The peoples of the Czech Republic and their main occupations. Population of the Czech Republic

Today's post will be about the national composition of the Czech Republic.

The population of the Czech Republic is 10.5 million people. 9.5 million are citizens of the Czech Republic (94.9%), while 500 thousand (5.1%) are foreigners living in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is a country where you rarely meet Arabs and blacks, of whom there are many in European countries. For example, in large cities in Holland, France, Spain or Italy. I remember I had a bit of a culture shock when only Muslim women in headscarves worked at the checkout counters of the entire supermarket in Amsterdam. Or when in Paris at the Place de la République there were only Arabs at a rally against Sarkozy’s policies! In Austria, the number of Arabs has also increased in recent years, many of whom live on benefits.

But let's return to the Czech Republic. Below you will see a list of the most popular nations living in the Czech Republic:

• Czechs;
• Moravians;
• Slovaks;
• Ukrainians;
• Poles;
• Vietnamese;
• Germans;
• Russians;
• Silesians;
• Jews;
• Hungarians;
• Romanians.

Over the past decade, the number of Germans, Slovaks and Poles living in the Czech Republic has decreased significantly. But the number of Ukrainians, Russians and Vietnamese has increased.

The reader may wonder how it is that one of the largest minorities in the country is the Vietnamese. During communism, the governments of Czechoslovakia and Vietnam made a deal regarding the education of the Vietnamese people in Czechoslovakia, and since then they have settled here and do small business. In addition, after the reunification of Germany, the Vietnamese had to leave the country, and they settled in the Czech Republic. Unlike the same Romanians, the Vietnamese open grocery stores in Prague and the Czech Republic, trade in markets, open fast food restaurants with Chinese food, do manicures, and work 12 hours a day. One of the cities in the Czech Republic with the largest Vietnamese diaspora is the city of Cheb.

The Vietnamese have integrated well into Czech society; many know the language and culture of the country very well; Vietnamese children, due to their perseverance, study well at school and then go to universities. Vietnamese people now work in all fields: from artists to doctors.

As I already said, the Vietnamese do a good business: almost all the small shops in the area are owned by them, they are open from 8 am to 10 pm 7 days a week, while the Czech shops are open 6 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Also, the Vietnamese do not like the speed of work of the Czechs and the attitude towards them, so they open banks, their own exchange offices, and publishing companies in the Czech Republic.

During the time that I have lived in the Czech Republic, I have never seen a Vietnamese beg, unlike Romanians or Czechs who like to beg in the center of Prague, especially in tourist areas and near the main station.

Europeans in the Czech Republic

What attracts Germans, Dutch, and British to the Czech Republic? Most Europeans like the Czech Republic's low taxes and low cost of living. Some open their own businesses, others come to work. Most of the people in the country are Slovaks, for whom the Czech Republic is a place where they can get a good education and find a job, and prices in the Czech Republic are lower than in Slovakia. Also, Slovaks do not have a language barrier, because... 90% of the Czech language is .

Compared to Germany, Great Britain and Holland, the Czech Republic has an excellent climate, there are no such terrible winds, winters are milder, and air humidity is not so high.

Russian speakers in the Czech Republic

As for us Russian speakers, most emigrants go to the Czech Republic for a better quality of life. Russians open businesses here, invest money in real estate, hotels and industries. Children go to get education at Czech universities or schools. Due to the terrible economic situation that has prevailed in Ukraine since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians are forced to go to Europe to work. They are ready to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, the main thing is to earn money for the whole family.

So every nation one way or another joins Czech society, and this is very good. Most foreigners here do business, get education or work. In the Czech Republic there is nothing like in France, where emigrants come who do not intend to work or study, but want to sit on benefits and engage in small, bad things.

The Czechs are a people belonging to the Western Slavs, making up the vast majority of the population of the Czech Republic. There are about 12 million of them in the world, but in the country there are only a little over 7 million. The population is replenished mainly by visitors, especially in the post-Soviet period. So, if only 7 thousand people are born per year, and almost the same number of migrants arrive in the country from the post-Soviet space and foreign countries (especially from Ukraine).

Brief description of the people of the country

Represented predominantly by Czechs. This is the self-name of the people of the country. Another name is Czech. There are two nationalities of Czechs - Moravians and Silesians. It was from the latter dialects that the modern Czech language was formed.

These people live in the territory of the modern Czech Republic, as well as in the USA, France, Great Britain, Croatia, Argentina, Canada, and Australia. Significant communities of Czechs also live in neighboring countries - Austria, Poland, Slovakia. There is also a small Muslim diaspora due to the wars in the Far East.

