At a glance

Official Name:
Czech Republic

Capital: Prague

Population: 10,306,709 (2007 est.)

Languages: Czech

Religion: 59 percent agnostic or atheist, 26.8 percent Catholic, and 2.5 percent Protestant

Life Expectancy:
Male: 73 Female: 79

Currency: Czech Koruna (CZK)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity):
$236.5 billion

National Holidays:
January 1 is restoration of the Czech Independence Day, which celebrates the creation of the Czech Republic after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. May 8 is Liberation Day, which celebrates the liberation of the country from Nazi rule during WWII, in 1945.

Industries: Motor vehicles, machine building, iron and steel production, metalworking, chemicals, electronics, textiles.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is one part of the former Czechoslovakia, which split into two states in 1991. As part of the Soviet Union until 1989, it was one of the first countries to peacefully secede. Since then, the Czech Republic has been very prosperous. Currently it is part of the European Union and it retains a GDP per capita on par with the rest of the EU. The Czech Republic is a large recipient of many foreign investment firms, mostly in the financial industries. It is also a destination for many tourists, as Prague offers a cultural and architectural experience that is very unique and different from many of the Western European nations. The Czech Republic is often referred to as a “bridge” between Western and Eastern Europe.