The national composition of the Czech Republic. The population of the Czech Republic: the number, employment and interesting facts The main occupations of the inhabitants of the Czech Republic

Moscow
Southern Administrative District
Secondary school No. 939

ESSAY
in geography on the topic

Czech Republic

year 2000

Introduction
Administrative and state

device of the Czech Republic

From the history of the Czech Republic
Economic-geographical and political-geographical position of the Czech Republic
Population of the Czech Republic
Culture of the peoples of the Czech Republic
general characteristics National economy Czech Republic
Foreign economic relations of the Czech Republic

Republic

Literature

INTRODUCTION

The Czech Republic (CR) is located in the center of Europe on a relatively small area - about 79 thousand square kilometers. and is one of the developed, industrial countries of the world. The Czech Republic shares borders with Germany, Slovakia, Austria and Poland. The population of the Czech Republic is 10.3 million people. The official language is Czech. The monetary unit is the Czech crown.

The capital of the state is the city of Prague. Most big cities Czech Republic - Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, Usti-nad-Labem, Hradec Kralove.

The Czech Republic is often called the heart European continent. Travelers between Pilsen and Cheb are proudly shown a granite obelisk with the inscription "Center of Europe". The country seems to be created for tourism. There are 2500 ancient castles and towns in the Czech Republic. No, it seems that there is such an architectural style that would not be represented in the Czech Republic - Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Czech Baroque ...

Administrative and state structure of the Czech Republic

In administrative-territorial terms, the Czech Republic is divided into seven regions: North Bohemia, East Bohemia, West Bohemia, Central Bohemia, South Bohemia, North Moravian and South Moravian.

Czech Republic is a republic. The Constitution of the Czech Republic was adopted by the National Council of the Czech Republic in December 1992. The head of state is the president, who is elected by the country's parliament for a term of five years. Vaclav Havel has been elected President of the Czech Republic for a second term. Legislative power in the country belongs to the Parliament, which consists of two chambers - the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The government is the highest executive body.

The main political parties in the country are:

Civic Democratic Party.

Communist Party of Czech Republic and Moravia -

Christian Democratic Union -

Civic Democratic Alliance -

Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party

Republican Party

agricultural party

Society of Moravia and Silesia

In total, more than 80 parties and movements and more than 200 youth organizations are registered in the Czech Republic. The largest trade union association in the Czech Republic is the Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions, which includes more than 40 branch trade unions.

From the history of the Czech Republic

The territory of the Czech Republic has been inhabited since ancient times. The Czech lands were once inhabited by the Celtic Boi tribe, which is why it was called the “land of the Boi” – Bohemia. At the beginning of our era, Germanic tribes invaded the country from the north. They moved further south, and the Czech lands fell into the sphere of interests of the Roman Empire, which built during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117) the well-known "Roman Wall" - a powerful line of fortifications, the northern bastions of which were located in Musov (South Moravia).

It is here, in connection with the significant development of agriculture, as well as crafts, that the first Czech cities are formed. Already in the 8th century, the region of South Moravia, where the unification of the tribes took place much faster than in the isolated mountains of western Bohemia, was significantly strengthened economically. Agriculture flourished, the extraction of iron ore increased, covering the country's need for raw materials for the production of tools and weapons, and there was a lively trade with neighboring states.

gradually center historical development began to move to the western regions of the Czech Republic, most of the territory of which was owned by the Czech tribe, who settled in the middle part of the country and relied on a number of powerful castles-fortresses, of which Prague was the youngest.

The Principality of Prague, formed in the 10th century, became the core of the early feudal Czech state. Since the 16th century, the Czech lands have been under the rule of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. With the defeat of the anti-Habsburg uprising at the White Mountain in 1620, the Czech lands completely lost their independence. Since 1918, after the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the National Council in Prague announced the creation of an independent Czechoslovak state, which included the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

According to the Munich agreement in 1938, Nazi Germany captured Western Bohemia (the Sudetenland). In March 1939, all Czech lands were occupied by fascist troops and declared a "protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia". Popular uprising of 1945 and successful actions Soviet army led to the defeat of the invaders.

After the Second World War, the territorial integrity of Czechoslovakia was restored, the Czech and Slovak lands became part of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Since February 1948, after the Communist Party came to power, the country's entry onto the path of socialist construction was proclaimed. At the end of the 1960s, the process of renewing socialism through its democratization began, which was called the "Prague Spring", which was interrupted in August 1968 after the deployment of troops from five Warsaw Pact countries. As a result of an acute socio-political crisis in November 1989, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was removed from power. At the 1990 parliamentary and communal elections, the new political forces received the support of voters and began to dismantle the old socio-political system.

In December 1992, the Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia adopted a law on the division of the federation, and on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic was proclaimed an independent, sovereign and independent state.

Economic-geographical and political-geographical position of the Czech Republic

Historically located at the crossroads of numerous trade and economic routes, in the middle of the "European home", having a high degree of territorial contact (more than half of the European states are the closest neighbors for the Czech Republic), the Czech Republic had great opportunities to transfer advanced achievements of science and technology, culture to its soil production, progressive forms of labor organization, methods of training qualified personnel.

This allowed the country, even before the Second World War, to firmly enter the top ten industrialized countries of the world, to achieve a fairly high standard of living for the population.

The Czech Republic is located on the Bohemian plateau, stretching across the country from west to east. The western part of the country is framed on three sides by mountain ridges bordering the Bohemian massif. The Beskydy mountain group is located in North Moravia. The picturesque, not autumn high Bohemian-Moravian Upland separates the Czech Republic from Moravia.

The Czech massif is a heavily destroyed medium-altitude mountains, composed mainly of hard crystalline rocks. Their elevated edges, almost coinciding with the state border of the country, only in some places exceed 1000 meters: in the northeast - these are the Jizera Mountains and the Krkonoše, in the northwest - the Ore Mountains, in the southwest - the Czech Forest and Šumava. In the east and southeast, the Bohemian massif is limited by the low (up to 800 meters) hilly Bohemian-Moravian Upland, which is distinguished by fertile soils.

The Jizera Mountains are a vast mountain range up to 1100 meters high. Large tall forests, crystal clear streams with a sandy bottom, peat bogs with small lakes and an abundance of game - all this is characteristic of the described area.

In South Bohemia, the Šumava stretches - a wide belt of low mountains with picturesque glacial lakes. The mountains are mainly composed of gneisses and granites. There are many peat bogs in the valleys, where numerous streams and rivers originate, in particular the Vltava River. Spruce and fir dominate in the forests covering the slopes of the Šumava. They are rich in animals, game and wild berries, in particular blueberries and strawberries, which are even exported. In mountainous areas, one of the main occupations of the population has long been the harvesting and rafting of timber. On the basis of significant timber reserves, a woodworking industry, as well as large-scale paper production, has developed in Šumava.

The Czech Republic is a country located within the European continent. Such an economic and geographical position of the state, on the one hand, gives many advantages for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries, and on the other hand, it also has negative consequences, since the country is cut off from the oceans and has no access to any of the seas.

Until 1993, when Czechoslovakia was divided into two sovereign states, the country's policy and its economic potential were aimed at strengthening the socialist camp. The main partners of the Czech Republic were the socialist countries of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the socialist camp, the Czech government took a new political course and made the main bet on the development of bilateral relations with the countries of Western Europe and on attracting foreign investment into the Czech economy (mainly Germany, France and Italy). The Czech Republic is a member of many international organizations - the United Nations (UN), the European Council (EU), NATO.