History of the people

The first Slavs began to appear on the territory of modern Czech Republic around the third century. And already in the 6th-7th centuries they became the predominant population of this land, displacing the Celts and Germans. In those days, these places were called Bohemia. There were many tribes, but the most powerful was the principality of the Czechs.

In the 9th century, the territory of these lands belonged to the Great Moravian Empire. The Moravans merged with the Czechs and formed in the 11th century. one nation.

Even less than a hundred years later, the Principality of Prague was formed on the territory of the country. And already from the second half of the 12th century. the country became part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Czech Republic turned into a kind of colony of Germany. Of course, the common people were extremely dissatisfied, and this led to the Hussite Wars.

Having barely recovered from colonization, the Czech Republic again fell under the rule of a more powerful force. In the 16th century, the Habsburg dynasty came to power, which led to the long-term Germanization of the Czech nation.

The national state of Czechs and Slovaks was formed only with the collapse of Austria-Hungary (1918). In 1993, it broke up again, this time separately into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the twentieth century, the largest number of people lived in the country in the 1990s, then the population of the Czech Republic sharply decreased. The demographic crisis was overcome only in the 2000s.

The history of the Czech people is a constant struggle for national identity. In the 12th century, German colonization began, which led to a breakdown in ethnic unity. At that time, if we briefly describe the population of the Czech Republic, it was often the upper classes who arrived from Germany and ordinary residents who remained Czech-speaking. The kings themselves invited German nobles and farmers, and some even spoke German. One can understand what difficulties the population of the Czech Republic experienced, because all the nobles spoke the same language, completely foreign, and even adopted the culture and behavior. The whole country in those days resembled a province of Germany, just with Czech peasants.

Also, a difficult situation arose in the 16th century, when the Habsburg dynasty, which came to power, tried to Germanize the Czechs. The nobles quickly adopted Austrian culture and the German language. Only in the first half of the 19th century did Czech national consciousness awaken again and the literary language was revived.

Ethnic composition of the population

The vast majority of citizens of the Czech Republic are the Czech nation. They are almost 95 percent. Other minorities are a real hodgepodge. There are Slovaks, Germans, Jews, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Russians, and Poles here.

Interestingly, among foreigners living in the country, 13 percent are Vietnamese. This happened back in the days of Czech communism, when residents of Vietnam were allowed to receive education here. Many of them subsequently remained in the country and make the ethnic picture of the Czech population more diverse.

There is also a high percentage of Ukrainians (30%) who come here in search of work and a better life. Due to the abolition of visas for Ukraine by the European Union, the flow has increased even more.

Other Europeans are also settling in the Czech Republic, even from more developed countries. People choose this country to live because there is a fairly good standard of living here, with fairly low prices for housing and food. Moreover, the country itself is beautiful in principle. There may be no sea here, but there are beautiful lakes, many charming cozy towns and ancient attractions. There are 12 World Heritage sites in the Czech Republic, which is more than in neighboring Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Character and mentality

What is the population in the Czech Republic? Czechs can be called very calm people, reserved, non-conflicting and quiet. These are people with a good sense of humor, and they love all kinds of horror stories and mystical stories. Night tours in the capital Prague are very popular, during which all sorts of frightening stories are told to those interested.

One can also note the practicality of the Czechs. They don’t buy all sorts of trinkets, and they always know exactly what they are going to the store for. In addition, Czechs are very polite. Many have higher education and the vast majority speak at least one foreign language very well.

It is also one of the sickest nations in the world, and also one of the heaviest drinkers.

Population density

The UN Department of Statistics provides the following data to date. The population density of the Czech Republic is 134 people per 1 square kilometer. This makes this country quite densely populated. For comparison, this is more than in Denmark and Poland.

The population of the Czech Republic currently amounts to 10 and a half million people. There are slightly more women, almost 51 percent. The growth in numbers is very small, just over seven thousand people per year. Thus, the natural increase is less than one percent. About 6,000 thousand migrants arrive in the country every year. In the last decade, the largest number of immigrants arrived from Ukraine (more than 30%) and Slovakia (17%). According to calculations by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in 2018 the number in the Czech Republic is expected to increase by about 20 people per day.

Age distribution

Just under one and a half million young people under 15 live in the Czech Republic. This represents 13 percent of the state's population. Pensioners (65+) make up 16 percent of the country. Adults from 16 to 64 years old make up the vast majority of people living in the Czech Republic. The country's working-age population is 70 percent. This age pyramid is typical for developed countries, where there is a high long-term standard of living. Up to one fifth of the population are pensioners.

