1. Maturitní téma - Czech republic

CZECH REPUBLIC

Geographical position: CR is a landlocked country in the Central Europe. It borders with Poland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia.

Landscape:

The CR is surrounded by mountain ranges:

• Krkonoše - the highest mountain in the CR Sněžka, Šumava, Jizerské hory, Jeseníky, etc.

Lowlands along big rivers:

• the Vltava river (Moldan)

• the Elbe river (flows into the North Sea)

• the Odra river (the Baltic Sea)

• the Morava/ Dyje river (the Danube -> the Black Sea)

Capital city: The capital and largest city in CR is Prague.

Area: The CR occupies the area of 79 000 sq. km.

Subdivision: CR is divided into 3 historical lands: Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and into 14 self-governing regions.

Population: CR has 10.5 million inhabitants. There are many minority, like: Slovaks, Ukrainians, Vietnamese, Poles, Gypsies, etc.)

Political system:

• CR is a democratic parliamentary republic.

• The head of the state is the president, now it´s Václav Klaus.

  • representative, ceremonial role

  • elected for a 5-years term by the public

  • head of the army

  • signs new legislation

  • appoints the prime minister, the ministers, judges, university professor, guvernor of CNB

  • declares amnesties

  • he gives state decorations

• The supreme organ of executive power is the government.

  • currently 14 ministries

  • prime minister

  • ministers of culture, agriculture, healthcare, social affairs, foreign affairs, defence

• Parliament is divided into the Senate (it has 81 senators, who are elected for a 6-year term, 1/4 for 2 years is changing, majority system) and House of Deputies (it has 200 deputies, who are elected for a 4-years term, proportional system). -> this is legislative power

  • coalition:

    • (ODS) Civic Democratic Party

    • TOP 09

    • (Lidem) Liberal Democracy

  • opposition:

    • (ČSSD) Czech Social Democratic Party

    • the Communist Party

    • Public Affairs

• Process of passing news legislation:

  1. Parliament (group of MPs), presidents, government, regions -> they propose a new law

  2. House of Deputies - discuss it (3 readings) -> submit it to the Senate

     • the Senate: accept it and submit it to the president or return it to the HoD

     • the president: signs it or vetoes

     • HoD can over vote the presidential veto

International organization: The CR belong to:

• OSN (=United Nations Organization)

• NATO (=North Atlantic Treaty Organization), we entered in 1999

• UN (=United Nations), we entered in 1993

• OECD (=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

• WTO (=World Trade Organization)

• Council of Europe

• OBSE (=Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)

• EEA (=European Economic Area)

• EU - we entered in 1 May 2004, The Schengen area, The Visegrad Group.

Symbols:

• flag -> On the left side is a blue triangle, on the bottom is a red stripe and at the top is a white stripe.

• currency -> Czech crowns

• other -> large and small national emblem with two-tailed lion, national anthem, the national colors (tricolor), state seal, a banner of the President

Christianity:

• Catholic

• Protestant

• Orthodox

• atheist