Natural conditions and natural resources of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a country of diverse and picturesque landscapes. The plains here are interspersed with hills, open spaces - with forests, the whole country seems to be woven with countless threads of rivers and streams. The outlying mountain ranges of the western part of the country beckon with their wild beauty.

The Czech Republic has good natural conditions and natural resources for the development of agriculture and industry, as well as for the development of tourism.

The climate of the Czech Republic is determined geographic location countries and is formed mainly under the influence of air masses moving from the Atlantic Ocean. The climate of the Czech Republic is generally temperate continental, with distinct seasons. Due to the predominance of mountainous and hilly terrain great importance has local air circulation. The relief here affects the temperature regime and the spatial distribution of precipitation. Since the Czech Republic is elongated in latitude, the climatic differences of its individual regions are determined not by the difference between north and south, but between west and east.

The average annual temperature is plus 8-10 C. A non-cold winter is typical for most of the territory with average temperatures of the coldest month (January) from -2 C to -4 C. Occasionally in winter, the average daily air temperature drops to -20 C, which is associated with cold arctic air. Thaws are frequent, especially in the west of the country. The range of temperature differences in summer is greater, since continentality, which grows eastward, has a stronger effect, the average July temperature is about +19 C. In the mountains, summer is cooler - +8-13 C. Mild, pleasant weather occurs in spring, from the second half of May, and in autumn until mid-October.

The amount of precipitation in various regions of the Czech Republic ranges from 450 to 2000 mm per year. The predominant part of the territory of the republic receives 600-800 mm of precipitation per year, i.e. their total number is quite sufficient for the needs of agriculture. About 20% of them fall in the form of snow. The greatest amount of precipitation is characteristic of the windward slopes of high mountains. There are very few dry areas in the country. Large forest areas, meadows, numerous reservoirs and reservoirs help retain moisture in the soil. Of decisive importance is the seasonal distribution of precipitation. The presence of a summer maximum (about 40% of all precipitation in June-August) is a favorable factor for agriculture.

The diversity of natural conditions is also reflected in the soil cover. Soils are affected by differences in relief, climate and hydrogeology of individual regions. Podzolic and brown forest soils are the most common, chernozem and other soils occupy a smaller area. A significant part of the podzols is covered with forests, and the share of these soils in the fund of agricultural land is much lower than in the total soil cover of the country.

On the territory of the Czech Republic there are two relatively significant regions of black earth soils in the central regions of the country and in Central Moravia. They are widely used under crops of sugar beet, winter wheat and barley. The main part of the country's grain crops is concentrated on burozems. Podzolic soils are mainly used for oats, rye and potatoes, but a large part of them is occupied by forest vegetation.

The Czech Republic is one of the most forested countries in Europe. About 60% of the total forest area is occupied by coniferous trees, one fifth each is deciduous and mixed forests. Coniferous forests consist mainly of pine and spruce, while deciduous forests consist mainly of beech and oak. On the basis of significant timber reserves in the country, a woodworking industry, as well as a large-scale pulp and paper production, has developed. The forests of the Czech Republic are rich in animals, game, mushrooms and berries.

The forest is not the only natural wealth of the Czech Republic. Among the natural resources, fuel resources, primarily hard and brown coal, are of the greatest importance for the national economy. The total reserves of hard coal are estimated at 13 billion tons. The main and largest production area is the Ostrava-Karvinsky basin. Coal deposits are also found near the cities of Kladno, Pilsen and Brno. The Ostrava-Karvina basin sharply surpasses the rest in terms of coal quality: coking coal accounts for about 70% of the reserves there, and there is little sulfur in them, which is very important for the quality of metallurgical coke.

The reserves of brown coal are also quite large. The largest lignite basin in the country is the North Bohemian, which accounts for about two thirds of the total amount of reserves. The Czech Republic is dominated by deposits with a high spatial concentration of reserves, most of which can be developed by cheaper open-pit mining.

Resources of metal ores are insignificant, and the best deposits are largely depleted. Poor phosphorous iron ores with a metal content of less than 30% predominate.

The largest deposits of non-ferrous and rare metals are in the Ore Mountains. The Czech Republic is very rich in non-metallic minerals: magnesite, graphite, and especially kaolin, occurring in the region of Karlovy Vary and Pilsen.

The country is replete with mineral water springs remarkable for their healing properties, in the areas where world-famous resorts arose: Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne.

Among the rivers of the Czech Republic, the largest are the Vltava and Laba, which carry their waters to the North Sea. The position of the Czech Republic on the main European watershed of the northern and southern seas and the shallow depth of the country's territory led to the small length of the Czech rivers and the insufficient amount of water in them. The economic importance of the Czech rivers is sharply reduced due to the fact that their already low water discharges are subject to very strong annual and seasonal fluctuations, which leads to an acute problem of water supply in several regions of the country in autumn. That is why river flow regulation is so important, not only for water supply needs, but also for navigation and electricity generation.

The Czech Republic is famous for its artificial fish ponds, many of which were created in the 15th-16th centuries. Only in South Bohemia there are about 5 thousand ponds, the area of which is approximately 20 thousand hectares.

The Czech Republic is a country that is literally created for tourism. No wonder the income from foreign tourism in the country in 1993 amounted to about 1.3 billion US dollars.

There are not many countries in the world where, like the Czech Republic, there are picturesque mountains, and charming valleys sandwiched between them, and dense forests, and gurgling mud hills, in small craters of which healing water boils.

Let's take a look at some of the world's most famous resorts in the Czech Republic.

Karlovy Vary- a resort famous for the treatment of diseases of the liver, gallbladder and stomach. In 1999, the resort celebrated its 640th anniversary of its founding. But long before 1359, the resort was known and enjoyed wide fame, as evidenced by archaeological finds in the surrounding area.

Marianske Lazne- along with Karlovy Vary, it is the second city in the spa triangle of Western Bohemia. Marianske Lazne is the most important resort for the treatment of internal, skin and nervous diseases.

Frantiskovy Lazne is the third town in the spa district of Western Bohemia. There are 24 healing springs on the territory of Frantiskovy Lazne, complementing the large deposits of mineralized mud. Of the mineral waters, the Glauber IV spring is especially famous.

Giant Mountains in the north and Eagle Mountains in the east of the country - favorite vacation spots. There is a well-known tourism center called "Czech Paradise" and a state reserve. For the "Czech Paradise" are typical numerous ruins of medieval castles, clinging to the ledges of rocks, bizarre labyrinths formed by the weathering of sandstone rocks, overgrown with dense pine forests. In the "Czech Paradise" there is a corner of nature of rare beauty - the Prachov Rocks with wild stone heaps of bizarre shapes and outlines. Hiking trails are laid in the gaps and on rocky ledges. Rock climbing competitions are often held in these places, as it is difficult to find a more suitable place for practicing this sport. The natural diversity and picturesque landscapes create ideal conditions for walking and long hikes in Krnonoše, especially in winter on skis. Here are such well-known centers of mountain tourism as Harrachov, Spindler Mlyn, Janske Lazne, etc. All these places are distinguished by the fact that they lie at an altitude of 650-700 m in closed basins, well protected from the vagaries of the weather, among forests.

Rough Jesenik- located in northern Moravia. The tops of the mountains in this area rise above the forests. The highest of them, Praded, reaches 1492 meters. Visitors to the Jesenik most appreciate the dense coniferous forests, which in some places turn into a virgin forest, preserved in its original form. Under the influence of these forests, nature has created such climatic conditions here that one after another, at a short distance from each other, four spas were opened: Karlova Studanka, Lazne Jesenik, Dolni Lipova and Velké Losiny.

