Prague

CAPITAL CITY OF Czech Republic: Prague
LANGUAGE OF Czech Republic: Czech
CURRENCY OF Czech Republic: Czech koruna
COMMENTS ABOUT Czech Republic:
The Czech Republic is a small landlocked country in Central Europe
Cities : Prague (capital), Brno, Cesky Krumlov, Jesenik, Karlovy Vary, Karvina, Kutna Hora, Novosedly, Olomouc
Best Places : Krkonose, Cesky Raj, Mutenice Wine Region, Karlstejn Castle,
Electricity : 230V/50Hz (European plug)
Calling Code : 420
Time Zone : UTC + 1

CLIMATE OF Czech Republic: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
RELIGION OF Czech Republic: Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%, atheist 39.8%
POPULATION OF Czech Republic: 10,246,178 (July 2004 est.) Czech 81.2%, Moravian 13.2%, Slovak 3.1%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Silesian 0.4%, Roma 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 0.5% (1991)>>
HISTORY OF Czech Republic: 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 country's 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 country's 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.
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF Czech Republic: One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has been recovering from recession since mid-1999. Growth in 2000-03 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a near doubling of foreign direct 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. High current account deficits - averaging around 5% of GDP in the last several years - could be a persistent problem. Inflation is under control. The EU put the Czech Republic just behind Poland and Hungary in preparations for accession, which will give further impetus and direction to structural reform. Moves to complete banking, telecommunications, and energy privatization will encourage additional foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and  banks, and improvements in the financial sector, should strengthen output growth. Nonetheless, revival in the European economies remains essential to stepped-up growth.