Languages ​​in the Czech Republic

The main language spoken by the vast majority of the country's population is Czech. It belongs to the Slavic language family, specifically the Western subgroup. There are also dialects of Czech - Silesian, Middle and East Moravian. In general, all Czechs understand each other, no matter what dialect they speak.

About 2 percent of citizens speak Slovak in the Czech Republic. Slovakia is close to the Czechs both historically (after all, until 1993 it was one state - Czechoslovakia) and linguistically. Both languages ​​belong to the same subgroup of West Slavic languages ​​of the Slavic branch (Polish and Sorbian are also included).

There also remains a German-speaking minority living in the Sudetenland, an area of ​​ethnic Germans and Austrians. Some of the people living here were deported after World War II, but some remained.

Moscow

Southern Administrative District

Secondary school No. 939

ABSTRACT

in geography on the topic

Czech Republic

Introduction……………………………………………………………3

Administrative and public

structure of the Czech Republic…………………………………………4

From the history of the Czech Republic………………………5

Economic-geographical and political-geographical position of the Czech Republic......6

Natural conditions and natural resources of the Czech Republic………………………………………………………8

Population of the Czech Republic……………………………15

Culture of the peoples of the Czech Republic………………………16

General characteristics of the national economy of the Czech Republic…………………18

Foreign economic relations of the Czech Republic

Republic……………………………22

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic…………………24

Literature……………………………………………………26

INTRODUCTION

The Czech Republic (CR) is located in the center of Europe on a relatively small territory - about 79 thousand sq. km. and is one of the developed, industrial countries in the world. The Czech Republic shares borders with Germany, Slovakia, Austria and Poland. The population of the Czech Republic is 10.3 million people. The official language is Czech. The monetary unit is the Czech crown.

The capital of the state is the city of Prague. The largest cities in the Czech Republic are Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, Usti Nad Labem, Hradec Kralove.

The Czech Republic is often called the heart of the European continent. Travelers between Pilsen and Cheb are proudly shown a granite obelisk with the inscription “Center of Europe”. The country seems to be created for tourism. There are 2,500 ancient castles and towns in the Czech Republic. No, it seems there is an architectural style that would not be represented in the Czech Republic - Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Czech Baroque...

Administrative and governmental structure of the Czech Republic

Administratively, the Czech Republic is divided into seven regions: North Bohemian, East Bohemian, West Bohemian, Central Bohemian, South Bohemian, North Moravian and South Moravian.

The Czech Republic is a republic. The Constitution of the Czech Republic was adopted by the National Council of the Czech Republic in December 1992. The head of state is the president, who is elected by the country's parliament for a term of five years. Currently, Vaclav Havel has been elected President of the Czech Republic for a second term. Legislative power in the country belongs to the parliament, consisting of two chambers - the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The highest executive body is the government.

The main political parties in the country include:

Civic Democratic Party. The main principles of her program are parliamentary democracy, a market economy with strong private property;

Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia – arose in 1990 after the collapse of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia:

Christian Democratic Union - belongs to center-right parties;

Civil Democratic Alliance – emerged in 1989 and considers itself a supporter of Western conservatism and the principles of economic liberalism;

Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party– center-left party, adheres to the traditions of the Czechoslovak and foreign social democratic movement;

Republican Party– emerged in 1989, is considered a radical right-wing party, its program is populist-anarchist;

Agricultural Party– defends the interests of farmers and village residents;

Society of Moravia and Silesia- advocates self-governing Moravia and Silesia.

In total, more than 80 parties and movements and more than 200 youth organizations are registered in the Czech Republic. The largest trade union association in the Czech Republic is the Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions, which includes more than 40 sectoral trade unions.

From the history of the Czech Republic

The territory of the Czech Republic has been inhabited since ancient times. The Czech lands were once home to the Celtic Boi tribe, which is why it was called the “country of fights” – Bohemia. At the beginning of our era, Germanic tribes invaded the country from the north. They moved further south, and the Czech lands fell into the sphere of interests of the Roman Empire, which built during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98-117) the well-known “Roman Wall” - a powerful line of fortifications, the northern bastions of which were located in Musov (Southern Moravia).

It was here that the first Czech cities were formed due to the significant development of agriculture and crafts. Already in the 8th century, the region of South Moravia, where the unification of tribes took place much faster than in western Bohemia, isolated by the mountains, became significantly stronger economically. Agriculture flourished, iron ore production increased, covering the country's need for raw materials for the production of tools and weapons, and there was brisk trade with neighboring states.