In addition to medical and mountain resorts in the Czech Republic, karst areas with extensive caves are very famous and popular with tourists. Artificial lighting especially emphasizes the beauty and colorfulness of the stalactite and stalagmite decorations of the lakes. In the Czech Republic, the most famous caves are called Moravian beauty.

25 kilometers from Brno stretches a vast area of forests. Here, on an area of 100 sq. kilometers, for thousands of years, natural underground caves, entire halls and lakes of extraordinary beauty and size were created. The very road to the hotel "Skalni Mlyn" - the entrance gate to the caves - is very romantic, as the narrow highway seems to cut between steep, forested walls of rocks. The highway leads along the river Punkva, suddenly disappearing underground. Where, in what places and underground roads it flows is unknown, but it appears already at the failure of Macokha, 138 meters deep, and from there again continues its underground journey and again finally flows to the surface. Exemplarily maintained entrance to the caves, comfortable paths between stalagmite forests and colored lakes, a walk along the bottom of the failure, entertaining boating on underground lakes, the most remarkable formations of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by reflectors, giving the impression of lace, waterfalls, trees and figures - all this gives tourists the opportunity to look closely into the workshop of nature and realize its boundless richness of forms and colors.

Of particular interest to tourists is the rich history of the country and the places associated with it.

Apart from huge amount monuments of primitive times, testifying to the aspirations for fine arts in ancient times, based on documents preserved in the Czech Republic historical era it is possible to trace the development of architecture, sculpture, painting and other types of art to the smallest detail artistic creativity whole millennium. If some cities of the Czech Republic are considered cities-museums, then it can rightfully be said about the entire Czech Republic that its territory is a kind of huge art exhibition. Despite the fact that in the past the territory of the country was many times subjected to the destructive power of military fury, here, as if on islands of peace and tranquility, a true reserve of art has been preserved. There are many well-preserved monuments of architectural art in the Czech Republic. First of all, these are rotundas, round church buildings, the development of which ended with an independent architectonic type. Although only a small part of the Prague Cathedral of St. Vita, but other rotundas still stand in different places in the Czech Republic and Moravia. The most remarkable artistically is the rotunda in Znojmo, as it contains paintings from the 12th century. The mural depicts kings from the Přemyslid family and a legend about how the plowman Přemysl was called to the princely throne.

One of the characteristic features of the Czech Republic is a large number of castles and palaces, which make up an essential part of the entire wealth of ancient monuments. They can be found at almost every turn. Indeed, in the Czech Republic there is almost not a single hill, not a single rock, on which there would be no castle or at least its ruins; one can hardly find a village without a large or small castle. Not only are there an unusually large number of them, but the most famous of them are also of great historical and artistic significance.

The most famous architectural monuments are:

church of st. Bartholomew built in the 13th century and the town hall (16th century) in Pilsen;
Gothic churches of the 13th century in Uste nad Laboi;
church of st. Mary and the episcopal palace in Ceske Budejovice;
the old town (XIV century) in Hradec Kralove;
church (XIII century) and old town (XIV century) in Pardubice;
cathedral of st. St. Peter and Paul (XV century) and the town hall (XVI century) in Brno;
cathedral of st. Wenceslas (XII century), the Archbishop's Palace, a quarter of Baroque mansions in Olomouc;
old town of the 13th century, Charles Bridge with figures of saints, Hradcany Castle, St. Witt in Prague.

Population of the Czech Republic

The population of the Czech Republic is 10.3 million people. Of these, Czechs - 94.4%, Slovaks - 3.8%, Poles - 0.7%, Germans - 0.5% and other nationalities - 0.6%.

The majority of the country's population is Catholic. There are also many other Christian communities of other denominations, the largest of which is the Hussite church.

In the 1970s, there was a demographic problem in the country. The age structure of the population was less favorable than in neighboring states. The country was short of workers. Therefore, the government of the state carried out a number of major measures to stimulate the birth rate, which gave a positive result. In terms of population density, the Czech Republic occupies one of the first places among the former European socialist countries - about 130 people per 1 sq. km. kilometer. But even more striking contrasts are hidden behind the average data for the country if we take industrial areas (500 or more people per 1 sq. km) and sparsely populated mountainous areas (less than 20 people per 1 sq. km).

The urban population of the Czech Republic is more than 65% of its total. The largest cities in terms of the number of residents living in them are: Prague - 1.2 million inhabitants, Brno - 390 thousand people; Ostrava - 330 thousand people; Pilsen - 175 thousand people; Usti nad Labem - 106 thousand people; Olomouc - 106 thousand people; Liberec - 104 thousand people Mostly cities with a population of 20-50 thousand people predominate. Small sizes are also characteristic of rural settlements in the Czech Republic, where villages with 150-250 inhabitants are still typical.

Culture of the peoples of the Czech Republic

The peoples of the Czech Republic have created a rich and unique national culture over the centuries. These are ancient architecture and modern architecture, traditional art of folk craftsmen, folklore, folk dances, customs, norms of behavior. It's also a culture Everyday life, and above all material culture - the layout of rural dwellings and entire settlements, folk costumes and food.

The originality of individual regions is so significant that, taking into account the linguistic features - dialects, experts rightfully define them as different ethnographic areas. In the Czech Republic, such areas are Chodsko, located on the southwestern border of the country with a center in Domazhlice, Blata - in South Bohemia, near the town of Sobeslav, Horacko - in Moravia, Hanacko with a center in Olomouc, Wallachsko, occupying the territory from Gottwaldov and Kiyov to the border with Slovakia.

Interesting examples of Czech folk architecture can be seen in South Bohemia, in Blaty, where a stone house with richly decorated gables was especially common; Turnova and Novaya Paki, where houses with very beautiful decoration of the roof ridge are still preserved.

The territory of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands was characterized by a large peasant estate, closed on all sides, with gates for entry from the front. Now the most typical of them are taken under the protection of the state, some are transported to museums of folk architecture.

The Wallachian and Silesian Beskids in Moravia are characterized by wooden houses, which are very different from the spacious rural houses of Hanacka with a canopy over the entrance and from the houses in South Moravia, standing sideways to the street, whitewashed and painted with a colored plinth. In the Strazhnits region, such houses are often painted with bright patterns around windows and doors; this tradition continues to this day.

The interior decoration of residential premises among the Czechs remained unchanged for many years. And at present, in some places, traditional furniture is preserved: a table, benches with carved backs, a bed with many pillows.

The artistic talent of the Czech people also manifested itself in such an area of culture as the national costume. In the past, several dozens of various national costumes could be counted on the territory of the country. By the costume it was possible to accurately determine the place of residence of a person. The richness of national clothes is manifested in the endless variety of ornaments of its decorations: embroidered, woven, wicker, etc. It is impossible to describe all the variants of folk clothes - they are very diverse. So, for example, in a relatively small area, which is occupied by Moravian Mlovacko, there were 28 types of folk clothes. National costumes were worn everywhere in the Czech Republic until the middle of the last century. Currently, only two local groups have preserved the Czech national costume - the Chodes and the Moravian Slovaks.

Chod women wear a white jacket with wide puffs on the sleeves, a red pleated skirt, a striped woven apron and a bright corsage on holidays. A large black scarf with red flowers is thrown over the head, tied with a characteristic knot at the back of the head. If we talk about the Moravian Slovak, then the national costume worn in Podluz is interesting here - this is the name of its southern outskirts, lying on the border with Austria between the Morava and Dyje rivers . Podluzhsky women's festive national costume is worn over a simple white linen shirt. Over it they put on a jacket with wide sleeves, pulled together under the elbows. Over several short, tightly starched underskirts, an overskirt of silk or wool is put on. A sleeveless jacket is put on a jacket, and a "collar" is fastened to it. Wide multi-colored ribbons hang freely from the belt and from the neck. On the legs of the girl they put on boots with accordion tops made of thin leather. The head is decorated with "horns" or "kokesh". Folk art is closely connected with ancient customs and rituals. Czechs, both urban and rural, still celebrate some traditional religious holidays. The biggest traditional family holiday is Christmas. Nowadays, Christmas has become a public holiday that lasts for several days.

