The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe . The republic borders Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. Historic Prague , a major tourist attraction, is its capital and largest city. The country is composed of two older regions, Bohemia and Moravia , and part of a third one, Silesia . As of May 1 , 2004 , it is a member state of the European Union .

 

Geography

The Czech landscape is quite varied; Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Elbe ( Labe ) and Vltava rivers, surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Sudeten with its part Krkonose , where one also finds the highest point in the country, the Snezka at 1,602 m. Moravia , the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava river, but also contains the source of the Oder river. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea , Baltic Sea and Black Sea .

The local climate is temperate with warm summers and cold, cloudy, humid winters, typified by a mixture of maritime and continental influences.

 

Economy

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 - 2001 was led by exports to the EU , especially Germany , and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving.

Uncomfortably high fiscal and current account deficits could be future problems.

Moves to complete banking , telecommunications , and energy privatisation will add to foreign investment, while intensified restructuring among large enterprises and banks and improvements in the financial sector should strengthen output growth.

Demographics

The majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic (95%) are ethnically Czech and speak Czech , a member of the Slavic languages . Other ethnic groups include Germans , Roma , Hungarians , Ukrainians and Poles . After the 1993 division, some Slovaks remained in the Czech Republic and comprise roughly 2% of the current population. The border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia is open for citizens of the former Czechoslovakia.

Major denominations and their estimated percentage populations are Roman Catholic (27%), Protestant (1%), Czechoslovak Hussites (1%), as well as a small Jewish community. A large percentage of the Czech population claim to be atheists (59%), and the remainder describe themselves as uncertain. The atheist population grew dramatically under the rule of the Communists, who discriminated against members of organized religions.