{{Infobox Country
|native_name = Česká republika
|common_name = Ceko
|image_flag = Flag of the Czech Republic.svg
|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg
|image_map = LocationCzechRepublic.png
|national_motto = Pravda vítězí<br />(Ceko: "Kebenaran akan jaya") 
|national_anthem = Kde domov můj 
|official_languages = Ceko
|capital = Praha 
|capitals_coordinates = <small></small>  
|largest_city = Praha 
|government_type = Republik
|leader_titles = Presiden<br />Perdana Menteri 
|leader_names = Václav Klaus<br />Mirek Topolánek 
|area_rank = 114
|area_magnitude = 
|area = 78.866
|percent_water = 2%
|population_estimate = 10.259.017
|population_estimate_year = 2006 
|population_estimate_rank = 79
|population_census = 10.230.060
|population_census_year = 2001
|population_density = 130 
|population_density_rank = 58
|GDP_PPP_year = 2005 
|GDP_PPP = US$187,4 miliar 
|GDP_PPP_rank = 41
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = US$18.370 
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 40 
|sovereignty_type = Kemerdekaan 
|established_events = &nbsp;- Pembubaran Cekoslowakia 
|established_dates = <br />1 Januari 1993 
|currency = Koruna 
|currency_code = CZK
|time_zone = 
|utc_offset = +1 
|time_zone_DST =  
|utc_offset_DST = +2 
|cctld = .cz 
|calling_code = 420 <sup>1</sup>
|footnotes= 1. Berkongsi kode +42 dengan Slowakia hingga 1997.
}}
'''Republik Ceko''' (bahasa Ceko: ''Česká republika'' ) adalah sebuah negara di Eropa Tengah yang terbentuk setelah bubarnya negara Cekoslowakia. Negara ini berbatasan dengan Jerman di sebelah barat dan utara, dengan Polandia di sebelah utara, dengan Slowakia di sebelah tenggara dan dengan Austria di sebelah selatan.

Di negara ini terletak Sudetenland di mana dahulu tinggal suku bangsa Jerman, tetapi setelah Perang Dunia II, sebagian besar mereka dideportasi meskipun masih banyak orang Ceko yang menyandang nama Jerman. Kala itu sekitar 3,5 juta jiwa bangsa Jerman diusir. 

Di tanah Sudeten banyak terdapat industri, terutama industri kerajinan kristal dan bir.

== Sejarah ==

Tanah Ceko muncul di akhir Přemyslids. Kerajaan Bohemia adalah penguasanya, namun konflik keagamaan seperti Perang Hussit abad ke-15 dan Perang Tiga Puluh Tahun abad ke-17 sangat merusak. Kemudian tanah ini di bawah pengaruh Habsburg dan menjadi bagian Austria-Hongaria.

Setelah jatuhnya negara ini setelah Perang Dunia I, Ceko dan tetangganya Slowakia bergabung dan membentuk republik merdeka Cekoslowakia pada 1918. Negara baru ini mempunyai etnis Jerman minoritas yang besar, yang menuju ke pembubaran Cekoslowakia ketika Jerman dengan sukses menganeksasi minoritas tersebut melalui Persetujuan Munchen pada 1938, dan Slowakia mendapat otonomi yang lebih besar, dengan negara dinamai "Ceko-Slowakia". Slowakia lebih lanjut memecahkan diri lagi pada 1939 dan sisa negara Ceko ini diduduki oleh Jerman.

Setelah Perang Dunia II, Cekoslowakia jatuh ke dalam pengaruh Uni Soviet. Pada 1968, sebuah invasi oleh pasukan Pakta Warsawa mengakhiri usaha pemimpin negara ini untuk meliberalisasikan partai berkuasa dan menciptakan "sosialisme dengan sebuah muka manusia" pada Musim Semi Praha. Pada 1989, Cekoslowakia mendapatkan kebebasan melalui Revolusi Velvet. Pada 1 Januari 1993 negara ini secara damai pecah menjadi dua, menciptakan Republik Ceko dan Slowakia yang merdeka.

Republik Ceko bergabung dengan NATO pada 1999 dan Uni Eropa pada 2004.

