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Czech Republic
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FactsBackground: At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, 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). On the eve of World War II, the Czech part of the country was forcibly annexed to the Third Reich, and the Slovaks declared independence as a fascist ally of Nazi Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) 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 known as "normalization." With the collapse of Soviet-backed 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. note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate): $195.2 billion (2010 est.); GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2010 est.); -4.1% (2009); 2.5% (2008); GDP - per capita (PPP): $25,600 (2010 est.); $25,200 (2009 est.); $26,200 (2008 est.); note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2%; industry: 38.3%; services: 59.5% (2010 est.); Population below poverty line: NA%; Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.5%; highest 10%: NA (2009); Labor force: 5.37 million (2010 est.); Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 3.1%; industry: 38.6%; services: 58.3% (2009); Unemployment rate: 7.1% (30 November 2010 est.); 8% (2009 est.); Budget: revenues: $77.9 billion; expenditures: $87.87 billion (2010 est.); Industries: motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments; Industrial production growth rate: 15.9% (2010 est.); Electricity - production: 82.25 billion kWh (2009 est.); Electricity - consumption: 53.42 billion kWh (2009 est.); Electricity - exports: 22.23 billion kWh (2009 est.); Electricity - imports: 8.58 billion kWh (2009 est.); Statistics: CIA World Factbook. PressBlesk(Mass-circulation), Prague Ceske NovinyPrague Hospodarske Noviny(Business), Prague Mlada Fronta Dnes(Independent), Prague Respekt(Independent weekly), Prague Transitions Online(nonprofit Internet magazine), Prague Czech Republic in the NewsDisplaying 1 to 4 of 18 items. Reflections on Post-Communist Central EuropeFormer top Czech spy Karl Koecher comments on the two decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Czech Republic: Quo VadisBohemian Radar BluesAmerican antimissile radar plans raise concerns among Czechs who are not convinced they will see much benefit from the foreign military presence. One Country, One LanguageThe European Commission wants to improve young Europeans' grasp of foreign languages. However, EU member states find it difficult to implement concrete measures. |
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