Official Name: Ceská Republika

Area: Europe

Size: 78,866 km²

Coastline: Landlocked

Independence: from Austria-Hungary October 28, 1918 

Form of Govt.: Unitary multiparty republic

Head of Govt.: Prime Minister

Capital: Prague             

Largest City: Prague

Demographics (2005): 10,287,189,   130 /km²

Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, Polish 0.5%, German 0.4%, Silesian 0.1%, Roma 0.1%

GDP per Capita (2005): $23,100

Languages: Czech, also in some regions Moravian dialects, Cieszyn Silesian dialect and Polish language

Geography: The country can be divided into three topographical regions. (1.) Bohemia which is the western region of the country with the Ore Mountains rising in the northwest from the Paleozoic rock hill ranges while the wooded hills of the Bohemian forest lie to the southwest. Towards the southeast the gentle uplands of the Moravian Hills separate Bohemia from the plains of Moravia. (2.) Moravia which is the eastern lowland area that lies southeast of Bohemia. The lowland plains of Moravia separate the Bohemian region from the Carpathian Mountains of Slovakia and have formed a narrow corridor between the plains of Poland and the Danube Valley. Moravia is drained by the Danube and Morava Rivers.

Climate: The Czech Republic has a typical continental climate with warm humid summers and cold dry winters. In the north the mountain winters are more severe and generally snow falls for 40 to 50 days in winter with fog persisting in the low lying areas. Average annual precipitation in Prague is about 510 mm while average temperature ranges are from -4 to 1 degrees in January to 14 to 23 degrees in July