THE CZECH REPUBLIC GEOGRAPHY an inland country in

THE CZECH REPUBLIC

GEOGRAPHY • an inland country in central Europe • borders on Poland (north), Germany (west), Austria (south), the Slovak Republic (east) • the area about 78 thousand square km • population about 10, 5 mil.

GEOGRAPHY • landscape – varied Ø mountain ranges – on the border Ø the highest mountain – Sněžka Ø highlands Ø lowlands, fertile valleys • 4 national parks – the Krkonoše NP, Bohemian Switzerland, … • many nature reserves and protected areas

GEOGRAPHY • large rivers – the Labe, the Vltava, the Morava, … • lakes – Černé Lake, Kamencové Lake, Čertovo Lake, … • ponds – south Bohemia (Rožmberk Pond) • dams – on the Vltava River (Lipno Dam, Orlík Dam, …) WEATHER • moderate continental climate • 4 seasons with cold winters and warm summers • the warmest place – Southern Moravia

DIVISION • divided into 3 parts: Ø Bohemia Ø Moravia Ø Silesia • since 2000 the CR has been divided into 13 regions and the capital city of Prague • every region - own elected regional assembly and a regional governor • the capital – Prague (over 1 mil. inhabitants) • other large cities – Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Liberec, Olomouc, . .

POLITICAL SYSTEM • parliamentary democracy • the head of state – the president • the head of government – the prime minister • the government - ministers (Ministry of Health, M. of Education, M. of the Interior, M. of Transport, …) • State symbols: • flag • banner • anthem • national colours • coat of arms (double-tailed lion) • seal

INDUSTRY • quite industrial state • most of the economy has been privatised • many branches: Ø car industry (Mladá Boleslav) Ø petrochemical industry (Litvinov, Pardubice) Ø heavy machinery (Brno, Plzeň, Prague) Ø food industry (Plzeň) Ø glass making, costume jewellery (Jablonec, Turnov, …)

AGRICULTURE • many forests, meadows, fields • corn – wheat, barley, rye, oats • sugar beat, sunflowers, potatoes, fruits, hops, grapes • pigs, cattle, poultry = usually smaller farms • horses

RAW MATERIALS • the CR – dependent on import of energy and raw materials • sources of: Ø lignite (Chomutov, Sokolov) Ø coal (Ostrava) Ø uranium (the Ore Mountains) Ø timber (= wood for building - South Bohemia)

PLACES OF INTERESTS Match the place with its description Karlovy Vary abbeys Karlštejn brewing beer Plzeň coal mines Hluboká medieval castle Ostrava renaissance buildings Macocha chateau Brno thermal spa Terezín fortress and prison Český Krumlov Tugendhat Villa

FAMOUS PEOPLE Charles IV president Antonín Dvořák artist T. G. Masaryk writer Miloš Forman singer Milan Kundera businessman Emma Destinová composer Tomáš Baťa scientist Josef Mánes sportsman Otto Wichterle king Emil Zátopek director