Otázka: The Czech Republic
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): klaruncicka, zuzaroza
Population
- Population: 10,3 million inhabitants
- Minorities: the Ukrainians, the Vietnamese, the Poles, the Gypsies
- Language: Czech
- Currency: Czech crown
- The capital: Prague
- The country can be divided into three regions: Bohemia (in the west), Moravia (in the east) and Silesia (in the north-east)
Geography
- It lies in the middle of Europe (state in Central Europe)
- It occupies an area of 78 864 sq km
- It borders on Slovakia in the east, on Poland in the north, on the Federal Republic of Germany in the north and in the west and on Austria in the south
- Our state has a varied landscape. Bohemia is surrounded by a ring of mountains- the Šumava range, the Czech Forest, the Ore Mountains (Železné hory), the Jizerské Mountains, the Giant Mountains, and the Eagle Mountains
- The Moravian Plain is protected on the West by the Bohemian- Moravian Highland, and on the North by the wooded mountainous ranges of the Jeseníky and Beskydy
- The highest peak, Sněžka, is in the Giant Mountains. Roads, cable railways and chair lifts make the mountains accessible to tourists.
- Bohemia and Moravia are separated by the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands
- The highest mountain regions in Moravia: the Hrubý Jeseník (Praděd), the Moravian-Silesian Beskids (Lysá mountain)
- The longest rivers: the Vltava (springs in the Šumava mountains and flows into the North Sea, the Elbe (springs in the Giant mountains and flows into the North Sea), the Morava ( springs in Kralicky Sneznik and flows into the Danube and then into the Black Sea)
- Dams on the Vltava river: Lipno, Orlík, Slapy
- There are only a few natural lakes in the Czech Republic (the largest natural lake- Černé Lake), Southern Bohemia has many artificial lakes which date from the 16th century (the largest artificial lake is Rožmberk).
- Throughout the country there are number of mineral springs, around many of which spas have developed.
- Primeval forest – Boubín, Žákova hora
- The scenery of the Czech Republic is varied: there are plains, hills, and valleys
- Tourist attraction
- The Bohemian Paradise and Bohemian Switzerland
- There are several karst regions too, with remarkable caves
- In the Moravian Karst there is the well-known Macocha Abyss and the underground river Punkva
- All these areas and many others with beautiful scenery are protected: they are nature reserves or national parks.
Weather
- The climate is mostly continental, the warmest area being in South Moravia
- Four seasons, warm summers and cold Winter
Agriculture
- It is developed enough to feed the population and be able to export its product too.Wheat, maize, sugar-beet, grapes, potatoes, hops, vegetables and fruit are grown
- Animal production: cattle-breeding, pig breeding, fish-breeding (especially carp-breeding – South Bohemia ponds) – has a long tradition
Industry/Economy
- The Czech Republic is traditionally an industrial country.
- Engineering (strojírenství) – most important part of our economy: machine tools (nářadí, nástroje), locomotives, trams, tractors, cars (Škoda)
- Metalurgical industry
- Chemical industry
- Steel (ocel) industry
- Tourism
- Textile and glass industries have a long tradition
- Food production
- Electrical energy from coal and uranium
Raw materials (nerostné suroviny)
- coal: black (Ostrava) and brown (in North Bohemia)
- rich deposits of kaolin and clay (jíl) (for ceramics and glass industries)
- stone and limestone (vápenec)for the building industry
Political system
- parliamentary democracy
- the Parliament consists of two houses:
- the Chamber of Deputies (200 members) and
- the Senate (81 members)
- the head of state is the president (who is elected every 5years ) – appoints a prime minister
- the Prime minister: the head of the government and appoints ministers
- several political parties
- Czech flag: red, white and blue
- The Czech anthem: Kde domov můj
History
- 14th century – king Charles IV – during his reign (Charles University – the first university in Central Europe was established in 1348, Old Town, St Vitus Cathedral)
- religious leader Jan Hus – was burnt to death (1415), Hussite movement
- Rudolf II (16th – 17th century) – Prague was centre of culture, magic, artists
- on 28th October 1918 the country became independent – Czechoslovakia was formed, T.G. Masaryk became the first president
- 1939-45 World War II
- 1968 – occupation, Communism which lasted until the Velvet Revolution in 1989
- in 1993 Czechoslovakia split into two independent countries
Typical Czech products:
- Pilsner Beer
- Olomouc Stinky cheese
- Znojmo gherkins
- Moravian wines
- Gingerbread from Pardubice