The Czech Republic has a developed network of educational institutions: 4,000 primary and secondary schools with about 1.2 million students, 670 secondary specialized educational institutions and 23 universities. Since 1991, 250 private schools have been operating in the country.

General characteristics of the national economy of the Czech Republic

The modern Czech Republic is a relatively small, highly developed industrial country, economically diverse, with a complex economic geography. The Czech Republic has always been famous not only for the volume of industrial products, but also for its high quality.

The main branches of the Czech industry are fuel and energy, mechanical engineering, chemical, textile, food, glass and porcelain production. The Czech Republic has a well-established agricultural production. With a small land area, the Czech Republic fully satisfies domestic food needs. In addition, a significant part of agricultural products is exported.

The leading sector of the Czech economy is industry. During the years of socialism, the country carried out a radical reconstruction of the old industrial regions and created a number of new industries that were absent before. The construction of a large number of new enterprises, combined with the reconstruction of existing ones, has led to a significant increase in the cooperation of industrial enterprises not only within traditional economic regions, but also on a national scale. This is how the Ostrava-Karvinsky region, the engineering agglomerations of Prague, Brno, Pilsen, the electric power and chemical complex of Northern Bohemia were formed.

The Czech national economy has a good energy base. It is based on thermal power plants, which account for up to 90% of all electricity generated. Along with the fact that the amount of coal reserves in the country is sharply decreasing, the Czech Republic attaches great importance to the development of nuclear energy. In previous years, with the assistance of the Soviet Union, several nuclear power plants were built in the country in South Bohemia and South Moravia. In addition, a large contribution to the energy fund is made by hydroelectric power plants, which are built mainly on the mountain rivers of the country and in areas where there are no coal deposits.

Such an important industry as mechanical engineering is developing at a special pace in the country. The Czech Republic produces universal machine tools with program control, electric locomotives, trolleybuses and trams, cars, etc.

The car manufacturer Škoda, headquartered in Mlada Boleslav, has gained particular fame in the world.

The Skoda company was founded in 1925 on the basis of the well-known Czech company Laurin and Klement. In the mid-1990s, Skoda became part of the German concern Volkswagen, and from that moment on, the company began active operations in Europe. Currently, 30% of the company's shares are owned by the Czech government and 70% of the shares by the German Volkswagen concern, and negotiations are underway to acquire the concern's share of the Czech government.

The company produces a number of modern car models (Scoda Oktavia, Scoda Felicia, Scoda Fabia) that meet international standards and are very popular in many European countries, including Russia.

The chemical industry developed rapidly in the Czech Republic.

The development of this industry was complicated by the insufficiency or absence of many types of raw materials, the well-known tension in the energy balance. Overcoming these difficulties is greatly facilitated by close economic cooperation with other countries, in particular with the Russian Federation, which supplies the Czech Republic with the necessary amount of oil, natural gas and other types of raw materials. The main centers of the chemical industry in the Czech Republic are concentrated in Central and Northern Bohemia.

Traditionally, the Czech light industry is characterized by a high level of development - textile, glass and shoe production.

Currently Czech textile industry produces a wide range of fabrics based on natural fibers (wool, linen, cotton), artificial fibers (viscose silk, polyamide and polyester fibers, as well as the so-called mixed fabrics made from a combination of synthetic and natural fibers.

The Czech glass, ceramic and porcelain industries have long been world famous. Glass production is concentrated mainly in the cities of Jablonec na Nis, Novy Bor, Poděbrady, Karlovy Vary. The centers of the ceramic and porcelain industry are located in South Moravia and West Bohemia. The so-called "Czech" glass, produced at the glass factory "Bohemia" in the city of Poděbrady, has acquired special worldwide fame. It is a large enterprise specialized exclusively in the production of hand-cut lead crystal.

Beer brewing has been developed in the country for a long time. Among the variety of beers brewed in Czech breweries, the Pilsen beer "Prazdroj" has enjoyed a high reputation since the Middle Ages. In many countries they tried to produce their own "Pilsen beer", but this did not succeed. Only a combination of high-quality hops, barley malt and special water from artesian wells make it possible to brew a real Prazdroy.

Beer has long been a favorite folk drink among the Czechs, and it was produced in strict accordance with strictly established rules, which were monitored by city councilors. The quality of the beer was checked in a rather peculiar way. Beer was poured onto a polished oak bench. The brewer would sit on the spilled beer in his signature leather pants and sit until the beer was dry. Then he got up, and if the bench rose with him, then it was recognized that the beer was of good quality.

The modern economy of the country makes increasing demands on transport.

The basis of the transport system of the Czech Republic is made up of railways, which provide mass transportation of goods over long distances. Rail network The Czech Republic is one of the densest in the world. Currently, most of the railway lines are electrified and have second tracks. An important role in cargo transportation is also played by road transport, which accounts for about a quarter of the total cargo turnover. The country is covered by a dense network of highways and the construction of new highways continues.

A number of pipelines pass through the country, through which natural gas and oil from Russia are supplied to the Czech Republic and further to the countries of Western Europe.

Air transport plays a significant role in domestic and international passenger traffic.

Since 1990, radical transformations have been carried out in the Czech Republic in order to enter the parameters of a market economy. Particular emphasis is placed on the denationalization of property and the formation of a competitive environment. The "small" privatization has almost been completed, during which the vast majority of trade and service enterprises were sold at auctions. The share of the private sector in 1996 in the Czech Republic accounted for about 15% of commodity industrial production, 44% of the volume of construction work, 55% of retail trade.

At the same time, the country experienced an economic recession in the early 1990s, despite foreign investment in the Czech economy, which in 1992 amounted to about 1 billion US dollars. So in 1992, the decline in industrial production was 16% and in agriculture 11.5%. Currently, there is a period of stabilization of the country's economy.

Foreign economic relations of the Czech Republic

Of particular importance for the Czech Republic, as a relatively small state with a diversified and at the same time specialized economy that needs to import many types of raw materials, are foreign economic relations. The maintenance of stable economic growth rates, the implementation of progressive structural changes, and the increase in the efficiency of the national economy depend to a large extent on the successful development of foreign economic relations. The development of economic cooperation between the Czech Republic and neighboring countries is facilitated by the fact that, in terms of their sectoral structure, the economies of the Czech Republic and each of these countries complement each other to a certain extent, their geographical proximity, the presence of main railway and highways linking them together. The profitability of economic cooperation with these countries is also determined by the fact that the majority of enterprises in the key sectors of heavy industry are concentrated near their borders, so the distances between suppliers and consumers are small and sometimes measure only a few tens of kilometers, which significantly reduces transport costs. Thus, the peculiarities of the sectoral and territorial structure of the national economy, combined with close proximity, create great opportunities for cooperation in the most various fields economic life.

During the years of the existence of the socialist camp, the main mutually beneficial economic ties of the Czech Republic developed with the socialist countries, which made it possible to solve the problem of creating the necessary prerequisites for the stable and uninterrupted development of the national economy. The diverse ties of the Czech Republic with the socialist countries along the line of specialization of co-production in the leading branches of industry, the presence of a guaranteed sales market contributed to the organization of large-scale production, strengthening the position of the Czech Republic in the system of the international socialist division of labor as the most important manufacturer and exporter of machinery and equipment.

