Czech Republic - Travel Europe

The Czech Republic or Czechia is a landlocked country in central Europe. The capital is Prague.

Following the First World War, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. In the mid-20th century, Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom and, in 1993, the country was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined the European Union in 2004.

Geography
Administrative divisions (see map below): 13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city (hlavni mesto): Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague), Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj.

Total area: 78,867 km².

Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country. Highest point: Snezka 1,602 m.

Climate: Temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters.

People
Population: 10.7 million (2018 est.).

Religions: Roman Catholic 10.4%, Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 1.1%, other and unspecified 54%, none 34.5% (2011 est.).

Ethnic groups: Czech 64.3%, Moravian 5%, Slovak 1.4%, other 1.8%, unspecified 27.5% (2011 est.).

Language: Czech (official) 95.4%, Slovak 1.6%, other 3% (2011 census).

Main source: CIA - The World Factbook.

Charles Bridge over the Vltava River, in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. The city centre preserves many historic buildings from 18th-century, including Baroque palaces, Gothic and Renaissance houses. Prague, located at the heart of Europe, is the main Czech economic and cultural center.