== Politik ==

Bedasarkan parlementer dengan kepala negara seorang presiden yang dipilih oleh parlemen untuk masa jabat 5 tahun. Presiden memiliki hak veto dalam legislasi, hak imunitas, dan bisa membubarkan parlemen dalam keadaan tertentu. Ia juga memilih perdana menteri serta anggota kabinet berdasarkan proposal dari perdana menteri.

Parlemen Ceko (''Parlament'') adalah sebuah parlemen bikameral yang terdiri dari ''Poslanecká sněmovna'' yang terdiri dari 200 kursi dengan masa jabat 4 tahun dan ''Senát'' yang terdiri dari 81 kursi dengan masa jabat 6 dan 2 tahun.

== Geografi ==

Ceko tidak memiliki batas laut karena dibatasi oleh Polandia, Jerman, Austria, dan Slowakia. Di daerah Bohemia, mengalir Sungai Elbe atau Labe dalam bahasa Ceko dan Sungai Vltava, dikelilingi oleh pegunungan rendah. Di Sudeten, terdapat titik tertinggi di Ceko, Gunung Sněžka setinggi 1.602 m. Bagian timur Ceko, Moravia, juga berbukit dan dialiri oleh Sungai Morava serta merupakan mata air Sungai Oder atau Odra. Sungai-sungai tersebut mengalir ke Laut Utara, Laut Baltik, dan Laut Hitam.

Iklim di Ceko adalah sedang dengan musim panas yang hangat dan musim dingin yang lembab, berawan, dan dingin serta dipengaruhi oleh iklim laut dan darat.

== Pembagian adminstratif ==
Ceko dibagi menjadi tiga belas daerah administratif (''kraje'', tunggal - ''kraj'') dan satu daerah ibu kota (''hlavní město''), yang ditandai dengan *.

center|Peta Ceko dengan warna-warni berbeda per provinsi

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!width="25"|
!Daerah!!Ibu kota
|-
|bgcolor="#FFFFFF"|
|Praha*||&nbsp;
|-
|bgcolor="#0000CC"|
|Daerah Bohemia Tengah (Středočeský kraj)||kantor-kantornya terletak di Praha
|-
|bgcolor="#00CC00"|
||[[České Budějovice
|-
|bgcolor="#CC00CC"|
||[[Plzeň
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC"|
||[[Karlovy Vary
|-
|bgcolor="#CC9900"|
||[[Ústí nad Labem
|-
|bgcolor="#666666"|
||[[Liberec
|-
|bgcolor="#00FFCC"|
||[[Hradec Králové
|-
|bgcolor="#FFFF99"|
||[[Pardubice
|-
|bgcolor="#660066"|
||[[Olomouc
|-
|bgcolor="#009900"|
||[[Ostrava
|-
|bgcolor="#6C3306"|
||[[Brno
|-
|bgcolor="#00CCFF"|
||[[Zlín
|-
|bgcolor="#CC0000"|
||[[Jihlava
|}

== Lihat pula ==
* Daftar negara-negara di dunia
* Slowakia
* Sudetenland
* Pemilihan umum legislatif Ceko, 2006

== Pranala luar ==

* [http://www.vlada.cz/1250/eng/aktuality.htm Situs resmi]
* [http://www.czechtourism.com/index.php?lang=3 Situs resmi pariwisata]
* [http://www.myczechrepublic.com/ MyCzechRepublic.com]

 

