The Czech Country Profile - Business & Tourist Travel Information

Czech population religion history economy road travel & other national information

Czech National Country Profile

 

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Czech Country Profile

Czech Population The capital of the Czech Republic is Prague and the national population is 10.3m. 81% of the population are Czech, 13% are Moravian, 3% are Slovak with German and Roma being the biggest proportion of the remainder.

Czech Religion 40% of the population do not follow any faith, 39% are Catholic, 5% are Protestant, 3% are Orthodox and the remainder follow a variety of faiths.

Czech Language The national language is Czech - some German is spoken in places - English is not widely spoken

Czech Currency The official unit of currency is the Crown (Koruna). Visitors from Scotland and Northern Ireland should note that bank notes from these areas are not accepted by exchange bureaus or banks. Traveller cheques are not a problem. Exchange rates can vary by up to 15%. Some rates quoted do not include commision charges others are inclusive. In Prague the best rates are often found between the bottom of Square Wenceslas and the top of Narodni trida before the Cafe Louvre. Do not exchange currency with street vendors as they will give you counterfeit money.

Czech Currency Regulations Visitors enteing or leaving Czech Republic with cash in any currency which exceeds 10,000€, must declare it to customs

Czech Economy - Business The Czech economy has currently has annual growth rate of 4.3% with inflation at 2.6%. These difference between these figures has narrowed in the past couple of years - at one stage inflation was estimated to be 0.1% and the annual growth rate was 2.9%. The major industries are machinery & equipment, metallurgy, motor vechiles d armaments and glass. The Czech Republics major trading partner is the European Union in particular Germany, Slovakia, Austria, France and the United Kingdom.

Recent Czech History

At the end of WW1 The Czechoslovak Republic was established. Part of the republic's territory (The Sudeten Lands) was given to Nazis Germany in 1938 who occupied the country shortly afterwards. At the end of WW2 it was occupied by the Soviet Army who installed a pro - Soviet government. In January 1968 a new liberal leader Alexander Dubcek was elected Primeminster. He and the President, Ludvik Svoboda implemented reforms to the contstitution of the country which became known as 'The Prague Spring'. These reforms were not approved of in Moscow who along with armies from other Warsaw Pact countries invaded the country in August that year, deposed Dubeck and Svoboda and installed a pro-soviet administration who anulled earlier reforms. See also Jan Palach

The communists remained in control for two decades until the changing political climate in Moscow in 1989 enabled a new democratic government to be installed. On November 24th Czechoslavakia declared its independence in what is known as 'The Velvet Revolution'. Fundemental differences between the Czechs and the Slovaks which came to a head in the following three years resulted in the nation experiencing a peaceful 'velvet Divorce' with each party establishing its own republic. The subsequent Czech government succesfully negotiated terms for the country's accession to the European Union and it joined the EU on May 1st 2004.

Laws For Pedestrians In The Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic it is an offence to cross the road or tram rails within 50 metres of a designated crossing point normally identified traffic lights or a 'zebra' style crossing.   You can also be fined for crossing at a pedestrian crossing when the green crossing light is not illuminated.

Travelling In The Czech Republic

Czech Road Travel

If you are planning to drive to the Czech Republic, you may like to consult a local motoring hotline, available in Czech and English on (tel: 00 420 1230). You should check arrangements for driving on motorways in the Czech Republic. A user tax vignette must normally be purchased for motorway driving. These can be purchased from most Post Offices, petrol stations and from some bureaux de change and other outlets at the border. Failure to display a valid vignette can result in a fine.

New rules and laws were introduced in the Czech Republic in 2006. Details of these regulations and general advice on driving in the Czech Republi which now includes a penalty point and on the spot fine system are available on the a Czech Government motoring website. Motorists are strongly advised to visit this site before arriving in the Czech Republic. When you are in Czech Republic you can also obtain travel information for motorists on a Czech and English speaking helpline tel 00 420 1230.

Under Czech law all private cars, including those of foreign visitors, must carry the following items: 1 x Fluorescent Green High Visibility Safety Jacket + 1 x First Aid Kit + 1 x Spare pair of prescription glasses (if necessary) - kept in the glove compartment + 1 x Warning triangle +1 x Complete set of spare bulbs.

Czech Tourism

Over the last twenty years Tourism to the Czech Republic has developed into a very significant industry. Post the fall of the Berlin Wall, apart from Berlin, Prague probably has the greatest claim credit for the current interest in Eastern Europe from a tourist perspective.

It has a very well developed tourist industry which caters from people from all age groups. Close to Prague places like Karlsbad also have many atrractions to offer. Prague is served by several low cost airlines from all over Europe. and numerous airlines worldwide. More

 

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