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Czech Republic : Czech republicThe Czech Republic or Czechia is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The republic borders Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. Historic Prague, a major tourist attraction, is its capital and largest city. It is made up of two older regions, Bohemia and Moravia, and part of the third one, Silesia. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993 announced that the name Czechia 1 (http://www.p.lodz.pl/I35/personal/jw37/EUROPE/cesko1.htm), 2 (http://www.p.lodz.pl/I35/personal/jw37/EUROPE/cesko2.htm) is to be used in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions.
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Czechia emerged from the ruins of Great Moravia in the late 9th century. The kingdom of Bohemia was a significant local power, but religious conflicts such as the 15th century Hussite wars and the 17th century Thirty Years War were devastating. It later came under the Habsburg influence and became part of Austria-Hungary.
Following the collapse of this state after World War I, the Czechs and neighbouring Slovaks joined together and formed the independent republic of Czechoslovakia in 1918. This new country contained a large German minority, which would lead to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia when Nazi Germany successfully annexed the minority through the Munich Agreement in 1938, and Slovakia split off as well. The remaining Czech state was occupied by the Nazis in 1939.
After World War II, 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 liberalise party rule and create "socialism with a human face" during the Prague Spring. In 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution". On January 1, 1993, the country peacefully split in two, creating Czechia and Slovakia. Czechia joined NATO in 1999 and is hoping to join the European Union in 2004.
The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy, whose head of state is a president, indirectly elected every five years by the parliament. The president is also granted specific powers such as the right to nominate Constitutional Court judges, dissolve parliament under certain conditions, and enact a veto on legislation. He also appoints the prime minister, who sets the agenda for most foreign and domestic policy, as well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister.
The Czech parliament (Parlament) is bicameral, with a Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká sněmovna) and a Senate (Senát). The 200 Chamber delegates are elected for 4-year terms, on the basis of proportional representation. The 81 members of the Czech Senate serve for 6-year terms with one-third being elected every 2 years.
The country's highest court of appeals is the Supreme Court. The Constitutional Court, which rules on constitutional issues, is appointed by the president, and its members serve 10-year terms.
Czechia consists of 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and one capital city (hlavní město), marked by a *:
The Czech landscape is quite varied; Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Labe (Elbe) and Vltava rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Sudeten with its part Krkonoše, where one also finds the highest point in the country, the Sněžka[?] at 1,602 m. Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava, but also contains the source of the Odra river. Water from the landlocked Czechia flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea.
The local climate is temperate with warm summers and cold, cloudy, humid winters, typified by a mixture of maritime and continental influences.
Basically one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, Czechia has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-2001 was led by exports to the EU, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. Uncomfortably high fiscal and current account deficits could be future problems. Unemployment is gradually declining as job creation continues in the rebounding economy; inflation is up to 4.7% but still moderate.
The EU put Czechia just behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession in 2004, which will give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatisation will add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth.
The majority of the inhabitants of Czechia (95%) are ethnically Czech and speak Czech, a member of the Slavic languages. Other ethnic groups include Germans (the remainder of a once larger minority), Roma, Hungarians, Ukrainians and Poles. After the 1993 division, some Slovaks remained in Czechia and comprise roughly 2% of the current population. The border between Czechia and Slovakia is open for citizens of the former Czechoslovakia.
Major denominations and their estimated percentage populations are Roman Catholic (27%), Protestant (1%), Hussites (1%), as well as a small Jewish community. A large percentage of the Czech population claim to be atheists (59%), and the remainder describe themselves as uncertain.
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Restoration of the Czech independence Day; New Year's Day | Den obnovy samostatného českého státu; Nový rok | The Czech Republic was created in 1993, after dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. |
| March, April | Easter Monday | Velikonoční pondělí | Easter is celebrated for two days (Sunday and Monday) in Czechia |
| 1 May | Labor Day | Svátek práce | |
| 8 May | Liberation Day | Den osvobození | 1945, the end of the World War II |
| 5 July | Cyril and Metoděj Day | Den slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a Metoděje | In 863, Slavic missionaries Cyril (Constantine) and Metoděj (Methodius) brought Christianity into the Moravian Realm (roughly the area of today's Moravia, the eastern part of the Czech Republic). |
| 6 July | Jan Hus Day | Den upálení mistra Jana Husa | The religious reformer Jan Hus was burned at the stake in 1415. |
| 28 September | St. Wenceslas Day (Czech Statehood Day) | Den české státnosti | Celebrating svatý Václav (St. Wenceslas), the patron of the Czech State. |
| 28 October | Independent Czechoslovak state Day | Den vzniku samostatného československého státu | Creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. |
| 17 November | Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day | Den boje za svobodu a demokracii | Commemorating the student demonstration against Nazi occupation in 1939, and the demonstration in 1989 that started the Velvet Revolution. |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve | Štědrý den | Christmas is celebrated in the evening on Christmas Eve in Czechia. |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | 1. svátek vánoční | |
| 26 December | St. Stephen[?]'s Day (Czech: "The Second Christmas Day") | 2. svátek vánoční |
Countries acceding to membership on May 1, 2004:
Cyprus | Czech Republic | Estonia | Hungary | Latvia | Lithuania | Malta | Poland | Slovakia | Slovenia
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