The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency (ebook reader 8 inch .txt) 📕

Germany

Geographic coordinates:

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total: 1,989 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 815 km, Poland 615 km, Slovakia 197 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

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

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Natural resources:

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

Land use:

arable land: 38.82% permanent crops: 3% other: 58.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:

240 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

16 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.91 cu km/yr (41%/57%/2%) per capita: 187 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

flooding

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; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - 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
Czech Republic

Population:

10,220,911 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 723,521/female 684,786) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,653,679/female 3,619,872) 65 years and over: 15.1% (male 604,419/female 934,634) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.8 years male: 38.2 years female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.082% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.62 years male: 73.34 years female: 80.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups:

Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Languages:

Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Government
Czech Republic

Country name:

conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Cesko

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Prague geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky, Pardubicky, Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky, Vysocina, Zlinsky

Independence:

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday:

Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

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 KLAUS (since 7 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007), Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 15 February 2008 (after earlier elections held 8 and 9 February 2008 were inconclusive; next election to be held in February 2013); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaclav KLAUS reelected president on 15 February 2008; Vaclav KLAUS 141 votes, Jan SVEJNAR 111 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 17-18 and 24-25 October 2008 (next to be held in October 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 35, CSSD 29, KDU-CSL 7, others 8, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6; note - seats by party as of December 2007 - ODS 81, CSSD 72, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6, unaffiliated 2 (former CSSD members)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders:

Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED
[Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's
Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek
TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech
FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Union
of Freedom-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan CERNY]; Green Party
[Martin BURSIK]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY];
Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK]; Path of Change [Jiri
LOBKOWITZ]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI,
CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,
MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate),
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 FAX: [420] 257 022 809

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side note: identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

Economy
Czech Republic

Economy - overview:

The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-07 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3.3% of GDP as demand for automotive and other products from the Czech Republic remains strong in the European Union. Rising inflation from higher food and energy prices are a risk to balanced economic growth. Significant increases in social spending in the run-up to June 2006 elections prevented, the government from meeting its goal of reducing its budget deficit to 3% of GDP in 2007. Negotiations on pension and additional healthcare reforms are continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. The pro-business Civic Democratic Party-led government approved reforms in 2007 designed to cut spending on some social welfare benefits and reform the tax system with the aim of eventually reducing the budget deficit to 2.3% of GDP by 2010. Parliamentary approval for any additional reforms could prove difficult, however, because of the parliament's even split. The government withdrew a 2010 target date for euro adoption and instead aims to meet the eurozone criteria around 2012.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$251 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$175.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$24,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 38.7% services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5.36 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4.1% industry: 37.6% services: 58.3% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $72.1 billion expenditures: $74.98 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

26% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.79% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$84.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$58.77 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$103.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Industries:

metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Industrial production growth rate:

9.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

82.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

61.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

26.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 76.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 20% other: 1% (2001)

Oil - production:

13,530 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

207,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

27,360 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

224,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

172 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

8.622 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

402 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

8.628 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$4.534 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$122.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 52%, raw materials and fuel 9%, chemicals 5% (2003)

Exports - partners:

Germany 30.7%, Slovakia 8.7%, Poland 5.9%, France 5.4%,