als:Tschechien
am:ቼክ ሪፑብሊክ

ang:Cecland

arc:ܬܫܝܟ

bar:Tschechei
bat-smg:Čekėjė

be-x-old:Чэхія

bo:ཅེ་ཁེ

ce:Чехия

co:Cechia
crh:Çehiya

{{Infobox Country
|native_name                 = Česká republika
|conventional_long_name      = Czech Republic
|common_name                 = Czech Republic
|image_flag                  = Flag of the Czech Republic.svg
|image_coat                  = Coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg
|image_map                   = EU_location_CZE.png
|map_caption                 = 
|national_motto              = <small>(Czech)<br/>"Truth prevails"</small>
|national_anthem             =  (in English: Where is My Home?) 
|official_languages          = Czech
|demonym                     = Czech
|capital                     = Prague
|latd=50 |latm=05 |latNS=N |longd=14 |longm=28 |longEW=E
|largest_city                = capital
|government_type             = Parliamentary republic
|leader_title1               = President
|leader_name1                = Václav Klaus
|leader_title2               = Prime Minister
|leader_name2                = Mirek Topolánek
|sovereignty_type            = Independence
|sovereignty_note            = (formed 9th century)
|established_event1          = 
|established_date1           = October 28 1918
|established_event2          = 
|established_date2           = January 1 1993
|accessionEUdate             = May 1 2004
|EUseats                     = 24
|area_rank                   = 117th
|area_magnitude              = 1_E10
|area_km2                        = 78,866
|area_sq_mi                     = 30,450 <!--Do not remove per WP:MOSNUM-->
|percent_water               = 2
|population_estimate         = 10,403,136
|population_estimate_year    = 2008<sup>1</sup>
|population_estimate_rank    = 78th
|population_census           = 10,230,060
|population_census_year      = 2001
|population_density_km2          = 132
|population_density_sq_mi       = 341 <!--Do not remove per WP:MOSNUM-->
|population_density_rank     = 77th
|religion                    = non-believer or no-organized believer (59%), Catholic (26,8%)
|GDP_PPP_year                = 2007 IMF
|GDP_PPP                     = $248.902 billion <!--2007 IMF data-->
|GDP_PPP_rank                = 39th² <!--2007 rank-->
|GDP_PPP_per_capita          = $24,236          <!--2007 IMF data-->
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank     = 36th             <!--2007 rank-->
|GDP_nominal                 = $175.309 billion <!--2007 IMF data-->
|GDP_nominal_rank            = 39th             <!--2007 rank-->
|GDP_nominal_year            = 2007 IMF
|GDP_nominal_per_capita      = $17,070          <!--2007 IMF data-->
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 36th             <!--2007 rank-->
|Gini                        = 25.4
|Gini_year                   = 1996
|Gini_rank                   = 5th
|Gini_category               = <font color="#009900">low</font>
|HDI_year                    = 2005
|HDI                         =  0.891
|HDI_rank                    = 32nd
|HDI_category                = <font color="#009900">high</font>
|currency                    = Czech koruna
|currency_code               = CZK
|time_zone                   = CET
|utc_offset                  = +1
|time_zone_DST               = CEST
|utc_offset_DST              = +2
|cctld                       = .cz³
|calling_code                = 420
|calling_code_note           = <sup>4</sup>
|footnote1                   = March 31, 2008 (See [http://www.czso.cz/eng/csu.nsf/informace/aoby061208.doc Population changes - 1st quarter of 2008]).
|footnote2                   = Rank based on 2005 IMF data.
|footnote3                   = Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.
|footnote4                   = Shared code 42 with Slovakia until 1997.
}}

The '''Czech Republic'''  (, short form in , ), is a tourist destination. The country is composed of the historic regions of Silesia.

Following the Western response and gratitude for the liberation of the major portion of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army, the peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary Prime Minister is the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Czech Republic joined OECD, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád Group.

The Czech Republic made economic reforms such as fast privatization and flat tax. Annual gross domestic product growth has recently been around 6%. The country is the first former member of the Comecon to achieve the status of a developed country (2006) according to the World Bank.<ref>{{cite web| last = Velinger| first = Jan | title = World Bank Marks Czech Republic's Graduation to 'Developed' Status
| publisher = Radio Prague| url = http://www.radio.cz/en/article/76314| date = 2006-02-28| accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref> The Czech Republic also ranks best compared to the former Comecon countries in the Human Development Index.<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/ Statistics of the Human Development Report].</ref>

==Name==

After the dissolution of English. In 1993, The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested the name '''Czechia''' as an official alternative in all situations other than formal official documents and the full names of government institutions; however, this has not become widely used--though other languages have single-word names, e.g. '''Tschechien''' in German, and '''Czechy''' in Polish. The official website of the Czech Republic ([http://www.czech.cz/ www.czech.cz]) run by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs also uses the name ''Czechia'' in some texts.<ref>http://www.czech.cz/en/news/science-and-discovery/brno-university-examines-how-to-eat-bugs/</ref>Its Czech equivalent is ''Česko''.

