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The Czech Republic
Location: East Central Europe (See Maps)
Area: 30,469 sq. mi. (78,916 sq. km.)
Population: 10,400,000
Capital and Largest City: Prague (Praha)
Major Language: Czech
Literacy Rate: 99%
Major Religious Group: Roman Catholic
Monetary Unit: Koruna (Crown)
Income/person: appr. 30% of USA
Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918.
A Communist coup in 1948 led to Stalinist repression until 1963.
The Dubcek government's attempts at liberalization provoked the USSR invasion
of 1968 and reimposition of hard-line Communism. Peaceful protests brought about
the collapse of the Communist regime in 1989. This "velvet revolution" was
followed by rapid democratization and then by the peaceful "velvet divorce"
creating two new republics at the beginning of 1993, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The Czechs make up about 95 percent of the country's population.
The ethnic minorities, all of them quite small, include Slovaks, Gypsies,
Poles, and some Germans. For a thousand years the Czechs had been in close contact with,
and under the influence of, the Germans of neighboring Austria and Bavaria.
The result was that Czech habits, customs, and much of their way of life today are,
to a great extent, like those found in Austria and Bavaria. This similarity shows
in their food and drink, the sports they like, and in most of the holidays they celebrate.
It can also be seen in the Czech's love for music and dancing.
There has been complete religious freedom in Czech Republic since 1990.
Christian literature may now be freely printed locally and imported,
but the range and quality of indigenous writings are still limited.
Most Czechs are traditionally Roman Catholics. There are also several
Protestant denominations and a small Jewish community. However, only 16% of
Catholics and 14% of Protestants are regular churchgoers. As many as 40
percent of the country's people consider themselves nonbelievers. Most active
Christians are the old and the young; those in between are few in number.
The Czechs have a long and rich cultural heritage.
The most revered ruler of the Czech Kingdom was Vaclav (reigned 921-29),
who became the patron saint of Bohemia and is best known as the Good King
Wenceslaus of the Christmas carol. The first Czech composers to gain international
stature, Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak, captured the spirit of the people
in their music, which can be both joyful and sad. One of the earliest Czech
literary figures was the religious reformer and martyr Jan Hus (1372-1415),
whose sermons were written in the ordinary language of the people.
The Czech Republic is situated in the heart of Europe,
bounded by Germany, Poland, Austria, and Slovakia. Its districts are
Bohemia, Moravia, and a southern slice of Silesia. It is a region of
rolling hills, plains, river valleys, and mountains. More than one quarter
of the country is covered by forests. There is much good farm land, growing
wheat, rye, barley, sugar beets, potatoes, and hops. 64% of the country's income,
however comes from manufactured goods, such as textiles, shoes, glass and chinaware,
iron and steel. Coal mining is another industry for the Czechs.
Summers are warm, with only occasional periods of very hot weather.
Winters are cold. Below-freezing temperatures are frequent, and snowfall
is usually heavy in the mountains. The country is at about the same latitude
as Montreal, Canada, so winter days are light for only a short time, but there
are about 20 hours between sunrise and sunset in summertime.
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Site last updated:
Sunday, July 08, 2007
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