In a wide range of exports of engineering products, complete equipment prevailed - rolling mills for ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy power equipment, equipment for sugar and breweries. Metal-cutting machines, trucks and cars, tractors and electric locomotives are also exported.

The import of the Czech Republic is dominated by fuel and raw materials, mainly oil and gas complex. Crude oil and natural gas enter the Czech Republic mainly from Russian Federation through pipelines built as early as within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance of the countries of the socialist camp. Machinery and equipment are also imported in large quantities. The import of advanced technology contributes to the accelerated development of the country's industry.

After the collapse of the socialist camp, the Czech government took a new political course and made the main bet on the development of bilateral relations with the countries of Western Europe and on attracting foreign investment into the Czech economy (mainly Germany, France and Italy). Many Czech enterprises were sold to foreign corporations, which allowed the Czech economy to be more closely integrated into the overall economy of Western Europe.

In 1993, exports amounted to 12.6 billion US dollars, imports - 12.4 billion dollars.

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. Here are the residences of the president, government and the National Assembly, the largest cultural and scientific institutions are concentrated. Prague is extraordinarily beautiful and attractive at any time of the year. She owes her beauty both to nature and to the creative genius of man.

On the ancient coat of arms of Prague it is written: "Prague is the mother of places", which means "Prague is the mother of cities". It has existed for over a thousand years. The entire history of the Czech people is connected with this city, and each era has left its mark on the appearance of today's Prague. Prague is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is picturesquely located on both banks of the river. Vltava, it has many beautiful architectural monuments and greenery. Prague, as the architects say, has a peculiar silhouette, which is created by numerous pointed towers, domes of cathedrals and the Paris Kremlin - the Castle - dominating the city. The Czech people love their capital and are proud of it. It is not for nothing that in songs and ancient legends it is called “Golden Prague”, i.e. "Golden Prague".

Prague is best seen from Petřín Hill, which can be reached by cable car. On the hill there is an openwork steel tower of the television center. From here, you can see the entire city from a bird's eye view.

On the hilly left bank of the Vltava River, numerous monumental buildings of the Prague Castle rise. Among them are the former royal palace and the famous Gothic cathedral of St. Witt. By the way, this cathedral was built for almost 600 years and was fully completed only in 1928. The Vladislav Hall of the palace, built in the 15th century, is so large that in ancient times equestrian jousting tournaments were held in it. At the foot of the Gradchansky hill is the ancient region of Mala Strana. Government offices and museums are concentrated here. Terraces on the slopes of the hill are occupied by gardens. From Mala Strana to the Stare Mesto district leads the oldest of Prague's bridges - the famous Charles Bridge, decorated with sculptural figures and towers at the entrances. The bridge was built in the 14th century. In the center of Stare Mesto is the Old Town Square - a witness to many events in Czech history. From the south, Stara Mesto adjoins Nove Mesto. This is also an old area, but in the present it has been heavily rebuilt.

Prague is not only a museum city, not only an administrative and Cultural Center country, but also the largest industrial city in Czechoslovakia. The industry of Prague, like the whole of Czechoslovakia, is characterized by a large assortment and high quality products. Prague produces machine tools (including those with program control), machine tools, motorcycles, cars, locomotives, chemical products, fabrics, refrigerators, etc. The production and development of medical equipment is very well developed (including the production of “artificial heart ”, used in heart surgery).

Prague is the country's largest transport hub. More than 10 railway and more than 40 bus lines converge here. Prague - a river port on the river. Vltava and, finally, a major airport. This city is connected by direct air lines with all major countries of the world.

Literature

Countries of the world. Brief political and economic reference book. 1996
Czechoslovakia. B.P. Zernov, O.E. Lushnikov. Moscow, "Thought", 1982
Through the most beautiful places in Czechoslovakia. L. Motka. Praha, Sportovni a turisticke nakladatelstvi, 1962
Czechoslovakia: the road to socialism. P. Raposh. Moscow, "Progress", 1988
Prague (guide). Ts. Rybar. Moscow, "Planet", 1989
Universal encyclopedia. Cyril and Methodius. http://mega.site

The basis of the population of the Czech Republic (95%) are ethnic Czechs and speakers of Czech belonging to the group of West Slavic languages. Foreigners make up about 5% of the country's population. Among immigrants, Ukrainians are the largest diaspora in the Czech Republic, about 105,000. In second place are Slovaks (about 100,000), many of whom, after the separation in 1993, remained in the Czech Republic and make up approximately 2% of the population. On the third - citizens of Vietnam (about 66,000). They are followed by citizens of Russia (about 35,000) and Poland (about 20,000). Other ethnic groups include Germans, Gypsies, Hungarians and Jews.

According to the language, the Czechs belong to the West Slavic peoples. The language of central Bohemia was put at the basis of the early works of Czech writing of the 13th-14th centuries. But as the influence in the country of the Catholic Church, the German feudal lords and the patriciate of cities increased, he began to be subjected to harassment in favor of the German and Latin. But during the period of the Hussite wars, literacy and the literary Czech language became widespread among the masses. Then came the two-century decline of Czech culture under the rule of the Habsburgs, who pursued a policy of Germanizing the subject Slavic peoples (by the middle of the 19th century, 15% of the population spoke Czech, and the possibility of taking one of the Slavic languages, in particular the Russian literary language, was considered as a literary language). The Czech language began to revive only at the end of the 18th century, its basis was the literary language of the 16th century, which explains the presence of many archaisms in the modern Czech language, in contrast to the living spoken language. The spoken language is divided into several groups of dialects: Czech, Middle Moravian and East Moravian.

The Czech Republic is one of the densely populated states. The average population density is 130 people. per 1 sq. km. The distribution of the population on the territory of the republic is relatively even. The most densely populated are the areas of large urban agglomerations - Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen (up to 250 people per 1 sq. km). The Chesky Krumlov and Prachatice districts have the minimum population density (about 37 people per 1 sq. km). Currently, there are about 6260 settlements in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic belongs to highly urbanized countries: about 71% of the population lives in cities and towns, while more than 50% live in cities with a population of over 20 thousand inhabitants, the share of the rural population continues to decline. The only metropolis in the Czech Republic is Prague, which has about 1,300,000 permanent residents (Prague's population has been slowly declining since 1985).

The total population of the Czech Republic, having reached a post-war maximum in 1991 - 10,302 thousand people - then slowly decreased until 2003, when it amounted to just over 10,200 thousand people, but since then there has been an increase to 10,500 thousand people. - mainly due to an increase in the flow of migrants (primarily from Ukraine, Slovakia, Vietnam, Russia, Poland and the countries of the former Yugoslavia). Natural population growth was negative in the period 1994-2005, since 2006 there has been some positive growth due to an increase in the birth rate and a decrease in mortality. In recent years, the Czech Republic has become one of the countries with the lowest level of infant mortality (less than 4 per 1,000 births). Since 1990, there has been a steady decline in the number of abortions and abortions in the Czech Republic.

Most of the population - 71.2% - is in the productive age (from 15 to 65 years), 14.4% of Czech citizens are under 15 years old, and 14.5% are over 65 years old. In the productive age, the number of men slightly exceeds the number of women, but in the post-productive age, women noticeably prevail (for two women there is one man). The average age of the population of the Czech Republic is 39.3 years (women - 41.1 years, men - 37.5 years). The average life expectancy is about 76 years for men and 82 years for women.