Another (unofficial) alternative is name '''Czechland''', which means the land of czechs. As well as Poland is the land of Poles.<ref>http://www.blisty.cz/2005/7/22/art24217.html</ref> <ref>http://www.kb.cz/en/com/press/news/25.shtml</ref>

==History==
thumb|left|[[Prague Castle]]
thumb|[[Karlštejn]]
thumb|left|[[Tábor]]

Archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric human settlement in the area dating back to the Celtic migrations, the Slavic people from the Carpathian regions settled in the area (a movement that was also stimulated by the onslaught of peoples from Siberia and Eastern Europe: Avars, Bulgars and Magyars). Following in the Germans' wake, they moved southwards into Bohemia, Moravia, and some of present day Austria. During the 7th century the Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, became the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe. The Moravian principality arose in the 8th century (see Great Moravia).
The Bohemian or Czech state emerged in the late 9th century when it was unified by the kingdom of Bohemia was a significant regional power during the Middle Ages. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire during the entire existence of this confederation.<ref>[http://www.czech.cz/en/czech-republic/history/all-about-czech-history/the-premyslid-dynasty/ The Přemyslid Dynasty - Czech republic]</ref> 

In 1212 King German immigration. The Germans populated towns and mining districts on the Bohemian periphery and in some cases formed German colonies in the interior of the Czech lands. In 1241 the mighty Mongol army launched an invasion into Europe, and after the Rudolph I of Habsburg.<ref>[http://archiv.radio.cz/history/history03.html The rise and fall of the Przemyslid Dynasty]</ref> In 1306, the Přemyslid line had died out, and, after a series of dynastic wars, a new Luxemburg dynasty captured the Bohemian crown. The Charles IV (1342-1378), is considered the Golden Age of Czech history. Of particular significance was the founding of Charles University in Prague in 1348. The Black Death which had raged in Europe from 1347-1352 decimated the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1380.<ref>[http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/Czech_Hist4.html The flowering and the decline of the Czech medieval state]</ref> 
thumb|150px|[[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV, eleventh king of Bohemia. Charles IV was elected the Greatest Czech of all time.<ref>[http://www.radio.cz/en/article/67495 Emperor Charles IV elected Greatest Czech of all time], Radio Prague</ref>]]
Religious conflicts such as the Great Famine, which lasted from 1770 until 1771, killed 12% of Czech lands’ population, up to 500,000 inhabitants, and radicalized countrysides leading to peasant uprisings. After the Franz Joseph attempted to rule as an absolute monarch, keeping all the nationalities in check.

===Czechoslovakia===

Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after German, Hungarian, Polish and largely German speaking Sudetenland through the 1938 Munich Agreement. Poland occupied Polish inhabited areas around Český Těšín. Hungary gained parts of Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus as a result of the First Vienna Award in November 1938.

thumb|left|200px||[[Český Krumlov]]
left|thumb|200px|[[Kutná Hora]]

Slovakia and Subcarpathian Rus gained greater autonomy, with the state renamed to "Czecho-Slovakia" (The Second Republic; see Czechoslovak government-in-exile and its army fighting against the Germans were acknowledged by Allies (Czechoslovak troops fought in American armies and the Prague uprising.

In 1945-46 almost the entire German minority of Czechoslovakia, about 2.7 million people, were expelled to Germany and Austria. During this time, thousands of Germans were held in prisons, detention camps, and used as forced labour. In the summer of 1945, there were several massacres. Only 250,000 Germans who had been active in the resistance against the Nazis or were necessary for the economy were not expelled, though many of them emigrated later. Following a Soviet-organised referendum, the Subcarpathian Rus has never returned under Czechoslovak rule and became part of the Ukrainian SSR, as the Zakarpattia Oblast in 1946.
thumb|[[German occupation of Czechoslovakia. Prague, 1939]]
thumb|[[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Prague, 1968]]
Czechoslovakia uneasily tried to play the role of a "bridge" between the West and East. However, the National Front, and moved quickly to consolidate power. The decisive step took place in February 1948. During a series of events characterized by Communists as a "revolution" and by anti-Communists as a "takeover", the Communist People's Militias secured control of key locations in Prague, and a new, all-Communist government was formed.

For the next forty-one years, Czechoslovakia was a Communist state within the nationalized the pluralism. This was forcibly ended by 21 August 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. 

