| Key Demographic
Features of Czech Republic* |
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Czech_Republic
Geography
Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Map references: Europe
People
Population: 10,321,120 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 965,861; female 918,745)
15-64 years: 68% (male 3,519,753; female 3,524,913)
65 years and over: 14% (male 526,841; female 865,007)
(July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.03% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.4 deaths/1,000 live births
(1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.76 years
male: 70.08 years
female: 77.65 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Czech 94.4%, Slovak 3%, Polish 0.6%,
German 0.5%, Gypsy 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 1%
Religions: atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%,
Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%
Languages: Czech, Slovak
Literacy: age NA and over can read and write (est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government
Country Abbreviation: EZ
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Independence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)
National holiday: National Liberation Day, 8 May;
Founding of the Republic, 28 October
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
Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Vaclav KLAUS, chairman;
Christian Democratic Party (KDS), Ivan PILIP, chairman; Civic
Democratic Alliance (ODA), Jan KALVODA, chairman; Christian
Democratic Union/Czech People's Party (KDU-CSL), Josef LUX,
chairman; note - KDS was to merge with ODS in March 1996
opposition: Czech Social Democrats (CSSD - left
opposition), Milos ZEMAN, chairman; Left Bloc (LB - left
opposition), Jaroslav ORTMAN, chairman; Communist Party (KSCM
- left opposition), Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman; Liberal
Social Union (LSU - left opposition), Frantisek TRNKA,
chairman, note - may not still be in existence; Liberal
National Social Party (LSNS - center party), Vavrinec BODENLOS,
chairman; Bohemian-Moravian Center Union (CMUS - center
party), Jan JEGLA, chairman; Assembly for the Republic (SPR-RSC
- right radical), Miroslav SLADEK, chairman
Other political or pressure groups: Czech-Moravian
Chamber of Trade Unions; Civic Movement
International organization participation: Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE (guest), CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
NACC, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNOMIL,
UNPROFOR, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael ZANTOVSKY
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 363-6315, 6316
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jenonne R. WALKER
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: Unit 1330, APO AE 09213-1330
telephone: [42] (2) 2451-0847
FAX: [42] (2) 2451-1001
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost
identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
Economy
Economic overview: The Czech Republic, which separated
from Slovakia on 1 January 1993, emerged from recession with
2.6% growth in 1994 and 5% growth in 1995. Inflation in
1994-95 was cut in half; unemployment was kept at about 3%;
the budget was balanced; and exports were reoriented to the EU.
Prague's mass privatization program, including its innovative
distribution of ownership shares to Czech citizens via
"coupon vouchers," has made the most rapid progress
in Eastern Europe. About 80% of the economy is wholly or
partially in private hands. Because of its progress on reform,
the Czech Republic in 1995 became the first post-Communist
member of the OECD. Its solid economic performance also led
Standard and Poor's to upgrade the country's sovereign credit
rating to "A" and attracted nearly $5.3 billion in
direct foreign investment to Czech industry between 1990 and
September 1995. The Czech crown became convertible for current
account transactions in October 1995. Czech companies
increasingly are using the international capital market to
fund capital investment, and foreign currency reserves totaled
$13.9 billion at the end of 1995. Prague's biggest
macroeconomic concern now is limiting the inflationary effect
of these large capital inflows. The Czech economy also still
faces microeconomic problems. Prague has promised to
strengthen its bankruptcy law and improve the transparency of
stock market operations in 1996, but some changes probably
will not take effect until some time after the parliamentary
elections of mid-1996 and will depend largely on voluntary
compliance. Prague forecasts a balanced budget, 5.5% GDP
growth, 2.8% unemployment, and 8.1% inflation for 1996.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $106.2 billion (1995
est.)
GDP real growth rate: 5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $10,200 (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2.9% (1995 est.)
Communications
Telephones: 3,349,539 (1993 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA
*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency
The World Factbook contains many additional demographic
variables that may be of interest to persons who wish to
examine a particular country in more depth. To access the
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