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Country Profile: Czech Republic
FactfileCapital and largest cityPragueOther citiesBrno, Ostrava, Plzen, Olomouc, Liberec, Zin, Kladno, MostOfficial languagesCzechArea78, 866 sq kmPopulation10, 467, 542 (2008 est.)CurrencyCzech koruna |
Language
Czech is a West Slavic language, the offiical language of the Czech Republic, and is spoken worldwide by 12 million people. It is mutually intelligible to Slovak and also similar to Polish and Sorbian. Czech is one of the 23 official languages of the European Union. There are two distinct versions of the language spoken in the Czech Republic, and they vary based on geographic region. Common Czech, the most widely spoken, is used in Bohemia, while the second is spoken between Moravia and Silesia.
Economy
The Czech's economy is developed and high-income, with the relatively high GDP of $249 billion. Its labour force is mostly in the service sector, and tourism is a vital industry here, with millions of people flocking to visit the beautiful and historic city of Prague, as well as the varied Czech landscape. The industry sector is also a big employer, with industries such as metallurgy, machinery, glass, armaments and motor vehicles particularly important. The country's current government is continuing the mass privatisation of services which has been ongoing in the past years, although this has led to an increase in unemployment rates. In accordance with the Schlengen Agreement, Czech has got rid of border controls, allowing for freedom of trade with neighbouring Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. It is likely that the country will adopt the Euro and in doing so enter the euro zone by 2013. The Czech Republic is a member of the OECD and WTO.
Energy
Much of Hungary's electricy is produced by steam, with the rest made up of power plants and nuclear plants, and only a small percentage from renewable sources, such as hydropower. The Czech Republic receives natural gas through pipelines from Russia. The country is taking steps to reduce its reliance on polluting energy sources such as low-grade brown coal, which is extremely damaging to the environment. It looks to increase its use of nuclear energy, and continue to harbour its limited oil and natural gas reserves.
Science and Technology
The Czech Republic has had major importance in scientific development - for example scientists from the country invented the contact lens and screw propeller. There have been several Nobel prizewinners native to the country, and of course Sigmund Freud, whose works into psychoanalysm and psychiatry have had long-reaching impact upon the 20th century.
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