The invasion was followed by a harsh program of "Normalization" in the 1960s and the 1970s. Until 1989, the political establishment returned to censorship of opposition, though using more "carrot" than "whip" policy to ensure the populace's passivity. Dissidents published Charter 77 in 1977 and first protests were seen in 1988.

===Velvet revolution and Czech Republic===
In November 1989, Czechoslovakia returned to democracy through a peaceful "country peacefully split into the independent Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both countries went through economic reforms and privatisations, with the intention of creating a market economy.

Voters embraced fast economic reforms and the success enabled the Czech Republic to become the first post-communist country to receive an investment-grade credit rating by international credit institutions. Most state-owned heavy industries were privatized through the voucher privatization systems. Czech Republic saw modest budget deficits, low unemployment, a positive balance of payments position, a stable exchange rate, a shift of exports from former communist economic bloc markets to Western Europe

From 1991 the Czech Republic (originally as part of Czechoslovakia, and now in its own right) has been a member of the Visegrad Group and from 1995 of the OECD. The Czech Republic joined NATO on March 12 1999 and the European Union on May 1 2004.

==Geography==
thumb|left|General map of the Czech Republic
thumb|[[Labe near Děčín]]
thumb|left|Map of the Czech Republic showing cities and main towns
thumb|[[Moravian-Silesian Beskids]]

The Czech landscape is quite varied. Krkonoše range of the Morava River, but it also contains the source of the lot in the middle of the Hamburg Docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported downriver could be transferred to seagoing ships. The territory reverts to Germany in 2028.

Phytogeographically, the Czech Republic belongs to the Central European province of the WWF, the territory of the Czech Republic can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the Central European mixed forests, Pannonian mixed forests, Western European broadleaf forests and Carpathian montane conifer forests.

===Weather and climate===
The Czech Republic has a temperate, continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow. Most rains are during the summer. The temperature difference between summers and winters is relatively high due to its landlocked geographical position.

Even within the Czech Republic, temperatures vary greatly depending on the precipitation increases. Another important factor is the distribution of the mountains. Therefore the climate is quite varied. 

At the highest peak (Sněžka, ) the average temperature is only , whereas in the lowlands of South Moravia, the average temperature is as high as . This also applies for the country's capital Prague, but this is due to urban factors.

The coldest month is usually January followed by February and December. During these months there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes in the major cities and lowlands.
During March, April and May, the temperature usually increases rapidly and especially during April the temperature and weather tends to vary widely during the day. Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers due to melting snow followed by floods at times. 

The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, the summer temperatures are about  higher than during winter. Especially in the last decade, temperatures above  are not unusual. Summer is also characterized by rain and storms.

Autumn generally begins in September, which is still relatively warm, but much drier. During October, temperatures usually fall back under 15° or 10°C (59° or 50°F) and deciduous trees begin to shed their leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the freezing point.

==Demographics==

===Population===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; clear:right; margin-top:0; margin-right:0; text-align:right; font-size:90%;"
|+ Population of the Czech lands<ref>[http://www.czso.cz/eng/redakce.nsf/i/population_hd Czech Statistic Office]</ref>
|-
! Year !! Total !! Change !! Year !! Total !! Change
|-
! 1857
| 7,016,531 || —
! 1930
| 10,674,386 || 6.6%
|-
! 1869
| 7,617,230 || 8.6%
! 1950
| 8,896,133 || -16.7%
|-
! 1880
| 8,222,013 || 7.9%
! 1961
| 9,571,531 || 7.6%
|-
! 1890
| 8,665,421 || 5.4%
! 1970
| 9,807,697 || 2.5%
|-
! 1900
| 9,372,214 || 8.2%
! 1980
| 10,291,927 || 4.9%
|-
! 1910
| 10,078,637 || 7.5%
! 1991
| 10,302,215 || 0.1%
|-
! 1921
| 10,009,587 || -0.7%
! 2001
| 10,230,060 || -0.7%
|}

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic are Czechs (94.2%). Minorities include the Slovaks (1.9%), Poles (0.5%), Vietnamese (0.44%) Germans (0.4%)<ref>{{cite web 
 | title =Zjišťování národnosti ve sčítání lidu, domů a bytů v období 1921 - 2001 | url =http://www.czso.cz/csu/2003edicniplan.nsf/t/C2002D382C/$File/Kapitola1.pdf | publisher =Czech Statistical Office | language =Czech | format =  page =2 | accessdate =2007-05-24}}</ref><!--This is not a full list. Use main page-->. According to the Interior Ministry of the Czech Republic, there were 392,087 foreigners legally residing in the country at the end of 2007, making up 3.2% of the population, with the largest groups being [[Ukrainians and Slovaks<ref>[http://www.czech.cz/en/news/domestic-news/largest-number-of-children-since-1993-born-in-czechrep-last-year/ Largest number of children since 1993 born in CzechRep last year], ''Czech.cz'', March 20, 2008</ref>.

