Czechia

Broadcast media

roughly 130 TV broadcasters operating some 350 channels with 4 publicly operated and the remainder in private hands; 16 TV stations have national coverage with 4 being publicly operated; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; 63 radio broadcasters are registered operating roughly 80 radio stations with 15 stations publicly operated; 10 radio stations provide national coverage with the remainder local or regional (2008)

Internet country code

.cz

Internet hosts

4.148 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 27

Internet users

6.681 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 40

Telephone system

general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems 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 domestic: access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s but the number of fixed line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar)

Telephones - main lines in use

2.289 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 55

Telephones - mobile cellular

13 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 61

Agriculture - products

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Budget

revenues: $81.08 billion expenditures: $87.25 billion (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3.2% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Central bank discount rate

0.75% (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 0.75% (31 December 2010) note: this is the two-week repo, the main rate CNB uses

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.9% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 5.72% (31 December 2011 est.)

Current account balance

-$3.596 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 154 -$6.348 billion (2011 est.)

Debt - external

$90.18 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 $93.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31 (2009) country comparison to the world: 110 25.4 (1996)

Economy - overview

The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy closely integrated with the EU, especially since the country's EU accession in 2004. While the conservative, inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy, the small, open, export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets, especially Germany. When Western Europe and Germany fell into recession in late 2008, demand for Czech goods plunged, leading to double digit drops in industrial production and exports. As a result, real GDP fell 4.7% in 2009, with most of the decline occurring during the first quarter. Real GDP, however, slowly recovered with positive quarter-on-quarter growth starting in the second half of 2009 and continuing throughout 2011. In 2012, however, the economy fell into a recession due to a slump in external demand. The auto industry remains the largest single industry, and, together with its upstream suppliers, accounts for nearly 24% of Czech manufacturing. The Czech Republic produced more than a million cars for the first time in 2010, over 80% of which were exported. Foreign and domestic businesses alike voice concerns about corruption especially in public procurement. Other long term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population, funding an unsustainable pension and health care system, and diversifying away from manufacturing and toward a more high-tech, services-based, knowledge economy.

Exchange rates

koruny (CZK) per US dollar - 19.59 (2012 est.) 17.696 (2011 est.) 19.098 (2010 est.) 19.063 (2009) 17.064 (2008)

Exports

$134.1 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 $138.5 billion (2011 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuel, chemicals

Exports - partners

Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 9%, Poland 6.3%, France 5.5%, Austria 4.6%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.2% (2011)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$193.5 billion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$286.7 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $289.6 billion (2011 est.) $284.9 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1.8% industry: 39.6% services: 58.6% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$27,200 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $27,500 (2011 est.) $27,100 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

-1% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 198 1.7% (2011 est.) 2.7% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.5% highest 10%: NA% (2009)

Imports

$129 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 $133.2 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners

Germany 29.6%, China 7.6%, Poland 7.1%, Slovakia 7%, Netherlands 5.7%, Russia 4.8%, Austria 4.4% (2011)

Industrial production growth rate

6.9% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.3% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 91 1.9% (2011 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

24.4% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Labor force

5.545 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 38.6% services: 58.3% (2009)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$53.2 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 47 $73.1 billion (31 December 2010) $70.26 billion (31 December 2009)

Population below poverty line

9% (2010 est.)

Public debt

43.9% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 79 41.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$35.26 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $40.29 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of broad money

$151.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $141.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$16.47 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 $15.47 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$129.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 30 $125.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$139.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 $129.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$114 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 $107.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

41.9% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 43

Unemployment rate

8.6% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 101 8.5% (2011 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

90.83 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41

Crude oil - exports

420 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 67

Crude oil - imports

143,700 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 40

Crude oil - production

9,162 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 81

Crude oil - proved reserves

15 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

Electricity - consumption

58.88 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 41

Electricity - exports

21.59 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 7

Electricity - from fossil fuels

60% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 139

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

5.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 124

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

20.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Electricity - from other renewable sources

7.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 27

Electricity - imports

6.642 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 34

Electricity - installed generating capacity

18.32 million kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 38

Electricity - production

80.44 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Natural gas - consumption

8.944 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 52

Natural gas - exports

167 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 45

Natural gas - imports

9.319 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 26

Natural gas - production

185 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Natural gas - proved reserves

3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 94

Refined petroleum products - consumption

199,000 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

Refined petroleum products - exports

25,060 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 72

Refined petroleum products - imports

65,560 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Refined petroleum products - production

167,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Area

total: 78,867 sq km country comparison to the world: 116 land: 77,247 sq km water: 1,620 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Climate

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.91 cu km/yr (41%/57%/2%) per capita: 187 cu m/yr (2002)

Geographic coordinates

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Geography - 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

Irrigated land

390 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 1,989 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 815 km, Poland 615 km, Slovakia 197 km

Land use

arable land: 38.82% permanent crops: 3% other: 58.18% (2005)

Location

Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

Terrain

Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country

Total renewable water resources

16 cu km (2005)

Administrative divisions

13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky (Liberec), Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky (Olomouc), Pardubicky (Pardubice), Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky, Vysocina, Zlinsky (Zlin)

