Czech Republic
Introduction
The Czech Republic is a small country in the heart of Europe, which has an appeal for visitors. Thanks to its location at the crossroads of various cultures, the Czech Republic has countless cultural and historical points of interest. Despite the complicated visa rules, these destinations attracted a relatively high number of foreign tourists even before the velvet revolution.
Basic information
The country is a democratic republic, there are two legislative chambers - the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. 1999, March 12 - the Czech Republic has become a member of NATO, 2004, 1 May, entry of the Czech Republic into EU
History of the Czech Republic
At the beginning of the 20th century Bohemia was a part of Austrian Empire. After World War I in 1918 Czechoslovakia declared its independence. The new republic had three parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. The popular Tomas Garigue Masaryk became the first president. In October 1938 the Nazis occupied the Sudetenland, with the acquiescence of Britain and France, after the infamous Munich Agreement. In March 1939 Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia. Slovakia proclaimed independence as a Nazi puppet state.
After World War II in 1945 Czechoslovakia was reestablished as an independent state. In the 1946 elections, the Communists became the largest party with 36% of the popular vote and formed coalition government. In 1948 the Communist staged coup d'etat and Czechoslovakia became a communist country. In the 1960s Czechoslovakia enjoyed a gradual liberalization under the reformist general secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, Alexander Dubcek. But this short period was crushed by a Soviet invasion in August 1968. In 1969 the reformist Dubcek was replaced by the orthodox Gustav Husak and Czechoslovakia stayed a communist country under the Soviet influence.
In 1989, after the riot police beat back a peaceful student demonstration, the Velvet Revolution crowded the streets of Prague and the Czechoslovak capital benefited greatly from the new mood. In 1993, after the split of Czechoslovakia, Prague became the capital city of the new Czech Republic. The popular Vaclav Havel was elected president of the republic. At the end of 1992 Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic (Bohemia and Moravia) and Slovak Republic (Slovakia).
This peaceful splitting is called the Velvet Divorce. Twelve years later, on May 1, 2004 Czech Republic became a part of the European Union.
Climate
Temperate, a mixture of oceanic and continental, average winter temperature is 5 degrees C, average summer temperature is 20 degrees C. Annual precipitation: 500 - 700 mm
More information is available at CHMI Climatology Section http://www.chmi.cz/indexe.html
Currency
Legal tenders - Crown (Kc) (= Koruna ceska = Czech crown) Coins: Kc: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, Banknotes: Kc 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000
Exchange rates - www.cnb.cz Currency converter - www.xe.com
Geographical position
Total area: 78,865 sq. kilometres latitude 49 - 51 degrees N and longitude 12-19 degrees E. Neighbouring states: Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. Length of state borders: 2,303 kilometres.
Average height above the sea level: 450 metres (European average is 315 m), the highest mountain is Mount Snezka 1,602. The longest rivers: Labe (Elbe) 1 165 km (415 km in the country), Vltava 433 km.
Time zone
GMT plus 1 hour, from April to October summer time - GMT plus 2 hours
Population and religion
Population: 10,3 million Education: compulsory 9-year school attendance (from the age of 6), about 4 million people have complete secondary education and 0,5 million university education
Official language: Czech
Ethnic composition: Czech - 94,2 % (Bohemians, Moravians, Silesians), Slovak - 1,3%, Hungarian - 0,1 %, Polish - 0,5%, German - 0,4 %, others - 2,8 % Religions: Roman Catholic - 39,2 %, Protestants churches - 4,1 %, atheists and non-believers - 39,7 %, others - 17 % Largest cities: Prague (capital), Brno, Ostrava, Plzen, Olomouc, Liberec, Hradec Kralove
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