The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country borders Poland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia, and is composed of the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, and parts of Silesia. Its capital and largest city is Prague, a major tourist destination known for its beauty and charm.
Under Habsburg rule from 1526, and later part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, the independent Republic of Czechoslovakia was created in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I.
After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Communist Party gained the majority during the 1946 elections. Czechoslovakia was a Communist state from 1948 until the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
In 1993, the country split into what are now the Czech and Slovak Republics.The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party, parliamentary, representative democracy. President Václav Klaus is the current head of state. The Prime Minister is the head of government. The Parliament has two chambers, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Czech Republic Profile
Official language: Slovak and Czech
Population: 5,447,502
Ethnic groups: Czech, Moravian, Slovak, Roma, Silesian, Polish, German, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant.
Government: Parliamentary democracy with three branches: executive, legislative and judicial