• Capital -- Prague
• Population -- 10,235,455
• Language -- Czech
• GDP per capita($) -- 19,500
• Currency -- Czech koruna (CZK)
• Year Joined EU -- 2004

• GDP($) -- 221,400,000,000
• GDP per capita($) -- 19,500
• GDP growth rate(%) -- 6.00
• Inflation(%) -- 1.90
• Unemployment(%) -- 8.90
• Imports($) -- 76,590,000,000
• Exports($) -- 78,370,000,000
• Military Spending($) -- 2,170,000,000
• Military Spending (% of GDP) -- 1.81

• Land Area (sq. km) -- 78,866
• slightly smaller than South Carolina
• Population growth rate(%) -- -0.06
• Infant Mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births) -- 3.89
• Life Expectancy -- 76.22
• Poverty --
• Migration -- 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 pop

• ---

  * all data/material from the CIA World Fact Book 2006

Czech Republic

Select Different Country Andorra Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom

Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-05 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3% of GDP as demand for Czech products in the European Union has increased. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004, the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006. However, due to significant increases in social spending in the run-up to June 2006 elections, the government is not likely to meet this goal. Negotiations on pension and healthcare reforms are continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation. Privatization of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom took place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth.