General information about the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, one of the smaller countries (area: 78,886 km2), is to be found in the very heart of Europe, at the crossroads of European trade routes. It borders with Germany on the west (810 km), with Poland on the north (762 km), with Austria on the south (466km) and with Slovakia on the east (265 km). The longest distances between the farthest points located in the Czech Republic are 493 km (east-wets) and 278 km (north-south).

The Czech Republic was established on 1 January 1993 following division of former Czechoslovakia. The state system is based on a parliamentary republic. The legislative power is controlled by the Parliament that consists of two chambers – the Chamber of Deputies (200 deputies elected for a 4-year term) and the Senate (81 senators elected for a 6-year term). Any and all citizens of 18+ years of age are entitled to elect their representatives. Deputies may be elected from 21 years of age while Senators may be elected from 40 years of age. The executive power is controlled by the Government that is appointed by the President of the republic and that is responsible to the Chamber of Deputies. The President is elected for a 5-year term and must be of min. 40 years of age.

Official Czech Business Portal

Official Czech portal for business professionals searching information, assistance, or trade contacts in the Czech Republic. BusinessInfo is provided by CzechTrade and Ministry of Industry and Trade with more than 20 other state departments, government agencies and business-support institutions and chambers of commerce as partners.

Portal contains comprehensive web site directory and information about:

  • How to start and doing business in the Czech Republic
  • Where to find Czech legislation (in English)
  • How to find trade partners and producers
  • Economic information, statistics, analyses
  • Market access
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Tax and Payroll

The Czech Republic is divided into 14 regions (“kraj” in the Czech language) - Prague, Central Bohemian Region, Southern Bohemian Region, Plzeňský Region, Karlovarský Region, Ústecký Region, Liberecký Region, Královéhradecký Region, Pardubický Region, Vysočina Region, Southern Moravian Region, Olomoucký Region, Moravian-Silesian Region and Zlínský Region. Since January 2003 the Czech Republic has also been subdivided into 205 municipalities.

The Czech Republic has 10,269,726 inhabitants. The density of its population is 131 inhabitants per 1 km2. As far as the number of inhabitants is concerned, the Czech Republic is to be found on 14th place in Europe, after Hungary, Portugal and Belarus but before Greece and Belgium.

Nationalities: Czech 81.1 %, Moravian 13.2 %, Silesian 0.4 % (total: 94.7 %), Slovak 3.1 %, German 0.5 %, Gypsy 0.3 %, Polish 0.6 %, other 0.2 %.

The capital city of the Czech Republic is Prague. Its layout has developed over as many as eleven centuries. At present, its total area is 496 km2 and it has 1,187,000 inhabitants. The historical centre of the city with its unique panorama of the Prague castle is a UNESCO sight. The second largest city of the republic is Brno (370,505), followed by Ostrava (314,102), Plzeň (164,703), Olomouc (101,624), České Budějovice (95,986), Hradec Králové (95,755), Ústí nad Labem (94,544) and Pardubice (89,725).

Average altitude above sea level: 430 m.
Three main European water divides (with the border point of Kralický Sněžník) are located on the territory of the republic; they divide basins of the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The country is located on the border between the Czech Highlands (Šumava, Český les, Krušné hory, Krkonoše, Orlické hory and Jeseníky) and the Western Carpathian Mountains (Beskydy).
Highest Mountain: Sněžka (1,602 m above sea level)
Lowest point: Hřensko (117 m above sea level)
Longest river: Vltava (433 km)

There are 4 national parks on the territory of the Czech Republic. The largest national parks are the Šumava NP and Podyjí NP, the oldest national park is the Krkonošský NP (KRNAP) and the newest one is the České Švýcarsko NP (since 1 January 2000).

System of education: The compulsory 9-year education plan is followed by secondary education plans that may be concluded by a school-leaving examination. The scope of tertiary education comprises advanced vocational training, universities and colleges. The Czech Republic disposes of almost 13,000 schools with 2,165,000 pupils and students.

The Charles University in Prague was founded in 1348 and therefore it is the oldest university in Central Europe.

The Czech Republic is a major tourist destination. It offers its visitors not only numerous historical sights but also the varied countryside (mountains, ponds, caves, spas with sources of mineral water, folk customs and traditions, etc.).

Some of the officially protected cities, villages and sights are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (Český Krumlov, Telč, Kutná Hora, St. Jan Nepomucký’s church in Zelená hora, the Lednicko-Valticko District, the Archbishop’s Mansion and the flower and mansion gardens in Kroměříž, the village of Holašovice in Southern Bohemia, the renaissance castle and historical centre of Litomyšl, the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, the Tugendhat Villa in Brno and the Jewish district and St. Prokop’s basilica in Třebíč).

Climate: A combination of ocean and continental climates. The hottest month is July (20°C) while the coldest month is January (–2°C).