The majority of the adult population is married, although the proportion of singles is relatively high, with one in five men and one in eight women unmarried. At present, men marry at 28 and women at 26, which is close to the European trend (for comparison: in 1993, these figures were 23 and 19 years, respectively). The first child appears in the family most often within 6 months after the wedding. Czech families are characterized by a high divorce rate. Currently, almost every second marriage ends in divorce, as a result of which almost 80% of all children under the age of 15 live in single-parent families. The average family size has decreased over the past 30 years from 3.5 to 2.2 people.

The economically active population is 51.5% of the total. A specific feature of the Czech Republic among other countries is the high level of employment of women, who make up about 48% of the total economically active population. Most women work in the service, healthcare, education, trade and catering sectors. Most women work out of economic necessity in order to maintain the family's standard of living. The unemployment rate is about 7%, which is more than in 1990-1997. (3-5%), but noticeably less than in 1999-2004. (up to 10.5%).

A significant part of Czechs lives outside the Czech Republic - in Austria, Germany, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries. This is the result of economic migration in search of work, which took on noticeable proportions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and political emigration after the political coup of 1948 and the occupation of 1968.

Illiteracy in the Czech Republic is practically non-existent (occasionally found among older gypsies). A high level of literacy was typical of Czechs even during the First Republic (1918-1938): at that time, about 95% of all inhabitants had a basic education. In recent years, the level of education has increased markedly. Every third economically active resident of the Czech Republic has completed secondary education (corresponding to the level of 12-13 years of education), and every tenth citizen of the Czech Republic has or is receiving higher education. A typical worker has at least a secondary vocational training. The high qualification of Czech workers is one of the main advantages of the Czech economy. So far, the country lags behind the most developed European countries in terms of the proportion of the population with completed secondary and higher education.

Believers: Catholics - 27%, Czech Evangelical Brothers - 1%, Czech Hussites - 1%, other religions (Christian minority churches and sects, Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) - about 3%. The majority of the population classifies themselves as atheists (59%), and almost 9% find it difficult to answer the question about their religion.

Foreigners who legally reside in the Czech Republic:

Armenia– about 2000 people.
Azerbaijan– about 450 people.
Belarus- about 4100 people.
Georgia– about 750 people.
Kazakhstan- about 3800 people.
Kyrgyzstan– about 600 people.
Moldova- about 11,000 people.
Russia- about 35,000 people.
Ukraine- about 105,000 people.
Uzbekistan– about 2000 people.

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Czechs are a people belonging to the Western Slavs, constituting the vast majority of the population of the Czech Republic. There are about 12 million of them in the world, and only 7 million in the country. The population is replenished mainly due to visitors, especially in the post-Soviet period. So, if only 7 thousand people are born a year, and almost the same number of migrants from the post-Soviet space and far abroad (especially from Ukraine) arrive in the country.

Brief description of the people of the country

Represented mainly by Czechs. This is the self-name of the people of the country. Another name is Czechs. There are two nationalities of Czechs - Moravans and Silesians. It was from the dialects of the latter that the modern Czech language was formed.

This people lives on the territory of modern Czech Republic, as well as in the USA, France, Great Britain, Croatia, Argentina, Canada, Australia. Significant communities of Czechs also live in neighboring states - Austria, Poland, Slovakia. There are also in connection with the wars on Far East small Muslim community.

History of the people

The first Slavs began to appear on the territory of modern Bohemia around the third century. And already in the 6th-7th centuries they became the predominant population of this land, displacing the Celts and Germans. In those days, these places were called Bohemia. There were many tribes, but the principality of the Czechs was the strongest.

In the 9th century, the territory of these lands belonged to the Great Moravian Empire. Moravans merged with the Czechs and formed in the 11th century. a single nation.

Even less than a hundred years later, the Principality of Prague was formed on the territory of the country. And already from the second half of the 12th century. The country became part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Czech Republic has become a kind of German colony. Of course, the common people were extremely dissatisfied, and this led to the Hussite wars.

Barely recovering from colonization, the Czech Republic again fell under the rule of a more powerful force. In the 16th century, the Habsburg dynasty came to power, which led to a long-term Germanization of the Czech nation.

The national state of Czechs and Slovaks was formed only with the collapse of Austria-Hungary (1918). In 1993, it broke up again, this time separately into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the twentieth century, most people lived in the country in the 1990s, then the population of the Czech Republic sharply decreased. The demographic crisis was overcome only in the 2000s.

The history of the Czech people is a constant struggle for national identity. In the 12th century, German colonization began, which led to a violation of ethnic unity. At that time, if we briefly describe the population of the Czech Republic, then these were often the upper classes who arrived from Germany and the ordinary inhabitants who remained Czech-speaking. The kings themselves invited the German nobles and farmers, and some even spoke German. You can understand what difficulties the population of the Czech Republic experienced, because all the nobles spoke the same language, completely alien, and even adopted culture and behavior. The whole country in those days resembled a province of Germany, just with Czech peasants.

Also, a difficult situation developed in the 16th century, when the Habsburg dynasty, which came to power, tried to Germanize the Czechs. The nobles quickly adopted the Austrian culture, the German language. Only in the first half of the 19th century did the Czech national identity awaken again, the literary language was revived.

Ethnic composition of the population

The vast majority of Czech citizens are the Czech nation. They are almost 95 percent. Other minorities are a real "hodgepodge". There are Slovaks, Germans, Jews, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Russians, and Poles here.

Interestingly, among foreigners living in the country, 13 percent are Vietnamese. This happened back in the days of Czech communism, when the inhabitants of Vietnam were allowed to receive education here. Many of them subsequently remained in the country and make the ethnic picture of the Czech population more diverse.

There is also a high percentage of Ukrainians (30%) who come here in search of work and a better life. In connection with the abolition of visas for Ukraine by the European Union, the flow has increased even more.

Settle in the Czech Republic and other Europeans, even from more developed countries. People choose this country for living, as there is a fairly good standard of living, while relatively low prices for housing and food. Moreover, the country, in principle, is beautiful in itself. Let there be no sea here, but beautiful lakes, many charming cozy towns and ancient sights. There are 12 World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic, which is more than in neighboring Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Character and mentality

What is the population in the Czech Republic? Czechs can be called very calm people, restrained, non-conflict and quiet. These are people with a good sense of humor, while they love all sorts of horror stories and mystical stories. Night tours are very popular in the capital of Prague, during which all sorts of frightening stories are told to those who wish.

We can also note the practicality of the Czechs. They do not buy any knick-knacks, and they always know exactly what they go to the store for. In addition, the Czechs are very polite. Many have higher education and the vast majority speak at least one foreign language very well.

It is also one of the sickest nations in the world, and also one of the most drunk.

Population density

The United Nations Department of Statistics provides the following data to date. The population density of the Czech Republic is 134 people per square kilometer. This makes this country quite densely populated. For comparison, this is more than in Denmark, Poland.

The current population of the Czech Republic is 10.5 million people. There are slightly more women, almost 51 percent. The increase in numbers is very small, just over seven thousand people a year. Thus, the natural increase is less than one percent. About 6,000 migrants arrive in the country every year. AT last decade the largest number of immigrants came from Ukraine (more than 30%) and Slovakia (17%). According to the calculations of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in 2018, an increase in the number in the Czech Republic by about 20 people per day is expected.

Age distribution

A little less than one and a half million young people under 15 live in the Czech Republic. This makes up 13 percent of the state's population. Pensioners (65+) in the country live 16 percent. Adults aged 16 to 64 make up the vast majority of people living in the Czech Republic. The country's population of working age is 70 percent. Such a pyramid of ages is typical for developed countries, where there is a high long-term standard of living. Up to one fifth of the population are pensioners.

