Match 66 DB Rec# - 7,518 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Czech Republic
Text :
Czech Republic
Geography
Location:
Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Map references:
Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe
Area:
total area:
78,703 sq km
land area:
78,645 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total 1,880 km, Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 214
km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
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%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
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
Geography
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
Population:
10,432,774 (July 1995 est.)
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.)
Population growth rate:
0.26% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
13.46 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
10.85 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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
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%
Languages:
Czech, Slovak
Literacy:
can read and write
total population:
99%
Labor force:
5.389 million
by occupation:
industry 37.9%, agriculture 8.1%, construction 8.8%, communications and
other 45.2% (1990)
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Czech Republic
conventional short form:
Czech Republic
local long form:
Ceska Republika
local short form:
Cechy
Digraph:
EZ
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
Legal system:
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
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
Government
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
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.)
National product real growth rate:
2.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$7,350 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.2% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.2% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$14 billion
expenditures:
$13.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (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.)
Economy
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)
Industrial production:
growth rate 4.9% (January-September 1994)
Electricity:
capacity:
14.470,000 kW
production:
56.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
4,842 kWh (1993)
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
Railroads:
total:
9,434 km (include 1.520-m broad, 1.435-m standard, and several narrow
gauges) (1988)
Highways:
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
Airports:
total:
116
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
9
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
13
with paved runways under 914 m:
5
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m:
1
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
3
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m:
10
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
32
with unpaved runways under 914 m:
41
Communications
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
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.)
Defense expenditures:
27 billion koruny, NA% of GNP (1994 est.); note - conversion of defense
expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce
misleading results
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The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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