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| Czech Republic Geography |
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 The Czech Republic lies at the heart of Europe, surrounded by Austria (Lower and Upper Austria) to the south, Germany (Bavaria and Saxony) to the west and northwest, Poland (Silesia) to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. It consists of the three historic regions of Bohemia (Cechy) and Moravia (Morava), linked by a central chain of hills called the Bohemian-Moravian Mountains, and a section of what was formerly Silesia. Although the Czech Republic has only been an autonomous Czech national state since 1993, the Czech people can look back on a changing, volatile history going back some 13 centuries. Linguistically, the Czechs belong to the West Slovakian peoples; but culturally they've been influenced at least as strongly by Central Europe (especially the former Austro-Hungarian Empire) and Western Europe as by Eastern Europe.
At certain periods of history the Czechs, particularly residents of Prague, have been at the forefront of events which made their effects felt around the world. Take, for example, the two masters of Czech music, Smetana and Dvorak; Jan Hus or Comenius, Brahe or the astronomer Kepler; literati such as Rilke or Kafka, Jan Neruda or Mucha. And because time behind the impenetrable "Iron Curtain" seemed to stand still, you can still sense here, far better than anywhere else in Europe, the melancholy flavor of past ages and bygone splendors.
Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 78,866 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
Land use:
arable land: 41%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 11%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 240 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe
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