3) The Czech Republic

3. The Czech republic BASICS  10 million inhabitants  capital city is Prague  major cities: Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň  flag o first adopted in 1918 because of the newly established Czechoslovakia o consist of a horizontal white bend above a red band (traditional colours of Bohemia and Moravia) and a blue triangle (Slovakia but kept) GEOGRAPHY  80 000 km2  3 lands (Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia)  boarders : Slovakia, Germany, Poland, Austria  mountains o Giant Mountains (highest = Snežka 1602m.a.s.l.) o Bohemian-Moravian Highland (Českomoravská vrchovina) o Eagle mountain (Orlické hory) o Beskydy o Czech forest (Šumava)  rivers o The Vltava (longest) o The Labe (largest) o The Ponávka o The Orlice o The Morava o The Ohře  beauty spots o UNESCO (Lednicko-Valtický aerea, Prague, Třebíč Jewish square) o Macocha abys o Czech paradise o Boubin Virgin Forest o Prachov rocks o Pálava o Czech Switzerland  minorities o Germans, French, Russian, Slovak, Vietnamesse, Roman people SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT o president (Miloš Zeman) 5+5 yrs elected by people (maximum 10 yrs) o parliament  chamber of Deputies = 200 for 4 yrs  senate = 81 6yrs 1/3 renewed every 2yrs  YES 2011, ODS (Civic Democratic Party), CSSD (Social Democratic Party) ECONOMY o heavy industry  steel in Ostrava o raw industry  coal black (Ostrava) + brown (south Moravia)  oil  uranium o machinery  cars, one from 8 states in the world able to make aircraft engines o agriculture  rape seed, maize, sun flowers, wine, hop (chmel), cattle, pigs, poultry  carps (kapr) South Bohemia o tourisms  Prague HISTORY  In the 7th Frankish merchant became the ruler of the first known Slavic state in Central Europe => importance of Moravia grew further and the Great Moravian Empire was created => in the 9th century unified by Přemyslid Dynasty until 14 th century  during the middle ages it was ruled by Luxembourg Dynasty = mainly by Charles IV. (established Charles university and 1st arcibishops) and part of the Holy Roman Empire o Prague made centre of the Holy Roman Empire and capital of The Czech Republic  Hussite Movement o John Huss (preacher and rector of Charles university was burnt => which led to the Hussite Wars)  in the 16th century under the reign of Habsburg Dynasty o for nearly 400 years  after WW1 in 1918 = established Czechoslovak republic (led by TGM)  in 1948 feb. 25th o communists took over  1968 o there was the Soviet invasion  1989 o Velvet revolution o Havel = president  1993 1st o Czech republic