Democratic Party, Jan HOLCIK, chairman, (S);
Coexistence, (C)(S)

Elections

Federal Assembly:: last held 8-9 June 1990 (next to be held 5-6 June 1992);
results - Civic Forum/Public Against Violence coalition 46%, KSC 13.6%;
seats - (300 total) Civic Forum/Public Against Violence coalition 170, KSC 47, Christian and Democratic Union/Christian Democratic Movement 40, Czech, Slovak, Moravian, and Hungarian groups 43
President:: last held 5 July 1990 (next to be held 3 July 1992); results - Vaclav HAVEL elected by the Federal Assembly

Communists

760,000 party members (September 1990); about 1,000,000 members lost since November 1989

Other political or pressure groups

Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Czechoslovak People's Party, Czechoslovak Social Democracy, Slovak Nationalist Party, Slovak Revival Party, Christian Democratic Party;
over 80 registered political groups fielded candidates in the 8-9 June 1990 legislative election

BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EC (associate) ECE, FAO, GATT, HG, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFCTU, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, NSG, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Rita KLIMOVA;
Chancery at 3900 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008;
telephone (202) 363-6315 or 6316

US:: Ambassador Shirley Temple BLACK;
Embassy at Trziste 15, 125 48, Prague 1 (mailing address is Unit 25402; APO AE 09213-5630);
telephone [42] (2) 536-641/6;
FAX [42] (2) 532-457

Flag

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Czechoslovakia is highly industrialized by East European standards and has a | well-educated and skilled labor force.

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

52%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

6.7%

officially · (1991 est.)

External debt

$9.1billion

hard currency indebtedness (December 1991)

Budget

Revenues

$4.5 billionExpenditures

$4.5 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $200 million (1992)

Overview

Czechoslovakia is highly industrialized by East European standards and has a well-educated and skilled labor force. GDP per capita has been the highest in Eastern Europe. Annual GDP growth slowed to less than 1 percent during the 1985-90 period. The country is deficient in energy and in many raw materials. Moreover, its aging capital plant lags well behind West European standards. In January 1991, Prague launched a sweeping program to convert its almost entirely state-owned and controlled economy to a market system. The koruna now enjoys almost full internal convertibility and over 90% of prices are set by the market. The government is planning to privatize all small businesses and roughly two-thirds of large enterprises by the end of 1993. New private-sector activity is also expanding. Agriculture - 95% socialized - is to be privatized by the end of 1992. Reform has taken its; toll on the economy: inflation was roughly 50% in 1991, unemployment was nearly 70%, and GDP dropped an estimated 15%. In 1992 the government is anticipating inflation of 10-15%, unemployment of 11-12%, and a drop in GDP of up to 8%. As of mid-1992, the nation appears to be splitting in two - into the industrial Czech area and the more agarian Slovak area.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $108.9 billion, per capita $6,900; real growth rate -15% (1991 est.)

Exports

$12.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: machinery and equipment 39.2%;
fuels, minerals, and metals 8.1%;
agricultural and forestry products 6.2%, other 46.5%
partners:: USSR, Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Italy, France, US, UK

Imports

$13.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: machinery and equipment 37.3%;
fuels, minerals, and metals 22.6%;
agricultural and forestry products 7.0%;
other 33.1%
partners:: USSR, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, UK, Italy

Industrial production

growth rate -22% (1991 est.); accounts for almost 60% of GNP

Electricity

23,000,000 kW capacity; 90,000 million kWh produced, 5,740 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries

iron and steel, machinery and equipment, cement, sheet glass, motor vehicles, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood, paper products, footwear

Agriculture

accounts for 9% of GDP (includes forestry);
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 emerging as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine E

Economic aid

donor - $4.2 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-89)

Currency

koruna (plural - koruny); 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru

Exchange rates

koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 28.36 (January 1992), 29.53 (1991), 17.95 (1990), 15.05 (1989), 14.36 (1988), 13.69 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 22 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 13bulk 922 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 290,185 GRT/437,291 DWT

Airports, 158 total, 158 usable

permanent-surface runways

40runways | 2,440-3,659 m

19runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

73,540 (1988)Railroads

13,103 (1988)Inland waterways

475

Highways: ; including 517 km superhighway · Railroads: ; 12,855 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km 1.520-meter broad gauge, 146 km 0.750- and 0.760-meter narrow gauge; 2,861 km double track; 3,798 km electrified; government owned · Inland waterways: (1988); the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river

Railroads

13,103 km total;
12,855 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km 1.520-meter broad gauge, 146 km 0.750- and 0.760-meter narrow gauge;
2,861 km double track;
3,798 km electrified;
government owned (1988)

crude oil 1,448 km;
petroleum products 1,500 km;
natural gas 8,100 km

Ports

maritime outlets are in Poland (Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin), Croatia (Rijeka), Slovenia (Koper), Germany (Hamburg, Rostock);
principal river ports are Prague on the Vltava, Decin on the Elbe (Labe), Komarno on the Danube, Bratislava on the Danube

Civil air

47 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

inadequate circuit capacity;
4 million telephones;
Radrel backbone of network;
25% of households have a telephone;
broadcast stations - 32 AM, 15 FM, 41 TV (11 Soviet TV repeaters);
4.4 million TVs (1990);
1 satellite earth station using INTELSAT and Intersputnik

Defense Forces

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Border Guard

3 fields

Branches

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Border Guard

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 4,110,628;
3,142,457 fit for military service;
142,239 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - 28 billion koruny, NA% of GNP (1991);
note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate would produce misleading results

Central Intelligence Agency. “Czechoslovakia.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/czechoslovakia.

How to cite ← 1991 edition