Czech Česká Republika (1995 est. pop. 10,296,000), republic, 29,677 sq mi (78,864 sq km), central Europe. It is bordered by Slovakia on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west, and Poland on the north. Prague is the capital and largest city. In addition to the capital, major cities include Brno, Ostrava, and Plzeň .

Land and People

The Czech Republic comprises the former provinces of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia, together often called the Czech Lands. In the western part of the republic lies the Bohemian plateau, which is separated by the Bohemian-Moravian heights from the fertile Moravian lowland in the eastern part of the republic. The Sudetes Mts. in the north separate Moravia from Czech Silesia along the Polish border. Agriculture is concentrated in the Moravian lowlands and in the valleys of the Elbe and Vltava rivers.

Almost 95% of the people are Czech, with small minorities of Slovaks, Germans, Poles, Gypsies, and Hungarians; the Gypsies have been subjected to increased discrimination since the fall of Communist rule. Although many Czechs do not profess a religion, about 40% are Roman Catholic. There is also a substantial Hussite minority and a smaller group belonging to the Orthodox Church. Czech is the official language; Slovak is also spoken.

Economy

In state hands during the Communist era, the much of Czech Republic's agricultural and industrial sectors was relatively quickly privatized and showed appreciable growth in the early 1990s. Foreign investment was widely sought. An economic slowdown beginning in 1997, however, revealed problems in the transition from government control to a privatized economy, as many large industrial conglomerates with thousands of employees lost money and sought government aid instead of revamping. In 1999–2000 most of the state-owned banks were privatized, with the government assuming responsibility for bad loans.

The chief crops are corn, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, barley, and rye. Among the country's livestock are hogs, cattle, sheep, and poultry. Manufacturing is the chief economic activity, especially the production of automobiles, machine tools, and machinery. Iron and steel industries are important in Moravia. Other industries include metalworking, chemicals, electronics, and glass. The republic's rather scant natural resources include coal, timber, and uranium. The largest trading partners are Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Poland, and Hungary; recent efforts have increased trade with many Western countries.

Government

The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy. The bicameral legislature consists of the 81-seat senate, whose members are elected by popular vote to serve staggered two-, four-, and six-year terms, and the 200-seat chamber of deputies, whose members are popularly elected for four-year terms. The president, who is the chief of state, is elected by parliament for a five-year term. The prime minister, who is the head of government, is appointed by the president, as is the cabinet. The leading political parties are the Civic Democratic Party, the Social Democratic party, the Christian Democratic party, and the Civic Democratic Alliance. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into eight administrative regions, including the capital.

History

For a detailed history of the Czech Lands see Bohemia, Moravia, and Czechoslovakia. In response to Slovakia's demands for greater autonomy, Czechoslovakia was on Jan. 1, 1969, declared a federation. The constituent Czech and Slovak republics received autonomy over local affairs, with the federal government responsible for foreign relations, defense, and finance. The Communist regime collapsed in 1989, and in 1990 economic reforms were begun that were especially disruptive in Slovakia, which had a disproportionate share of subsidized state-owned heavy industry. A strong secessionist movement in Slovakia led to a declaration in 1992 that the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic would separate into independent states. In response to the imminent breakup of Czechoslovakia, a new Czech constitution was written. It was implemented with the birth of the new Czech Republic on Jan. 1, 1993.

Václav Havel, who had been president of Czechoslovakia, became the Czech Republic's president; after legislative elections a right-of-center coalition government came into office, headed by Václav Klaus. The government moved quickly to privatize state-owned businesses, and mutual funds became a popular investment vehicle for a public unused to dealing with a stock market. However, the economy faltered in 1997 and Klaus was forced to resign. Austerity measures were put in place and Josef Tosovsky, a banker, was appointed caretaker prime minister. Havel was reelected in 1998 and, following legislative elections later that year, Social Democrat Milos Zeman became prime minister, vowing to slow privatization and return more control to the state. In the 2002 elections the Social Democrat–led coalition was returned to power, but Zeman, who had resigned as party leader prior to the election, was replaced as prime minister by Vladimír Spidla. Václav Klaus was elected president in 2003, succeeding the retiring Havel.

The Czech Republic has actively sought membership in Western institutions and alliances. In 1994 it became an associate member of the European Union, in 1995 it was admitted to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and in 1999 it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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