Languages in the Czech Republic

The main language spoken by the vast majority of the country's population is Czech. It belongs to the Slavic language family, in particular to the Western subgroup. There are also dialects of Czech - Silesian, Middle and East Moravian. In general, all Czechs understand each other, no matter what dialect they speak.

About 2 percent of citizens speak Slovak in the Czech Republic. Slovakia is close to the Czechs both in historical terms (after all, until 1993 it was one state - Czechoslovakia), and in linguistic terms. Both languages belong to the same subgroup of the West Slavic languages of the Slavic branch (Polish and Lusatian are also included in it).

There also remains a German-speaking minority living in the Sudetenland, an area of ethnic Germans and Austrians. Some of the people living here were deported after the Second World War, but some remained.

Moscow

Southern Administrative District

Secondary school No. 939

ESSAY

in geography on the topic

Czech Republic

Introduction…………………………………………………3

Administrative and state

device of the Czech Republic…………………………………………………4

From the history of the Czech Republic……………………5

Economic-geographical and political-geographical position of the Czech Republic ...... 6

Natural conditions and natural resources of the Czech Republic……………………………………………………8

Population of the Czech Republic……………………………15

Culture of the peoples of the Czech Republic………………………16

General characteristics of the national economy of the Czech Republic…………………18

Foreign economic relations of the Czech Republic

Republics……………………………………22

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic…………………24

Literature…………………………………………26

INTRODUCTION

The capital of the state is the city of Prague. The largest cities in the Czech Republic are Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, Usti-nad-Labem, Hradec Kralove.

The Czech Republic is often called the heart of the European continent. Travelers between Pilsen and Cheb are proudly shown a granite obelisk with the inscription "Center of Europe". The country seems to be created for tourism. There are 2500 ancient castles and towns in the Czech Republic. No, it seems that there is such an architectural style that would not be represented in the Czech Republic - Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Czech Baroque ...

Administrative and state structure of the Czech Republic

In administrative-territorial terms, the Czech Republic is divided into seven regions: North Bohemia, East Bohemia, West Bohemia, Central Bohemia, South Bohemia, North Moravian and South Moravian.

The main political parties in the country are:

Civic Democratic Party. The main principles of her program are parliamentary democracy, a market economy with strong private ownership;

Communist Party of Czech Republic and Moravia - arose in 1990 after the collapse of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia:

Christian Democratic Union - belongs to the center-right parties;

Civic Democratic Alliance - emerged in 1989 and considers itself a supporter of Western conservatism and the principles of economic liberalism;

Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party- a center-left party, adheres to the traditions of the Czechoslovak and foreign social democratic movement;

Republican Party- emerged in 1989, is considered a radical right-wing party, its program is populist-anarchist;

agricultural party- defends the interests of farmers and villagers;

Society of Moravia and Silesia- stands for self-governing Moravia and Silesia.

From the history of the Czech Republic

Gradually, the center of historical development began to move to the western regions of the Czech Republic, most of whose territory was owned by the Czech tribe, who settled in the middle part of the country and relied on a number of powerful fortress cities, of which Prague was the youngest.

According to the Munich agreement in 1938, Nazi Germany captured Western Bohemia (the Sudetenland). In March 1939, all Czech lands were occupied by fascist troops and declared a "protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia". The popular uprising of 1945 and the successful actions of the Soviet Army led to the defeat of the invaders.

Economic-geographical and political-geographical position of the Czech Republic

This allowed the country, even before the Second World War, to firmly enter the top ten industrialized countries of the world, to achieve a fairly high standard of living for the population.

Natural conditions and natural resources of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has good natural conditions and natural resources for the development of agriculture and industry, as well as for the development of tourism.

The climate of the Czech Republic is determined by the geographical position of the country and is formed mainly under the influence of air masses moving from the Atlantic Ocean. The climate of the Czech Republic is generally temperate continental, with distinct seasons. Due to the predominance of mountainous and hilly relief, local air circulation is of great importance. The relief here affects the temperature regime and the spatial distribution of precipitation. Since the Czech Republic is elongated in latitude, the climatic differences of its individual regions are determined not by the difference between north and south, but between west and east.

Resources of metal ores are insignificant, and the best deposits are largely depleted. Poor phosphorous iron ores with a metal content of less than 30% predominate.

The country is replete with mineral water springs remarkable for their healing properties, in the areas where world-famous resorts arose: Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne.

The Czech Republic is a country that is literally created for tourism. No wonder the income from foreign tourism in the country in 1993 amounted to about 1.3 billion US dollars.

Let's take a look at some of the world's most famous resorts in the Czech Republic.

Of particular interest to tourists is the rich history of the country and the places associated with it.

In addition to the huge number of monuments of primitive times, testifying to the aspirations for fine arts in ancient times, based on the documents of the historical era preserved in the Czech Republic, one can trace the development of architecture, sculpture, painting and other types of artistic creativity for a whole millennium to the smallest detail. If some cities of the Czech Republic are considered cities-museums, then it can rightfully be said about the entire Czech Republic that its territory is a kind of huge art exhibition. Despite the fact that in the past the territory of the country was many times subjected to the destructive power of military fury, here, as if on islands of peace and tranquility, a true reserve of art has been preserved. There are many well-preserved monuments of architectural art in the Czech Republic. First of all, these are rotundas, round church buildings, the development of which ended with an independent architectonic type. Although only a small part of the Prague Cathedral of St. Vita, but other rotundas still stand in different places in the Czech Republic and Moravia. The most remarkable artistically is the rotunda in Znojmo, as it contains paintings from the 12th century. The mural depicts kings from the Přemyslid family and a legend about how the plowman Přemysl was called to the princely throne.

The most famous architectural monuments are:

church of st. Bartholomew built in the 13th century and the town hall (16th century) in Pilsen;

Gothic churches of the 13th century in Uste nad Laboi;

church of st. Mary and the episcopal palace in Ceske Budejovice;

the old town (XIV century) in Hradec Kralove;

church (XIII century) and old town (XIV century) in Pardubice;

cathedral of st. St. Peter and Paul (XV century) and the town hall (XVI century) in Brno;

cathedral of st. Wenceslas (XII century), the Archbishop's Palace, a quarter of Baroque mansions in Olomouc;

old town of the 13th century, Charles Bridge with figures of saints, Hradcany Castle, St. Witt in Prague.

Population of the Czech Republic

The population of the Czech Republic is 10.3 million people. Of these, Czechs - 94.4%, Slovaks - 3.8%, Poles - 0.7%, Germans - 0.5% and other nationalities - 0.6%.

The majority of the country's population is Catholic. There are also many other Christian communities of other denominations, the largest of which is the Hussite church.

Culture of the peoples of the Czech Republic

The peoples of the Czech Republic have created a rich and unique national culture over the centuries. These are ancient architecture and modern architecture, traditional art of folk craftsmen, folklore, folk dances, customs, norms of behavior. It is also the culture of everyday life, and above all material culture - the layout of rural dwellings and entire settlements, folk costumes and food.

General characteristics of the national economy of the Czech Republic

The car manufacturer Škoda, headquartered in Mlada Boleslav, has gained particular fame in the world.

The Skoda company was founded in 1925 on the basis of the well-known Czech company Laurin and Klement. In the mid-90s, Skoda became part of the German concern Volkswagen, and from that moment the company began active work in Europe. Currently, 30% of the company's shares are owned by the Czech government and 70% of the shares by the German Volkswagen concern, and negotiations are underway to acquire the concern's share of the Czech government.

