Facts about Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, along with Estonia, has one of the least religious populations in the EU.
The new country was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993, in a peaceful split known as the 'Velvet Divorce'.
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe and a member state of the European Union.
The government has offered investment incentives in order to enhance the Czech Republic's natural advantages, thereby attracting foreign partners and stimulating the economy.
Russia (via pipelines through Ukraine) and, to a lesser extent, Norway (via pipelines through Germany) supply the Czech Republic with liquid and natural gas.
The Czech Republic has a well-educated population and a well-developed infrastructure.
Of the former communist countries in central and eastern Europe, the Czech Republic has one of the most developed and industrialized economies.
The Czech Republic has a temperate, continental climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow.
The Czech Republic is scheduled to host the rotating EU presidency during the first half of 2009.
The Czech Republic is gradually reducing its dependence on highly polluting low-grade brown coal as a source of energy, in part because of EU environmental requirements.
The Czech Republic is a member of the United Nations and participates in its specialized agencies.
The Czech Republic became a full member of the European Union on May 1, 2004.
Czechoslovakia (Czech and Slovak languages: ?eskoslovensko) was a country in Central Europe that existed from October 28, 1918, when it declared independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992.
Planned reforms involving reduction of currently mandatory expenditures to meet Maastricht criteria for adoption of the euro will prepare the Czech Republic for accession to the euro zone in 2012 at the earliest.
The process of accession had a positive impact on reform in the Czech Republic, and new EU directives and regulations continue to shape the business environment.
The Czech Republic has made significant progress toward creating a stable and attractive climate for investment, although continuing reports of corruption are troubling to investors.
The Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, along with Poland and Hungary, on March 12, 1999.
From 1991 the Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia, has been a member of the Visegrad Group and from 1995 of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions with their own assemblies and the capital city Prague.
