]! ^! Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. 
]" ^" Central Europe, southeast of Germany ^# 49 45 N, 15 30 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 78,866 sq km `" 77,276 sq km `# 1,590 sq km ^& slightly smaller than South Carolina ^' `! 2,290.2 km `Y Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km ^( 0 km (landlocked) ^) none (landlocked) ^* temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters ^+ Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country ^, `% Elbe River 115 m `& Snezka 1,602 m ^- hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber ^. `' 38.82% `( 3% `) 58.18% (2005) ^/ 240 sq km (2003) ^0 flooding ^1 air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution _P `P Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 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 
]# ^3 10,228,744 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 14.1% (male 738,391/female 698,999) `, 71.2% (male 3,657,877/female 3,627,493) `- 14.7% (male 588,531/female 917,453) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 39.5 years `. 37.9 years `/ 41.3 years (2007 est.) ^6 -0.071% (2007 est.) ^7 8.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 10.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1.056 male(s)/female `, 1.008 male(s)/female `- 0.641 male(s)/female `2 0.951 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births `. 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 3.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 76.42 years `. 73.14 years `/ 79.88 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.22 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 2,500 (2001 est.) ^@ less than 10 (2001 est.) ^A `3 Czech(s) `4 Czech ^B Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census) ^C Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census) ^D Czech ^E `5 NA `2 99% `. 99% `/ 99% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Czech Republic `7 Czech Republic `Z Ceska Republika `[ Cesko ^H parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Prague `9 40 55 N, 21 00 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj ^K 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) ^L Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) ^M ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 ^N civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003) `< Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007), Jiri CUNEK (since 9 January 2007), Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007) `= Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister `> president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held in January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president `? Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament) ^Q bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) `> Senate - last held in two rounds 20-21 and 27-28 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010) `? Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 41, CSSD 12, KDU-CSL 11, others 15, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6 ^R Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term ^S Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan HADRAVA]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY]; Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ] ^T Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH] ^U ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Petr KOLAR `S 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 274-9100 `U [1] (202) 966-8540 `V Chicago, Los Angeles, New York ^W `R Ambassador Richard W. GRABER `_ Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1 `` use embassy street address `T [420] 257 022 000 `U [420] 257 022 809 ^X two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia) 
]% ^Y The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004, the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006. However, due to significant increases in social spending in the run-up to June 2006 elections, the government is not likely to meet this goal. Negotiations on pension and healthcare reforms are continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation. Privatization of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. ^Z $221.4 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $118.9 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 6.2% (2006 est.) ^] $21,600 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 2.8% `A 37.8% `B 59.4% (2006 est.) ^_ 5.31 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 4.1% `A 37.6% `B 58.3% (2003) ^a 8.4% (2006 est.) _! NA% _" `C 4.3% `D 22.4% (1996) _d 27.3 (2003) _# 2.7% (2006 est.) _V 26.2% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $57.88 billion `F $62.53 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 29.1% of GDP (2006 est.) _& wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry _' metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments _( 9.5% (2006 est.) _) 79.14 billion kWh (2004) _* 58.8 billion kWh (2004) _+ 24.6 billion kWh (2004) _, 9.8 billion kWh (2004) _- 15,240 bbl/day (2005) _. 203,100 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ 26,670 bbl/day (2001) _0 182,000 bbl/day (2004) _W 17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002) _1 216 million cu m (2004 est.) _2 9.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 88 million cu m (2004 est.) _Y 8.815 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Z 3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $-4.352 billion (2006 est.) _3 $89.34 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003) _5 Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005) _6 $87.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003) _8 Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005) _[ $30.99 billion (2006 est.) _9 $50.2 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _: $2.4 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) _; Czech koruna (CZK) _< koruny per US dollar - 22.596 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 3,217,300 (2005) _? 11.776 million (2005) _@ `G privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous `H 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay `I country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar _A AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000) _B 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000) _C .cz _D 1.267 million (2006) _E 5.1 million (2005) 
]' _F 121 (2006) _G `! 46 `a 2 `J 10 `b 13 `c 2 `W 19 (2006) _R `! 75 `b 1 `c 25 `W 49 (2006) _] 2 (2006) _^ gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006) _e `! 9,572 km `m 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified) `n 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005) _H `! 127,747 km `K 127,747 km (includes 518 km of expressways) (2003) _b 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2005) _S `d 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) _I Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem 
]( _J Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes Army and Air Forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2007) _T 18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; on-going transformation of military service into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription began in January 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by 2007 (2005) _K males age 18-49: 2,414,728 females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,996,631 females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 66,583 females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.) _U 1.81% (2005 est.) 
]) _N in 2006, Austrian public protests for the Czech Republic to close the Temelin nuclear power plant resulted in an Austrian parliamentary motion threatening international legal action _O transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime; significant consumer of ecstasy 