What YFC is Doing
Youth for Christ ministry in the Czech Republic is still in the pioneer stage. This means key contacts have been identified, a ministry plan is in place and ministry has commenced. However a formal structure may not be finalized.
Youth for Christ EMENA is currently operating an Area Camp and Conference Center in the Czech Republic.
To view additional ministry information, be sure the visit the Czech Republic YFC website at www.immanuel.cz.
About Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Introduction
Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
Geography
Location
Location: Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria
Geographic Coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Area
Total Area: 78,867 sq km Rank: 115
Land Area: 77,247 sq km
Water Area: 1,620 sq km
Comparison: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land Boundaries: 1,989 km
Bordering Countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 815 km, Poland 615 km, Slovakia 197 km
Coastline: 0 km (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
Elevations
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: 38.82%
Permanent Crops: 3%
Other: 58.18% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 240 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 16 cu km (2005)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 1.91 cu km/yr (41%/57%/2%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 187 cu m/yr (2002)
Environment
Natural Hazards: flooding
Environmental Issues: air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography Notes
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
People
Population: 10,211,904 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 80
Age Structure
0-14 years: 13.6% (male 712,045/female 673,657)
15-64 years: 71% (male 3,641,887/female 3,604,044)
65 years and over: 15.5% (male 623,882/female 956,389) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 38.9 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: -0.094% (2010 est.) Rank: 212
Birth Rate: 8.83 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 215
Death Rate: 10.74 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 49
Net Migration Rate: 0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 56
Urbanization
Urban Population: 73% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 0% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 3.79 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 211
Life Expectancy at Birth: 76.81 years Rank: 61
Fertility Rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 215
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) Rank: 162
People living with HIV/AIDS: 1,500 (2007 est.) Rank: 139
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 10 (2001 est.) Rank: 155
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Czech(s)
Adjective: Czech
Ethnic Groups: Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)
Religion: Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)
Languages: Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)
Education
Literacy: 99%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 15 years Male: 15 years Female: 15 years (2006)
Education expenditures: 4.4% of GDP (2004) Rank: 93
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: Czech Republic
Conventional Short Form: Czech Republic
Local Long Form: Ceska Republika
Local Short Form: Cesko
Government Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Prague Geographic Coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E
Administrative divisions
13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky, Pardubicky, Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky, Vysocina, Zlinsky
Independence: 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia); note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs generally consider 28 October 1918, the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day
National holiday: Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
Constitution: ratified on 16 December 1992, effective on 1 January 1993; amended in 1997, 2000, 2001 (twice), 2002
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; legal code modified to bring it in line with European Union obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Petr NECAS (since 28 June 2010); First Deputy Prime Minister Karel SCHWARZENBERG (since 13 July 2010), Deputy Prime Minister Radek JOHN (since 13 July 2010)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held on 15 February 2008 (after earlier elections held 8 and 9 February 2008 were inconclusive; next election to be held in 2013); prime minister appointed by the president
Election Results: Vaclav KLAUS reelected president on 15 February 2008; Vaclav KLAUS 141 votes, Jan SVEJNAR 111 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)
Legislative Branch
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held in two rounds on 17-18 and 24-25 October 2008 (next to be held by October 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 28-29 May 2010 (next to be held by 2014)
Election Results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 36, CSSD 29, KDU-CSL 7, Open Democracy Club 6, others 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 22.1%, ODS 20.2%, TOP-09 16.7%, KSCM 11.3%, VV 10.9%; seats by party - CSSD 56, ODS 53, TOP-09 41, KSCM 26, VV 24
Judicial branch
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; Supreme Administrative Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Cyril SVOBODA]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Green Party [Ondrej LISKA]; Open Democracy Club (a liberal parliamentary group within the Czech senate); Public Affairs (VV) [Radek JOHN]; Tradice Odpovednost Prosperita 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG]; Union of Freedom-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan CERNY]
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]
International Organization Participation: ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Flag Description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
Note: uses the pan-Slavic colors and is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia
Economy
Economy Overview: The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Maintaining an open investment climate has been a key element of the Czech Republic's transition from a communist, centrally planned economy to a functioning market economy. As a member of the European Union, with an advantageous location in the center of Europe, a relatively low cost structure, and a well-qualified labor force, the Czech Republic is an attractive destination for foreign investment. Prior to its EU accession in 2004, the Czech government harmonized its laws and regulations with those of the European Union. The small, open, export-driven Czech economy grew by over 6% annually from 2005-2007 and by 2.5% in 2008. The conservative Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy throughout 2009. Nevertheless, the real economy contracted by 4.1% in 2009, mainly due to a significant drop in external demand as the Czech Republic's main export markets fell into recession.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $254.1 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 44
GDP - real growth rate: -4.2% (2009 est.) Rank: 180
GDP - per capita (PPP): $24,900 (2009 est.) Rank: 53
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 2.3% Industry: 37.2% Services: 60.5% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 5.401 million (2009 est.) Rank: 68
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 3.6% Industry: 40.2% Services: 56.2% (2007)
Unemployment Rate: 8.1% (2009 est.) Rank: 90
Poverty
Population below poverty line: NA
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
