The 1996 CIA World Factbook page on Czech Republic

From: The CIA'sTHE WORLD FACTBOOK 1996

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Czech Republic

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Map

Location: 49 45 N, 15 30 E -- Central Europe, southeast of Germany

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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 (almost identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

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Geography

Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references: 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
border countries: 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 1,600 sq km 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 precede 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: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
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 and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests
natural hazards: NA
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
Geographic 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: 10,321,120 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 965,861; female 918,745)
15-64 years: 68% (male 3,519,753; female 3,524,913)
65 years and over: 14% (male 526,841; female 865,007) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.03% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 10.39 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 10.89 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.94 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.76 years
male: 70.08 years
female: 77.65 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (1996 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: age NA and over can read and write (est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Name of country:
conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Cechy
Data code: EZ
Type of government: 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, 8 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) was elected for a five-year term by the Parliament; election last held 26 January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998); results - Vaclav HAVEL was elected
head of government: Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992) was appointed by the president; Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan KOCARNIK (since NA June 1992), Josef LUX (since NA June 1992), Jan KALVODA (since NA June 1992)
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlament)
Senate (Senate): elections to be held 15-16 November 1996 (next to be held NA); seats (81 total)
Chamber of Deputies (Snemovna Poslancu): elections last held 5-6 June 1992 (next to be held 31 May-1 June 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, CMUS 9, SPR-RSC 6, independents 12)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president; Constitutional Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president
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; note - KDS was to merge with ODS in March 1996
opposition: Czech Social Democrats (CSSD - left opposition), Milos ZEMAN, chairman; Left Bloc (LB - left opposition), Jaroslav ORTMAN, chairman; Communist Party (KSCM - left opposition), Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman; Liberal Social Union (LSU - left opposition), Frantisek TRNKA, chairman, note - may not still be in existence; Liberal National Social Party (LSNS - center party), Vavrinec BODENLOS, chairman; Bohemian-Moravian Center Union (CMUS - center party), Jan JEGLA, 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
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (guest), CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNOMIL, UNPROFOR, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, 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 Jenonne R. WALKER
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

Economic overview: The Czech Republic, which separated from Slovakia on 1 January 1993, emerged from recession with 2.6% growth in 1994 and 5% growth in 1995. Inflation in 1994-95 was cut in half; unemployment was kept at about 3%; the budget was balanced; and exports were reoriented to the EU. 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. About 80% of the economy is wholly or partially in private hands. Because of its progress on reform, the Czech Republic in 1995 became the first post-Communist member of the OECD. Its solid economic performance also led Standard and Poor's to upgrade the country's sovereign credit rating to "A" and attracted nearly $5.3 billion in direct foreign investment to Czech industry between 1990 and September 1995. The Czech crown became convertible for current account transactions in October 1995. Czech companies increasingly are using the international capital market to fund capital investment, and foreign currency reserves totaled $13.9 billion at the end of 1995. Prague's biggest macroeconomic concern now is limiting the inflationary effect of these large capital inflows. The Czech economy also still faces microeconomic problems. Prague has promised to strengthen its bankruptcy law and improve the transparency of stock market operations in 1996, but some changes probably will not take effect until some time after the parliamentary elections of mid-1996 and will depend largely on voluntary compliance. Prague forecasts a balanced budget, 5.5% GDP growth, 2.8% unemployment, and 8.1% inflation for 1996.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $106.2 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $10,200 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 40.7%
services: 53.5%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.1% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 5.389 million
by occupation: industry 37.9%, agriculture 8.1%, construction 8.8%, communications and other 45.2% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 2.9% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $16.5 billion
expenditures: $16.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)
Industries: fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor vehicles, glass, armaments
Industrial production growth rate: 12.9% (January-November 1995)
Electricity:
capacity: 14.470,000 kW
production: 56.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 4,842 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe
Exports: $17.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, minerals, metals, agricultural products
partners: Germany 32.4%, Slovakia 16.1%, Austria 6.7%, Poland 5.3%, Italy 4%, Russia 3.3%, Netherlands 2.8%, France 2.6%, UK 2.2%, Hungary 2.1%, US 1.8%, Belgium 1.5% (January-September 1995)
Imports: $21.3 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, raw materials, agricultural products
partners: Germany 26%, Slovakia 13.2%, Russia 9.2%, Austria 7%, Italy 5.6%, France 4.1%, US 3.8%, Poland 3.1%, Netherlands 2.9%, UK 2.9%, Switzerland 2.1%, Belgium 2.0% (January-September 1995)
External debt: $14.9 billion (June 1995)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $27 million (1993)
Currency: 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru
Exchange rates: koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 26.967 (January 1996), 26.541 (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

Railways:
total: 9,413 km
standard gauge: 9,316 km 1.435-m standard gauge (2640 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 97 km several narrow gauges (1995)
Highways:
total: 55,557 km (1994 est.)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
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: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 155,946 GRT/251,624 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 5 (1995 est.)
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 2 437 m: 10
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 32
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 41 (1994 est.)

Communications

Telephones: 3,349,539 (1993 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions)
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA

Defense

Branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Railroad Units
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 2,724,607
males fit for military service: 2,074,331
males reach military age (18) annually: 88,418 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $931 million, 2.5% of GDP (1995)

Czech Republic

Original publicaton at http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm (June 17, 1997).