Czech Republic facts for kids

Czech Republic
Czech Republic ; Česká republika
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: "Pravda vítězí" (Czech); "Truth prevails"
	Anthem: Kde domov můj? (Czech); "Where is my home?";
	Location of Czech Republic (dark green) – on the European continent (green & dark grey); – in the European Union (green) — [Legend]
Capital; and largest city	Prague (Praha)
Official languages	Czech
Officially recognized; minority languages	Slovak, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Romani, Russian, Rusyn, Serbian and Ukrainian
Ethnic groups (2011)	63.7% Czechs,; 4.9% Moravians,; 1.4% Slovaks,; 29.9% others and unspecified
Religion	non-declared and non-religious (80%), Catholic (10,3%)
Demonym(s)	Czech
Government	Parliamentary republic
• President	Miloš Zeman
• Prime Minister	Bohuslav Sobotka
Formation
• Principality of Bohemia	c. 870
• Kingdom of Bohemia	1198
• Czechoslovakia	28 October 1918
• Czech Republic	1 January 1993
Area
• Total	78,866 km2 (30,450 sq mi) (116th)
• Water (%)	2
Population
• 2011 census	10,562,214
• Density	134/km2 (347.1/sq mi) (84th)
GDP (PPP)	2011 estimate
• Total	$268.772 billion
• Per capita	$25,525
GDP (nominal)	2011 estimate
• Total	$218.363 billion
• Per capita	$20,938 (38th)
Gini (2008)	26; low · 4th
HDI (2010)	0.873; very high · 27th
Currency	Czech koruna (CZK)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+4204
ISO 3166 code	CZ
Internet TLD	.cz³
	30 June 2010 (See Population changes).; Rank based on 2009 IMF data.; Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.; Shared code 42 with Slovakia until 1997.; a. Rhetorical question meaning "Those places where my homeland lies".;

Hradčany - Prague castle

Czech Republic (Czech: Česká republika) is a country in Central Europe, sometimes also known as Czechia (Czech: Česko). The capital and the biggest city is Prague. The currency is the Czech Crown (koruna česká - CZK). 1€ is about 27 CZK. The president of the Czech Republic is Miloš Zeman. The Czech Republic's population is about 10.5 million. The local language is Czech language. The Czech language is a Slavic language. It is related to languages like Slovak and Polish. In 1993 the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the name Czechia be used for the country outside of formal official documents. This has not caught on in English usage.

Czech Republic has no sea; its neighbour countries are Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Poland.

History

Its history dates from the 9th century AD, for a long time it was one of the most powerful countries in Central Europe. Later on it was the biggest, most populated and richest country of the First Reich, where many Emperors started their career. Under the conditions of the Treaty of Vienna 1515 parts of the Czech Republic, then in the Kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary came under Habsburg rule after the death of Louis the Jagiellon in 1526. They stayed a part of the Habsburg dynasty rule until 1918.

The area of the today's Czech Republic was a part of Czechoslovakia (current area of Czech republic and Slovak republic) from 1918 to 1992. Czechoslovakia became independent in 1918 from Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first Czechoslovakian president was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. In 1968 invasion arrived by Warsaw pact and for the next 41 years Czechoslovakia was Communist state. In November 1989 Czechoslovakia returned to a liberal democracy through the peaceful "Velvet Revolution". Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two countries (Czech Republic and Slovakia) in 1993. Czech Republic has been a member of the European Union since May 1, 2004 and a member of NATO since March 12, 1999.

Geography

The highest point in the country is Sněžka at 1,602 m (5,256 ft).

There are four national parks in the Czech Republic. The oldest is Krkonoše National Park. The others are Šumava National Park, Podyjí National Park, Bohemian Switzerland.

Regions

See also: List of cities in the Czech Republic

In 1949 communist government created 13 centralized regions instead of historical countries. In 1960 was regions recreated and there were only 8 regions. In 2000 was created 14 regions with their own regional self-government.

English name	Czech name	Administrative seat
Prague, the Capital City	Hlavní město Praha	Prague
Central Bohemian Region	Středočeský kraj	Prague
South Bohemian Region	Jihočeský kraj	České Budějovice
Plzeň Region	Plzeňský kraj	Plzeň
Karlovy Vary Region	Karlovarský kraj	Karlovy Vary
Ústí nad Labem Region	Ústecký kraj	Ústí nad Labem
Liberec Region	Liberecký kraj	Liberec
Hradec Králové Region	Královehradecký kraj	Hradec Králové
Pardubice Region	Pardubický kraj	Pardubice
Olomouc Region	Olomoucký kraj	Olomouc
Moravian-Silesian Region	Moravskoslezský kraj	Ostrava
South Moravian Region	Jihomoravský kraj	Brno
Zlín Region	Zlínský kraj	Zlín
Vysočina region	Kraj Vysočina	Jihlava

Religion

Religion in the Czech Republic (2011)

Undeclared			45.2%
Irreligion			34.2%
Roman Catholicism			10.3%
Other religions			9.4%
Protestantism			0.8%

The Czech Republic has one of the least religious populations in the world. According to the 2011 census, 34.2% of the population stated they had no religion, 10.3% was Roman Catholic, 0.8% was Protestant (0.5% Czech Brethren and 0.4% Hussite), and 9.4% followed other forms of religion both denominational or not (of which 863 people answered they are Pagan). 45.2% of the population did not answer the question about religion.

Related pages

Images for kids

Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia (1230–1253) of the Přemyslid dynasty, Gelnhausen Codex
Battle between Protestant Hussites and Catholic crusaders during the Hussite Wars; Jena Codex, 15th century
The 1618 Defenestration of Prague sparked the Thirty Years' War.
Woodcut depiction of Latin class by pedagogue and philosopher John Amos Comenius, Orbis Pictus, 1658
Rally in Prague on Wenceslas Square for the Czechoslovak declaration of independence from the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire, 28 October 1918
The interwar Czechoslovakia
The Prague Spring political liberalization of the communist regime was stopped by the 1968 Soviet-led invasion.
Václav Havel, first President of the Czech Republic
Topographic map
Moravian-Silesian Beskids
The political system of the Czech Republic
Seat of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic in Brno.
Visa-free entry countries for Czech citizens
Czech Army Soldiers during an excersise
Map of the Czech Republic with traditional regions and current administrative regions
Map with districts
Czech National Bank in Prague
Dukovany Nuclear Power Station
A Škoda 7Ev electric multiple unit. The Czech railway network is largely electrified and is among the densest in Europe.
Gregor Mendel, founder of the modern science of genetics
Nobel Prize laureate Jaroslav Heyrovský in the lab
Prague is one of the most visited cities in Europe.
Medieval castles such as Karlštejn are frequent tourist attractions.
Folk music band from southern Bohemia wearing folk costumes
Roman Catholicism is the major religion at 10% of the population; Saint Wenceslas Cathedral in Olomouc pictured.
Bohemian glass pitcher, circa 1880
Traditional rural log house in Open-air museum Vysočina
Royal Summer Palace in Prague considered the purest Renaissance architecture outside Italy
St. Nicholas' Church in Prague, an exemplar of the Bohemian Baroque
The functionalist Villa Tugendhat in Brno
Franz Kafka
Karel Čapek (right) with president T.G. Masaryk
Antonín Dvořák
Smetana Hall in Rudolfinum at Prague, one of the main venues in the annual Prague Spring Festival
Miloš Forman, one of the main creators the Czechoslovak New Wave
American poster of Karel Zeman's 1958 film A Deadly Invention
The Karlovy Vary Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic
Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the Czech Republic and the Czech national team is one of the world's best teams