Gradually, the center of historical development began to move to the western regions of the Czech Republic, most of the territory of which was owned by the Czech tribe, which settled in the middle part of the country and relied on a number of powerful fortress cities, of which Prague was the youngest.

The Principality of Prague, formed in the 10th century, became the core of the early feudal Czech state. Since the 16th century, the Czech lands came under the rule of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. With the defeat of the anti-Habsburg uprising at the White Mountain in 1620, the Czech lands completely lost their independence. Since 1918, after the collapse of Austria-Hungary, the National Council in Prague announced the creation of an independent Czechoslovak state, which included the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

According to the Munich agreement of 1938, Nazi Germany captured Western Bohemia (Sudetenland). In March 1939, all Czech lands were occupied by fascist troops and declared the “protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.” The popular uprising of 1945 and the successful actions of the Soviet Army led to the defeat of the occupiers.

After the Second World War, the territorial integrity of Czechoslovakia was restored, the Czech and Slovak lands became part of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. Since February 1948, after the Communist Party came to power, the country's entry onto the path of socialist construction was proclaimed. At the end of the 60s, the process of updating socialism through its democratization began, called the “Prague Spring,” which was interrupted in August 1968 after the entry of troops from five Warsaw Pact countries. As a result of the emergence of an acute socio-political crisis in November 1989, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was removed from power. At the parliamentary and municipal elections held in 1990, new political forces received the support of voters and began to dismantle the previous socio-political system.

In December 1992, the Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia adopted a law on the division of the federation and on January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic was proclaimed an independent, sovereign and independent state.

Economic-geographical and political-geographical position of the Czech Republic

Historically located at the intersection of numerous trade and economic routes, in the middle of the “European home”, with a high degree of territorial contact (more than half of the European states are the closest neighbors of the Czech Republic), the Czech Republic had great opportunities for transferring advanced achievements of science, technology, and culture to its soil production, progressive forms of labor organization, methods of training qualified personnel.

This allowed the country, even before the Second World War, to firmly enter the top ten industrialized countries of the world and achieve a fairly high standard of living of the population.

The Czech Republic is located on the Bohemian Plateau, which stretches across the entire country from west to east. The western part of the country is framed on three sides by the ridges of mountains bordering the Bohemian Massif. The Beskydy mountain group is located in Northern Moravia. The picturesque, not autumn-high Bohemian-Moravian Highlands separates the Czech Republic from Moravia.

The Czech massif is a heavily destroyed medium-altitude mountain range, composed mainly of hard crystalline rocks. Their elevated edges, almost coinciding with the state border of the country, only in some places exceed 1000 meters: in the northeast there are the Jizera Mountains and the Giant Mountains, in the northwest there are the Ore Mountains, in the southwest there are the Czech Forest and Šumava. In the east and southeast, the Bohemian massif is limited by the low (up to 800 meters) hilly Bohemian-Moravian Upland, characterized by fertile soils.

The Jizera Mountains are a vast mountain range up to 1100 meters high. Large tall forests, crystal clear streams with sandy bottoms, peat bogs with small lakes and an abundance of game - all this is typical for the region described.

In southern Bohemia lies the Šumava - a wide belt of low mountains with picturesque glacial lakes. The mountains are mainly composed of gneisses and granites. There are many peat bogs in the valleys, where numerous streams and rivers originate, in particular the Vltava River. The forests covering the slopes of Šumava are dominated by spruce and fir. They are rich in animals, game and forest berries, in particular blueberries and strawberries, which are even exported. In mountainous regions, one of the main occupations of the population has long been logging and rafting. On the basis of significant timber reserves, a wood processing industry has developed in Šumava, as well as large paper production.

The Czech Republic is a country located inside the European continent. This economic and geographical position of the state, on the one hand, provides many advantages for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries, but on the other hand, it also has negative consequences since the country is cut off from the world ocean and has no access to any of the seas.

Until 1993, when Czechoslovakia was divided into two sovereign states, the country's policies and its economic potential were aimed at strengthening the socialist camp. The main partners of the Czech Republic were the socialist countries of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the socialist camp, the Czech government took a new political course and placed its main emphasis on the development of bilateral relations with the countries of Western Europe and on attracting foreign investment into the country into the Czech economy (mainly Germany, France and Italy). The Czech Republic is a member of many international organizations - the United Nations (UN), the European Council (EC), NATO.

Natural conditions and natural resources of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a country of diverse and picturesque landscapes. The plains here are interspersed with hills, open spaces with forests, the whole country seems to be woven with countless threads of rivers and rivulets. The outlying mountain ranges of the western part of the country attract with their wild beauty.

