19. THE CZECH REPUBLIC, EUROPEAN UNION
19. The Czech Republic
General information
- the CR is situated in Central Europe (it is said "in the heart of Europe")
- the Capital is Prague; largest cities are Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň
- the official language is Czech
- the currency is Czech Crown
- the flag consists of a white and a red stripe and a blue triangle; the Czech anthem is the song "Where my home is" by J.K. Tyl
International Organizations
The CR joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999. In 2004 the CR joined the EU.
Land and Climate
Our country is divided into three historical parts: Bohemia in the west, Moravia in the south-east and Silesia in the north-east.
The CR is surrounded by four countries: Germany to the west, Poland to the north, Slovakia to the east and Austria to the south. The CR has a humid continental climate with cold winters and warm summers.
Rivers and Lakes
The longest river is the Vltava (there are many dams: Lipno, Slapy). Another important rivers are the Labe (our most important river for shipping), the Morava, the Berounka.
- several ponds are traditionally in southern Bohemia (Jakub Krčín started this tradition in the past), Černé and Čertovo Lake (both are old glacial lakes) in southern Bohemia; a favourite place for recreation is Máchovo Lake (a pond in fact)
Mountains, Mountain Ranges
- the Giant (Krkonoše) Mountains on the border between Bohemia and Poland; the Ore Mountains in north-west Bohemia; the Eagle Mountains, the Jizerské Mountains, the Jeseníky
- the highest mountain is Sněžka (1602 m) in Krkonoše
Political system
- the Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy. The head of state is the president (his seat and residence is in Prague Castle)
- the head of Government is the Prime Minister (appointed by the President). The Prime Minister appoints the members of his cabinet (the real Government)
- the parliament: has two chambers:
- the lower house = Chamber of Deputies - with 200 deputies who are elected for four years
- the upper house = Senate with 81 senators who are elected for six years
- both chambers are elected by citizens; elections are usually held every 4 years
People
- the population is about 10.300.000 inhabitants; the Czechs are descended from Slavonic tribes, but there are also ethnical groups: Slovaks, Poles, Germans, Roma, Russians, Ukrainians
- eating and drinking is very popular in the CR; roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings (together with the traditional Czech beer) is our traditional meal
- Czech people like spending their weekends in their country houses or cottages
Industries
- metallurgy in Ostrava, chemical industry in Ústí nad Labem, Neratovice; breweries in Plzeň, České Budějovice, Litovel; textile, clothes and leather industry,
Natural resources: there are mainly deposits of brown, black coal and iron ore.
Agriculture:
grain, sugar-beet, hop, sunflower, fruit, vegetable, potatoes are grown
European Union
- the E.U. is an organization of European countries who want to cooperate in economic and financial matters, in defence, foreign trade and social issues
- it was established in 1993 (the EU had 12 members then). Then, new member states joined the EU. Border controls were relaxed and a new monetary system was introduced: a new currency is the Euro, which is common for the EU members, but some of the member states haven't accepted the new currency (the UK, Denmark, Sweden).
The headquarters of EU are in Brussels, Belgium. Some of the major bodies of EU are:
European commission, Council of the European Union, European Parliament, European Court of Justice (each member country sends one judge to the court), European Central Bank.
The Czech Republic joined the EU in 2004 together with nine other countries.
- each Czech resident becomes a member of the EU (at the same time he or she remains a citizen of the Czech Republic)
- Czech becomes an official language of the EU; all official documents are translated into Czech
- we don't need an international driving licence in EU member countries
- Czech students have the right to study at European universities; the only conditions are perfect knowledge of the local language and good school results at the secondary school