Fertility rate was low at 1.44 children born/woman. In 2007, immigration added to the population by almost 1%.

===Religion===
The Czech Republic, along with Estonia, has one of the least religious populations in all of Europe. According to the 2001 census, 59% of the country is agnostic, atheist, non-believer or no-organised believer, 26.8% Roman Catholic and 2.5% Protestant.<ref></ref>

According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,<ref name=EUROBAROMETER></ref> 19% of Czech citizens responded that "they believe there is a God", whereas 50% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 30% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force", the lowest rate of EU countries after Estonia with 16%.<ref></ref>

==Politics==

thumb|150px|right|[[Václav Havel, the first President of the Czech Republic.]]
thumb|right|150px|[[Václav Klaus, current President of the Czech Republic.]]
===Political system===
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary Chamber of Deputies () (200 members) and the Senate (81 members).

The prime minister as well the other members of the cabinet on a proposal by the prime minister. Václav Klaus, now President of the Czech Republic, former Prime Minister and chairman of Civic Democrats (ODS) remains one of the country's most popular politicians.

The Prime Minister is the head of government and wields considerable powers, including the right to set the agenda for most foreign and domestic policy, mobilize the parliamentary majority, and choose governmental ministers.

The Parliament (''Parlament České republiky'') has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies (''Poslanecká sněmovna'') has 200 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation with a 5 % election threshold. There are 14 voting districts identical to the country's administrative regions. The Chamber of Deputies, at first the Czech National Council, has the powers and responsibilities of the now defunct federal parliament of the former Czechoslovakia. 

The Senate (''Senát'') has 81 members, in single-seat constituencies elected by two-round runoff voting for a six-year term, with one third renewed every even year in the autumn. The first election was 1996 (for differing terms). This is patterned after the U.S. Senate but each constituency is of (roughly) same size and the system used is two-round runoff voting. The Senate is unpopular among the public and suffers from low election turnout (overall roughly 30% in the first round, 20% in the second).

===Foreign policy===

Membership in the European Union is central in Czech Republic's foreign policy.

According to The Economist, the Czech Republic has earned "a reputation for promoting human rights at every turn". Czech officials have supported dissents everywhere from Myanmar to Belarus, Moldova and Cuba. <ref name="democrats">[http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9725352 The Economist: Czechs with few mates]</ref>

Czech Republic is motivated by its experience of nazi and communist oppression. Also, the country's first post-communist president Václav Havel is an ex-dissident writer, who has set moral example and has attracted ex-dissidents to key government positions.<ref name="democrats"/> For example, every March since 2003, when Fidel Castro locked up 75 political opponents, activists have set up a cage in Wenceslas Square representing a Cuban prison cell. Frequent prison uniform-wearing protesters have included names such as the foreign minister, the mayor of Prague and musical stars.<ref name="democrats"/>

thumb|right|[[Czech Air Force Saab Gripen.]]

Some EU officials have been irritated by Czech Republic's activism in human rights. Czech Republic, and other countries emphasizing human rights, have been in conflicts with EU countries who favor closer ties with dictatorships such as Cuba or Myanmar.<ref name="democrats"/>

===Armed forces===

The Czech armed forces consist of the Army and Air Force and of specialized support units. In 2004, the Czech armed forces completely phased out professional army and air force. The country has been a member of NATO since March 12 1999. Defence spending is around 1.8% of GDP (2006).

== Regions and districts ==

Since 2000, the Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions (Czech: ''kraje'', singular ''kraj'') and the capital city of hetman or "president"). In Prague, their powers are executed by the city council and the mayor. 

