The Czech Republic

The basic topic about our own country at B2 level: geography, people, the political system, the economy and a short history. It is the specific part of maturita topic 6 (Home and household, housing and living). The sights are covered in two separate topics, Prague and Places of Interest in the Czech Republic.

Basic facts

Geography

The Czech Republic lies in the heart of Central Europe. It is a landlocked country which borders Germany in the west and north-west, Poland in the north, Slovakia in the east and Austria in the south. It consists of three historical lands – Bohemia in the west, Moravia in the east and a small part of Silesia in the north-east – and it is divided into fourteen regions, one of which is the capital, Prague.

Bohemia is surrounded by mountain ranges, which form most of the border: the Krkonoše (Giant Mountains) with Sněžka (1,603 m), the highest peak of the country, the Ore Mountains, the Bohemian Forest (Šumava) and others. In the east lie the Beskydy and the Jeseníky. Inside the country there are rolling hills, valleys and fertile lowlands along the big rivers.

The country is sometimes called the roof of Europe, because its rivers flow into three different seas: the Vltava (430 km, the longest Czech river) flows into the Elbe, which empties into the North Sea, the Morava flows into the Danube and the Black Sea, and the Odra into the Baltic Sea. There are many artificial lakes and dams, especially on the Vltava (Lipno, Orlík, Slapy), and thousands of fishponds in South Bohemia.

The climate is temperate, with four seasons: warm and sometimes hot summers and cold winters with snow, especially in the mountains.

People and language

Most of the inhabitants are Czechs; the largest minorities are Ukrainians, Slovaks and Vietnamese. Czech is a Slavic language, closely related to Slovak, and famous for difficult sounds such as ř. A large part of the population does not belong to any church, which makes the Czech Republic one of the least religious countries in Europe.

Political system

The Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy. Power is divided into three branches:

• Legislative – Parliament has two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies (200 members elected for four years) and the Senate (81 senators elected for six years; a third of them every two years). Parliament passes laws, and the Chamber of Deputies can pass a vote of no confidence in the government.
• Executive – the government led by the Prime Minister, who is usually the leader of the strongest party after the elections, and the President. Since 2013 the president has been elected directly by the citizens for five years and can serve no more than two terms in a row. The president represents the country abroad, appoints the Prime Minister and judges, is the commander-in-chief of the army, can veto laws and grant pardons.
• Judicial – independent courts, with the Constitutional Court in Brno protecting the constitution.

Every citizen over 18 has the right to vote.

State symbols: the flag (a white and a red horizontal stripe with a blue triangle), the coat of arms with the white two-tailed lion of Bohemia, the national anthem Kde domov můj (“Where Is My Home”), originally a song from a 19th-century play, and the linden (lime tree) as the national tree.

Economy

The Czech lands were among the most industrial parts of Austria-Hungary. After the communist period (1948–1989), when the economy was controlled by the state, the country went back to a market economy in the 1990s. Today the economy is export-based and closely connected with Germany.

• Industry: the most important branch is the car industry – Škoda Auto in Mladá Boleslav, Hyundai in Nošovice and Toyota in Kolín – together with engineering, electronics, chemicals and the traditional glass and porcelain industry.
• Energy: coal-fired power stations in the north, being gradually closed, and two nuclear power plants, Temelín and Dukovany.
• Agriculture: wheat, barley, sugar beet, potatoes and hops for the famous Czech beer; vineyards in South Moravia.
• Services and tourism employ more and more people, and the country also has a growing IT sector.

History in brief

• 9th–10th century – Great Moravia, the first Slavic state; the Přemyslid dynasty and St Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech lands.
• 14th century – the golden age under Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor.
• 15th century – the reformer Jan Hus was burnt at the stake in 1415, which led to the Hussite wars.
• 1620 – the defeat at White Mountain; the Czech lands were ruled by the Habsburgs for the next three hundred years.
• 19th century – the National Revival of the Czech language and culture.
• 28 October 1918 – the founding of Czechoslovakia, with T. G. Masaryk as its first president.
• 1938–1945 – the Munich Agreement and the Nazi occupation.
• 1948 – the communist coup; 1968 – the Prague Spring crushed by the Warsaw Pact armies.
• 17 November 1989 – the Velvet Revolution; Václav Havel became president.
• 1 January 1993 – the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Famous Czechs

The most important Czech personalities – from Charles IV and Jan Hus to Dvořák, Čapek, Havel and Zátopek – have a topic of their own: Famous Czech People.

Key vocabulary

Useful phrases

• The Czech Republic is situated / lies in…
• It is made up of / consists of three historical lands…
• It shares borders with…
• The head of state is…, who is elected…
• The economy is based on…
• One of the most famous Czechs is…, who is known for…
• What I’m most proud of is…

Questions the examiner may ask

Try to answer each question in two or three sentences, then click on the hint to compare.