The company produces a number of modern car models (Scoda Oktavia, Scoda Felicia, Scoda Fabia) that meet international standards and are very popular in many European countries, including Russia.

The chemical industry developed rapidly in the Czech Republic.

Traditionally, the Czech light industry is characterized by a high level of development - textile, glass and shoe production.

Currently, the Czech textile industry produces a wide range of fabrics based on natural fibers (wool, linen, cotton), artificial fibers (viscose silk, polyamide and polyester fibers, as well as the so-called mixed fabrics made from a combination of synthetic and natural fibers.

The modern economy of the country makes increasing demands on transport.

The basis of the transport system of the Czech Republic is made up of railways, which provide mass transportation of goods over long distances. The Czech railway network is one of the densest in the world. Currently, most of the railway lines are electrified and have second tracks. An important role in cargo transportation is also played by road transport, which accounts for about a quarter of the total cargo turnover. The country is covered by a dense network of highways and the construction of new highways continues.

A number of pipelines pass through the country, through which natural gas and oil from Russia are supplied to the Czech Republic and further to the countries of Western Europe.

Air transport plays a significant role in domestic and international passenger traffic.

Foreign economic relations of the Czech Republic

Of particular importance for the Czech Republic, as a relatively small state with a diversified and at the same time specialized economy that needs to import many types of raw materials, are foreign economic relations. The maintenance of stable economic growth rates, the implementation of progressive structural changes, and the increase in the efficiency of the national economy depend to a large extent on the successful development of foreign economic relations. The development of economic cooperation between the Czech Republic and neighboring countries is facilitated by the fact that, in terms of their sectoral structure, the economy of the Czech Republic and each of these countries complement each other to a certain extent, their geographical proximity, the presence of main railways and roads connecting them with each other is also important. The profitability of economic cooperation with these countries is also determined by the fact that the majority of enterprises in the key sectors of heavy industry are concentrated near their borders, so the distances between suppliers and consumers are small and sometimes measure only a few tens of kilometers, which significantly reduces transport costs. Thus, the peculiarities of the sectoral and territorial structure of the national economy, combined with close proximity, create great opportunities for cooperation in the most diverse areas of economic life.

In a wide range of exports of engineering products, complete equipment prevailed - rolling mills for ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy power equipment, equipment for sugar and breweries. Metal-cutting machine tools, trucks and cars, tractors and electric locomotives are also exported.

The import of the Czech Republic is dominated by fuel and raw materials, mainly oil and gas complex. Crude oil and natural gas enter the Czech Republic mainly from the Russian Federation through pipelines built as early as within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance of the countries of the socialist camp. Machinery and equipment are also imported in large quantities. The import of advanced technology contributes to the accelerated development of the country's industry.

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic

Prague is not only a city-museum, not only the administrative and cultural center of the country, but also the largest industrial city in Czechoslovakia. The industry of Prague, like the whole of Czechoslovakia, is characterized by a large assortment and high quality of products. Prague produces machine tools (including those with program control), machine tools, motorcycles, cars, locomotives, chemical products, fabrics, refrigerators, etc. The production and development of medical equipment is very well developed (including the production of “artificial heart ”, used in heart surgery).

Literature

Countries of the world. Brief political and economic reference book. 1996

Czechoslovakia. B.P. Zernov, O.E. Lushnikov. Moscow, "Thought", 1982

Through the most beautiful places in Czechoslovakia. L. Motka . Praha, Sportovni a turisticke nakladatelstvi, 1962 G.

Czechoslovakia: the road to socialism. P. Raposh. Moscow, "Progress", 1988

Prague (guide). Ts. Rybar. Moscow, "Planet", 1989

Universal encyclopedia. Cyril and Methodius. http://mega.km.ru

Ethnic Czechs who speak the Czech language, belonging to the West Slavic group, make up the absolute majority of the country's population - about 95% of the total. Other permanent residents in the Czech Republic include Poles, Germans, Hungarians, Jews, Ukrainians and Roma. After the division of Czechoslovakia, about 2% of the population are Slovaks.

Reached the post-war maximum number in 1991 and amounted to 10 million 302 thousand people. Thereafter, there was a slow decline until 2003, and the only period when negative population growth was recorded was 1994-2005. Since 2006, there has been an increase in the population, including due to an increase in the number of migrants from the countries of the former USSR, Poland, the countries of the former Yugoslavia and Asia. According to the latest census, the population of the Czech Republic is 10 million 505 thousand people.

Population density

The Czech Republic averages 133 people per 1 sq. km. km., which makes the Czech Republic a fairly densely populated country. The population is distributed fairly evenly throughout the country. Dense population is typical for large urban areas such as Prague, Pilsen, Brno and Ostrava. The maximum density is fixed at the level of 250 persons/sq.km. The least populated areas (level 37 inhabitants/ sq. km.) are Prachatice and Český Krumlov. In total, there are 5,500 settlements.

The Czech Republic is one of the most urbanized countries in the Czech Republic mainly lives in cities and large towns (about 70%), while the percentage of the rural population is constantly decreasing and this moment more than 50% already live in settlements with a population of over 20 thousand people. The capital of the country - Prague - is the only city that can be called a metropolis. 1 million 243 thousand people live here. In the Czech Republic, only five cities have a population of over 100 thousand people - Prague, Olomouc, Brno, Pilsen and Ostrava. There are 17 cities with populations over 50,000, and 44 cities and towns with populations over 20,000.

Demographics and fertility

The majority of the population of the Czech Republic (about 72%) is in the productive age from 15 to 65 years, while the number of citizens under 15 and over 65 is almost the same - 14.4% and 14.5%, respectively. The number of men in the productive age slightly exceeds the number of women, but in the post-productive age there are noticeably more women (almost two women per man). The average age in the Czech Republic is 39.3 years - 41.1 years for women and 37.5 years for men. The population of the Czech Republic as of 2006 had an average life expectancy of 72.9 years for men and 79.7 years for women.

Despite the fact that the share of married adults is quite large, the number of singles is also relatively high: one in eight women and one in five men in the Czech Republic live out of wedlock. The average age of marriage is approaching European statistics and is 28 for men and 26 for women. The appearance most often occurs in the first year of marriage.

However, for the full reproduction of the population, the level of female fertility is still insufficient (only 1.2 children per woman of reproductive age). The Czech Republic is among the countries with the lowest infant mortality rate, which is less than 4 per 1000 births. There is a constant decrease in the number of abortions and induced abortions in the country.

Employment

More than half of the total population is economically active. We especially note the high employment of women in the Czech Republic in comparison with other countries. The Czech Republic is almost 48% female. Most of them work in trade, catering, healthcare, education and other service areas. The high level of female employment is due to the economic need to maintain the standard of family life, which is noticeably lower than in other countries of the European Union.

Education

The level of education in the Czech Republic meets the highest European standards. Every tenth citizen studies in higher educational institution or has a completed higher education, and every third economically active resident has a complete secondary education. The high qualification of workers (almost all graduated from vocational schools) is one of the notable economic advantages of the Czech Republic. The lag behind European countries in terms of the number of people with higher and secondary education is still present, but the gap is rapidly shrinking.

Religion

The majority of the population of the Czech Republic considers themselves to be atheists (almost 59%) or those who find it difficult to answer about religion - about 9%. Catholics predominate among Czech believers - 27% of the population, Czech Evangelicals and Hussites - 1%. Other religions (Christian churches and sects, Buddhism, Islam, etc.) are distributed exclusively among ethnic groups of immigrants.