The older seventy-six districts (''okresy'', singular ''okres'') including three 'statutory cities' (without Prague, which had special status) were disbanded in 1999 in an administrative reform; they remain as territorial division and seats of various branches of state administration.<ref>[http://www.radio.cz/en/article/36046 The death of the districts], Radio Prague January 3 2003.</ref>

thumb|right|Map of the Czech Republic with regions.

{| class="wikitable"
! style="width:1em" |<small>(Lic. plate)</small>
!Region
! style="width: 9em" | Capital
! style="width:5em" | <small>Population (2004 est.)</small>
! style="width: 5em" | Population <small>(2008 est.)</small>
|-
| align=center | A || colspan=2 | Capital of Prague (Hlavní město Praha) || align=right |1,170,571 || align=right | 1,218,644
|-
|align=center|S
| | offices located in [[Prague&nbsp;(Praha) || align=right | 1,144,071 || align=right | 1,208,145
|-
|align=center|C
| | [[České Budějovice || align=right |625,712 || align=right | 633,750
|-
|align=center|P || | [[Pilsen (Plzeň) || align=right |549,618 || align=right | 562,783
|-
|align=center|K || | [[Karlovy Vary || align=right |304,588 || align=right | 307,975
|-
|align=center|U || | [[Ústí nad Labem || align=right |822,133 || align=right | 833,218
|-
|align=center|L || | [[Liberec || align=right |427,563 || align=right | 434,751
|-
|align=center|H
||[[Hradec Králové || align=right |547,296 || align=right | 552,850
|-
|align=center|E || | [[Pardubice || align=right |505,285 || align=right | 512,380
|-
|align=center|M || | [[Olomouc || align=right |635,126 || align=right | 641,809
|-
|align=center| T || | [[Ostrava || align=right |1,257,554 || align=right | 1,249,844
|-
|align=center|B || | [[Brno || align=right |1,123,201 || align=right | 1,142,013
|-
|align=center|Z || | [[Zlín || align=right |590,706 || align=right | 590,828
|-
|align=center|J || | [[Jihlava || align=right |517,153 || align=right | 514,146
|}

==Economy==

The Czech Republic possesses a developed,<ref>[http://www.czech.cz/en/czech-republic/getting-to-know-czech-republic/ Getting to know Czech Republic], from [http://www.czech.cz Czech.cz], the official site of the Czech Republic</ref> high-income<ref>[http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#High_income World Bank 2007]</ref> economy with a GDP per capita of 82% of the European Union average. One of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states, the Czech Republic has seen a growth of over 6% annually in the last three years. Recent growth has been led by exports to the European Union, especially Germany, and foreign investment, while domestic demand is reviving. However, the rate of corruption remains one of the highest among OECD countries.

The public budgets remain in deficit despite strong growth of the economy in recent years. However, the 2007 deficit has been 1.58% GDP (according to [http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/nfaccount/info/data/esa95/en/esa95en.htm EU accounting rules]), far less than originally expected. 

Most of the economy has been privatized, including banks and telecommunications. The current right-center government plans to continue with privatization, including the energy industry and the Prague airport. It has recently agreed to the sale of a 7% stake of the energy producer ČEZ, with the sale of the Budějovický Budvar brewery also mooted.

The country has fully implemented the Schengen Agreement and therefore has abolished border controls with all of its neighbours (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia) on December 21 2007.<ref></ref> The Czech Republic is a member of the WTO.

The last Czech government had expressed a desire to adopt the euro in 2010, but the current government has postponed it due to budget deficits. An exact date has not been set up, but the Finance Ministry described adoption by 2012 as realistic<ref></ref> if public finance reform passes.  However, the most recent draft of the euro adoption plan omits giving any date.

The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks the Czech education as the 15th best in the world, being higher than the OECD average.<ref>[http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf OECD.org]</ref>

===Infrastructure===

Prague Airport is the main international airport. Czech Republic has 46 airports, out of which two have over 3,047 meter runaways.

In 2005, according to the Czech Statistical Office, 65.4% of electricity was produced in steam, combined, and combustion power plants (mostly coal); 30% in nuclear plants; and 4.6% from renewable sources, including hydropower. Russia (via pipelines through Ukraine) and, to a lesser extent, Norway (via pipelines through Germany) supply the Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.