The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in central Europe. It borders Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, Poland to the north, and Germany to the west. It covers an area of ​​78,866 square kilometers and consists of the Czech Republic, Moravia and Silesia. It is located in a quadrilateral basin uplifted on three sides. The land is fertile, with the Krkonoše Mountains in the north, the Sumava Mountains in the south, and the Czech-Moravian plateau in the east and southeast. The country has undulating hills, dense forests, and beautiful scenery. The country is divided into two geographical regions, one is the Bohemian Highlands in the western half, and the Carpathian Mountains in the eastern half. It consists of a series of things Composed towards the mountains.

Overview

The Czech Republic, the full name of the Czech Republic, was originally a Czech and Slovak Federal Republic and is a landlocked country in central Europe. It borders Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, Poland to the north, and Germany to the west. It covers an area of ​​78,866 square kilometers and consists of the Czech Republic, Moravia and Silesia. It is in a quadrilateral basin uplifted on three sides, and the land is fertile. There is the Krkonoše Mountain in the north, the Sumava Mountain in the south, and the Czech-Moravian plateau with an average altitude of 500-600 meters in the east and southeast. Most areas in the basin are below 500 meters above sea level, including the Labe River Plain, the Pilsen Basin, the Erzgebirge Basin and the southern Czech lakes and marshes. The Vltava River is the longest and flows through Prague. The Elbe originates from the Labe River in the Czech Republic and is navigable. The eastern Morava-Oder valley area is the area between the Czech Basin and the Slovak mountains, called the Morava-Oder Corridor, and has been an important trade route between Northern and Southern Europe since ancient times. The country has undulating hills, dense forests and beautiful scenery. The country is divided into two geographical regions. One is the Bohemian Highlands in the western half, and the Carpathian Mountains in the eastern half. It consists of a series of east-west mountains. The highest point is Gerrachovsky Peak at an altitude of 2655 meters.

The Principality of Satsuma was established in 623 AD. In 830 AD, the Great Moravian Empire was established, becoming the first country that included the Czechs, Slovaks and other Slavic tribes to gather together politically. In the 9th century AD, the Czech and Slovak nations were both part of the Great Moravian Empire. At the beginning of the 10th century, the Great Moravian Empire disintegrated and the Czechs established their own independent country, the Czech Principality, which was renamed the Czech Kingdom after the 12th century. In the 15th century, the Hussite revolutionary movement against the Holy See, German nobility, and feudal rule broke out. In 1620, the Czech Kingdom was defeated in the "Thirty Years' War" and was reduced to the Habsburg rule. Serfdom was abolished in 1781. After 1867, it was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and the Czechoslovak Republic was established on October 28, 1918. Since then, the Czech and Slovak nations began to have their own common country.

On May 9, 1945, Czechoslovakia was liberated with the help of the Soviet army and restored the common state. In 1946, a coalition government headed by Gottwald was established. In July 1960, the National Assembly passed a new constitution and changed the country's name to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. At the beginning of March 1990, the two national republics cancelled the original name "socialism" and renamed them the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic respectively. On March 29 of the same year, the Czech Federal Parliament decided to rename the name of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic: Czechoslovak Federal Republic in Czech; Czech-Slovak Federal Republic in Slovak, that is, one country has two names. From January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became two independent countries. On January 19, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly accepted the Czech Republic as a member state.

National flag: It is rectangular with a ratio of length to width of 3:2. It is composed of blue, white and red. On the left is a blue isosceles triangle. On the right are two equal trapezoids, white on top and red on the bottom. The three colors of blue, white and red are the traditional colors that the Slavic people like. The hometown of the Czechs is the ancient kingdom of Bohemia. This kingdom regards red and white as its national colors. White represents sacredness and purity, and symbolizes the people's pursuit of peace and light; red symbolizes bravery and fearlessness. The spirit symbolizes the blood and victory of the people for the independence, liberation and prosperity of the country. The blue color comes from the original coat of arms of Moravia and Slovakia.

The Czech Republic has a population of 10.21 million (May 2004). The main ethnic group is Czech, accounting for 81.3% of the total population of the former Federal Republic. Other ethnic groups include Moravian (13.2%), Slovak, German and a small amount of Polish. The official language is Czech, and the main religion is Roman Catholicism.

The Czech Republic was originally an industrial zone of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and 70% of its industry was concentrated here. It is dominated by machinery manufacturing, various machine tools, power equipment, ships, automobiles, electric locomotives, steel rolling equipment, military industry, and light and textile industries. The chemical and glass industries are also relatively developed. Textiles, shoemaking, and beer brewing are all world-famous. The industrial foundation is strong. After World War II, the original industrial structure was changed, focusing on the development of steel and heavy machinery industries. Industry accounted for 40% of the GDP (1999). The Czech Republic is a major producer and consumer of beer, and its main export targets are Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Austria and the United States. The total beer output in 1996 reached 1.83 billion liters. In 1999, the per capita beer consumption in the Czech Republic reached 161.1 liters, which was 30 liters more than that of Germany, a major beer consuming country. In terms of per capita beer consumption, the Czech Republic has ranked first in the world for 7 consecutive years. The communications industry is developing rapidly. At the end of 1998, the penetration rate of mobile phones was close to 10%, and the number of mobile phone users reached 930,000, surpassing some Western developed countries.

Main cities

Prague: Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It has a long history and is a world-famous tourist attraction, known as the "architectural art textbook", and was declared a world cultural heritage by the United Nations. Prague is located in the center of Eurasia, across the banks of the Vltava River, a tributary of the Labe River. The urban area is distributed on 7 hills, covering an area of ​​496 square kilometers and a population of 1,098,855 (statistics in January 1996). The lowest point is 190 meters above sea level, and the highest point is 380 meters. The climate has a typical central continental type, with an average temperature of 19.5°C in July and -0.5°C in January.

For thousands of years, the section of the Vltava River where Prague is located has been an important tourist spot on the commercial road between North and South Europe. According to legend, Prague was founded by Princess Libusch and her husband, Premes, founder of the Premes Dynasty (800 to 1306). The earliest settlement on the current site of Prague began in the second half of the 9th century, and the city of Prague was built in 928 AD. In 1170, the first stone bridge was built on the Vltava River. In 1230, the Czech dynasty established the first royal city in Prague. From the 13th to the 15th century, Prague became an important economic, political and cultural center of Central Europe. From 1346 to 1378, the Holy Roman Empire and King Charles IV of Bohemia established the capital in Prague. In 1344, Charles IV ordered the construction of St. Vitus Cathedral (completed in 1929), and in 1357 the Charles Bridge was built. By the end of the 14th century, Prague had become one of the important cities in Central Europe and had an important position in the European religious reforms. After 1621, it ceased to be the capital of the Roman Empire. In 1631 and 1638, the Saxons and the Swedes successively occupied Prague, and it entered a period of decline.

Prague is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has many historical sites. Ancient buildings stand on both sides of the Vltava River, row upon row of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings. Many ancient buildings are crowded with tall towers, making Prague known as the "City of Hundred Towers". In late autumn, the spire of Huang Chengcheng towers in a piece of yellow-leaf forest with golden light, and the city is called "Golden Prague". The great poet Goethe once said: "Prague is the most precious among the crowns of many cities inlaid like jewels."

Local music life The famous Prague Spring Concert is held every year. The theater has a strong tradition, with 15 theaters. There are many museums and art galleries in the city, and there are more than 1,700 official monuments, such as the majestic St. Vitus Church, the magnificent Prague Palace, the Charles Bridge with high artistic value, and the historic National Theater And the Lenin Museum.