The Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is situated in the heart of Europe. It is an inland country with an area of 78, 864 km2. It is located in the temperate, mild climatic zone. The Czech Republic borders with Poland in the north, Germany in the west, Austria in the south and Slovakia in the east.

There are three historical parts of the country: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. These regions are different in dialects and folk traditions. Politicaly is the Czech Republic divided into 14 regions. In the Czech Republic live about 10, 3 million people. The minorities are Slovaks, Poles, Germans, Russians, Romanies and the others.

The borders of the Czech Republic are formed by many mountains. For example by the Krušné mountains, the Giant mountains, the Šumava, the Beskydy. The highest peak is Sněžka in Giant Mountains. The longest river is the Vltava, which springs in the Šumava and in Mělník flows into the river Labe. The other importatn rivers are Labe, Odra and Morava. There are also a lot of lakes in the country. The well-known are two glacial lakes – Black and Satan´s in Šumava.

The Czech Republic is a country with nice nature, rich cultur and history. These combinations make it a popular destination for tourist. In the capital city Prague we can see many historical places and buildings, for example The Prague Castle, Charles bridge, Old Town Square, Old Town Hall with astronomical clock, Betlehem Chapel, Royal Route, Wenceslas Square, St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, Vyšehrad Castle, Petřín Tower. The West Bohemian Triangle of spa town includes Karlovy Vary, Mariánaské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně. South Bohemia is full of lakes, the most famous is Rožmberk. The city in these area are very famous and intresting too. Tábor became the centre of the Hussite Wars in the 14th, České Budějovice is famous for beer Budweis, Písek for its stone bridge, the second oldest bridge in Central Europe, Český Krumlov with a castle from the early 13th century, and Domažlice is a historical capital of the Chodsko Region. A centre of South Moravia is Brno. The other city is Olomouc famous for the astronomical clock.
Industry is a typical feature for North Bohemia. There are the biggest industrial towns of the country in this region (Ústí nad Labem, Jablonec, and Liberec). According to the constitution the Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy with the President as the head of state. The president is elected every five years by the parliament. The parliament consists of two houses – The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

The national flag consits of a white and red stripes and a blue triangle. The Czech anthem is the song “Where my home is” by J.K.Tyl. The Czech emblem is a coat of arms divided into quaters. In the first and fourth there is a silver, twotailed rampant lion with golden crown. In the second and third field there is the Moravian and Silesian eagle.