Capital

name: Prague geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993; amended several times

Country name

conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska republika local short form: Cesko

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Norman EISEN embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 FAX: [420] 257 022 809

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Petr GANDALOVIC chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003); note - President-elect Milos ZEMAN is to be sworn in 8 March 2013 head of government: Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 28 June 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Karel SCHWARZENBERG (since 13 July 2010), Deputy Prime Minister Karolina PEAKE (since 1 July 2011) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: constitutional amendment passed in 2012 introduced presidential election by popular vote instead of by Parliament; president elected for a five-year term (may not serve more than two consecutive terms); elections last held on 11-12 January 2013 with a runoff on 25-26 January 2013 (next to be held in January 2018); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Milos ZEMAN elected president; percent of popular vote - Milos ZEMAN 54.8%, Karel SCHWARZENBERG 45.2%

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia); note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs commemorate 28 October 1918, the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; judges are appointed by the president for an unlimited term; Constitutional Court; 15 judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for a 10-year term; Supreme Administrative Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term; judges are appointed by the president for an unlimited term

Legal system

in 2014, a new civil code will replace the existing civil law system, which is based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory and has been amended 40 times since the Communist regime fell in 1989

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members 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 elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds on 12-13 and 19-20 October 2012 (next to be held in October 2014); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 28-29 May 2010 (next to be held in 2014) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSSD 48, ODS 15, KDU-CSL 4, TOP 09 4, North Bohemians 2, KSCM 2, Green 1, Ostravak 1, Pirate 1, independent 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 22.1%, ODS 20.2%, TOP 09 16.7%, KSCM 11.3%, VV 10.9%, other 18.8%; seats by party - CSSD 54, ODS 49, TOP 09 41, KSCM 26, VV 11, unaffiliated 19

National anthem

name: "Kde domov muj?" (Where is My Home?) lyrics/music: Josef Kajetan TYL/Frantisek Jan SKROUP note: adopted 1993; the anthem is a verse from the former Czechoslovak anthem originally written as part of the opera "Fidlovacka"

National holiday

Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

National symbol(s)

double-tailed lion

Political parties and leaders

Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Zdenka MARKOVA]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Pavel BELOBRADEK]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Petr NECAS]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]; Czech Pirate Party [Ivan BARTOS]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Bohuslav SOBOTKA]; Green Party [Ondrej LISKA]; Liberal Democrats or LIDEM [Karolina PEAKE]; North Bohemians; Ostravak Movement; Public Affairs or VV [Radek JOHN]; Tradice Odpovednost Prosperita 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Jaroslav ZAVADIL]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country's predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Czech part of the country and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) 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 rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 2,506,826 females age 16-49: 2,407,634 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,072,267 females age 16-49: 1,988,839 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 49,999 female: 47,501 (2010 est.)

Military branches

Army of the Czech Republic (Armada Ceske Republiky): Joint Forces Command (Spolocene Sily; includes Land Forces (Pozemni Sily) and Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily)) note: the Ministry of Defense plans to abolish the Joint Forces Command in 2012 and reestablish separate Land and Air Forces Commands (2011)

Military expenditures

1.15% of GDP (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 120

Military service age and obligation

18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2010)

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.4% (male 703,476/ female 665,087) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 3,564,702/ female 3,514,501) 65 years and over: 17% (male 694,215/ female 1,035,319) (2012 est.)

Birth rate

8.62 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 215

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.1% (2002) country comparison to the world: 111

Death rate

10.94 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Education expenditures

4.2% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 96

Ethnic groups

Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 141

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 135

Health expenditures

7.6% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 63

Hospital bed density

7.18 beds/1,000 population (2008)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.7 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 206 male: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Languages

Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.38 years country comparison to the world: 65 male: 74.11 years female: 80.83 years (2012 est.)

Literacy

definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Major cities - population

PRAGUE (capital) 1.162 million (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 174

Median age

total: 41.1 years male: 39.6 years female: 42.9 years (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech

Net migration rate

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

15.1% (2002) country comparison to the world: 36

Physicians density

3.625 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

Population

10,177,300 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 84

Population growth rate

-0.134% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 204

Religions

Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 99% of population rural: 97% of population total: 98% of population unimproved: urban: 1% of population rural: 3% of population total: 2% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2008)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.27 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 215

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 16.6% country comparison to the world: 70 male: 16.6% female: 16.7% (2009)

Urbanization

urban population: 74% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin, bordering Austria

Illicit drugs

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 (2008)

Airports

128 (2012) country comparison to the world: 45

Airports - with paved runways

total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 87 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 60 (2012)

Heliports

1 (2012)

Merchant marine

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010) country comparison to the world: 150

Pipelines

gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Railways

total: 9,469 km country comparison to the world: 22 standard gauge: 9,449 km 1.435-m gauge (3,165 km electrified) narrow gauge: 20 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

total: 127,797 km (includes urban roads) country comparison to the world: 36 paved: 127,797 km (includes 730 km of expressways) (2008)

Waterways

664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010) country comparison to the world: 77