| Introduction - Czech Republic: |
Country | Czech Republic |
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Background | 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 countrys 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 countrys 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. |
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| Location - Czech Republic: |
Location | Central Europe, southeast of Germany |
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Geographic coordinates | 49 45 N, 15 30 E |
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Map references | Europe |
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Area | total: 78,866 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km |
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Area comparative | slightly smaller than South Carolina |
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Land boundaries | total: 2,290.2 km
border countries: Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km |
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Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
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Maritime claims | none (landlocked) |
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Climate | temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
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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 |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m |
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Natural resources | hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber |
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Land use | arable land: 38.82%
permanent crops: 3%
other: 58.18% (2005) |
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Irrigated land | 240 sq km (2003) |
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Natural hazards | flooding |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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| People - Czech Republic: |
Population | 10,228,744 (July 2007 est.) |
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Age structure | 0-14 years: 14.1% (male 738,391/female 698,999)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,657,877/female 3,627,493)
65 years and over: 14.7% (male 588,531/female 917,453) (2007 est.) |
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Median age | total: 39.5 years
male: 37.9 years
female: 41.3 years (2007 est.) |
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Population growth rate | -0.071% (2007 est.) |
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Birth rate | 8.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Death rate | 10.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Net migration rate | 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.056 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.008 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.641 male(s)/female
total population: 0.951 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate | total: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.42 years
male: 73.14 years
female: 79.88 years (2007 est.) |
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Total fertility rate | 1.22 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
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Hiv aids adult prevalence rate | less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
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Hiv aids people living with hiv aids | 2,500 (2001 est.) |
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Hiv aids deaths | less than 10 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality | noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech |
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Ethnic groups | Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census) |
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Religions | Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census) |
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Languages | Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census) |
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Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.) |
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| Government - Czech Republic: |
Country name | conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Cesko |
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Government type | parliamentary democracy |
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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 |
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Administrative divisions | 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 |
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Independence | 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) |
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National holiday | Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918) |
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Constitution | ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 |
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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 |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch | chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
head of government: 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: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: 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
election results: 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) |
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Legislative branch | 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)
elections: 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)
election results: 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 |
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Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term |
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Political parties and leaders | Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Jana HYBASKOVA]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak Peoples 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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders | Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH] |
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International organization participation | 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, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, 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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the us | chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR
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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the us | chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] 257 022 000
FAX: [420] 257 022 809 |
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Flag description | 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) |
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| Economy - Czech Republic: |
Economy overview | 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. |
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Gdp purchasing power parity | $224 billion (2006 est.) |
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Gdp official exchange rate | $118.8 billion (2006 est.) |
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Gdp real growth rate | 6.1% (2006 est.) |
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Gdp per capita ppp | $21,900 (2006 est.) |
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Gdp composition by sector | agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 37.8%
services: 59.4% (2006 est.) |
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Labor force | 5.31 million (2006 est.) |
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Labor force by occupation | agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 37.6%
services: 58.3% (2003) |
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Unemployment rate | 8.4% (2006 est.) |
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Population below poverty line | NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996) |
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Distribution of family income gini index | 27.3 (2003) |
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Inflation rate consumer prices | 2.7% (2006 est.) |
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Investment gross fixed | 26.2% of GDP (2006 est.) |
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Budget | revenues: $57.88 billion
expenditures: $62.53 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) |
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Public debt | 29.1% of GDP (2006 est.) |
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Agriculture products | wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry |
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Industries | metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments |
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Industrial production growth rate | 9.5% (2006 est.) |
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Electricity production | 79.14 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity consumption | 58.8 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity exports | 24.6 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity imports | 9.8 billion kWh (2004) |
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Oil production | 15,240 bbl/day (2005) |
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Oil consumption | 203,100 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil exports | 20,930 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil imports | 203,700 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil proved reserves | 15 million bbl (1 January 2005) |
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Natural gas production | 216 million cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas consumption | 9.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas exports | 88 million cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas imports | 8.815 billion cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas proved reserves | 3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) |
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Current account balance | -$4.352 billion (2006 est.) |
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Exports | $89.34 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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Exports commodities | machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003) |
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Exports partners | Germany 31.9%, Slovakia 8.5%, Poland 5.7%, France 5.6%, Austria 5.1%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.6% (2006) |
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Imports | $87.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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Imports commodities | machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003) |
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Imports partners | Germany 32%, Netherlands 6.5%, Slovakia 6.1%, Poland 6.1%, Russia 5.7%, Austria 4.9%, Italy 4.4%, France 4.4% (2006) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | $30.99 billion (2006 est.) |
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Debt external | $50.2 billion (30 June 2006 est.) |
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Economic aid recipient | $2.4 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06) |
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Currency code | Czech koruna (CZK) |
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Exchange rates | koruny per US dollar - 22.596 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002) |
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| Communications - Czech Republic: |
Fiscal year | calendar year |
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Telephones main lines in use | 3,217,300 (2005) |
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Telephones mobile cellular | 12.15 million (2006) |
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Telephone system | general assessment: 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
domestic: 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
international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar |
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Radio broadcast stations | AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000) |
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Television broadcast stations | 150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000) |
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Internet country code | .cz |
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Internet hosts | 1.267 million (2006) |
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Internet users | 3.541 million (2006) |
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| Transportation - Czech Republic: |
Airports | 121 (2006) |
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Airports with paved runways | total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2006) |
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Airports with unpaved runways | total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 49 (2006) |
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Heliports | 2 (2006) |
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Pipelines | gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006) |
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Railways | total: 9,632 km
standard gauge: 9,533 km 1.435-m gauge (2,982 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2006) |
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Roadways | total: 127,747 km
paved: 127,747 km (includes 518 km of expressways) (2003) |
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Waterways | 664 km (principally on Elbe as well as Vltava and Oder rivers) (2006) |
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Merchant marine | registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006) |
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Ports and terminals | Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem |
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| Military - Czech Republic: |
Military branches | Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes Army and Air Forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2007) |
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Military service age and obligation | 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) |
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Manpower available for military service | males age 18-49: 2,414,728
females age 18-49: 2,329,412 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service | males age 18-49: 1,996,631
females age 18-49: 1,923,508 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually | males age 18-49: 66,583
females age 18-49: 63,363 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures percent of gdp | 1.81% (2005 est.) |
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Disputes international | 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 |
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This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007