The Czech Republic has good natural conditions and natural resources both for the development of agriculture and industry, and for the development of tourism.

The climate of the Czech Republic is determined by the geographical location of the country and is formed mainly under the influence of air masses moving from the Atlantic Ocean. The climate of the Czech Republic is generally moderate continental, with clearly defined seasons. Due to the predominance of mountainous and hilly terrain, local air circulation is of great importance. The relief here affects the temperature regime and the spatial distribution of precipitation. Since the Czech Republic is elongated in latitude, the climatic differences in its individual regions are determined by the difference not between north and south, but between west and east.

The average annual temperature is plus 8-10 C. For most of the territory, a non-cold winter is typical, with average temperatures of the coldest month (January) from –2 C to –4 C. Occasionally in winter, the average daily air temperature drops to –20 C, which is associated with intrusions of cold weather. arctic air. Thaws are frequent, especially in the west of the country. The range of temperature differences in summer is greater, since continentality, which increases in an easterly direction, has a stronger effect; the average temperature in July is about +19 C. In the mountains, summer is cooler - +8-13 C. Mild, pleasant weather occurs in spring, from the second half of May, and in autumn , until mid-October.

The amount of precipitation in different regions of the Czech Republic ranges from 450 to 2000 mm per year. The predominant part of the republic's territory receives 600-800 mm of precipitation per year, i.e. their total quantity is quite sufficient for agricultural needs. About 20% of it falls as snow. The greatest amount of precipitation is typical for the windward slopes of high mountains. There are very few dry areas in the country. Large forested areas, meadows, and numerous reservoirs and ponds help retain moisture in the soil. The seasonal distribution of precipitation is of decisive importance. The presence of a summer maximum (about 40% of all precipitation for June-August) is a favorable factor for agriculture.

The diversity of natural conditions is also reflected in the soil cover. Soils are affected by differences in topography, climate and hydrogeology of individual areas. The most common are podzolic and brown forest soils; chernozem and other soils occupy a smaller area. A significant part of the podzols is covered with forest, and the share of these soils in the agricultural land fund is much lower than in the general soil cover of the country.

On the territory of the Czech Republic there are two relatively significant areas of chernozem soils in the central regions of the country and in Central Moravia. They are widely used for crops of sugar beets, winter wheat and barley. The bulk of the country's grain crops are concentrated on brown soils. Podzolic soils are used mainly for crops of oats, rye and potatoes, but the majority of them are occupied by forest vegetation.

The Czech Republic is one of the most forested countries in Europe. About 60% of the total forest area is occupied by coniferous trees, one fifth is deciduous and mixed forests. Coniferous forests consist mainly of pine and spruce, while deciduous forests consist mainly of beech and oak. Based on significant timber reserves, the country has developed a wood processing industry, as well as large pulp and paper production. The forests of the Czech Republic are rich in animals, game, mushrooms and berries.

The forest is not the only natural wealth of the Czech Republic. Among natural resources, fuel resources and, above all, hard and brown coals are of greatest importance for the national economy. Total reserves of hard coal are estimated at 13 billion tons. The main and largest production area is the Ostrava-Karvina basin. There are also coal deposits near the cities of Kladno, Pilsen and Brno. The Ostrava-Karvina basin is sharply superior to the rest in terms of coal quality: coking coals account for about 70% of the reserves there, and there is little sulfur in them, which is very important for the quality of metallurgical coke.

Brown coal reserves are also quite large. The largest brown coal basin in the country is the North Bohemian, which accounts for about two-thirds of the total reserves. The Czech Republic is dominated by deposits with a high spatial concentration of reserves, most of which can be developed using cheaper open-pit methods.

The resources of metal ores are insignificant, and the best deposits are significantly depleted. Low-grade phosphorous iron ores with a metal content of less than 30% predominate.

The largest deposits of non-ferrous and rare metals are in the Ore Mountains. The Czech Republic is very rich in non-metallic minerals: magnesite, graphite and especially kaolin, which occur in the area of ​​Karlovy Vary and Pilsen.

The country abounds in mineral water springs with remarkable healing properties, in the areas of which world-famous resorts arose: Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne, Frantiskovy Lazne.

The largest rivers in the Czech Republic are the Vltava and Laba, which carry their waters to the North Sea. The position of the Czech Republic on the main European watershed of the northern and southern seas and the shallow depth of the country's territory determined the short length of the Czech rivers and the insufficient amount of water in them. The economic importance of Czech rivers is sharply declining due to the fact that their already small water flows are subject to very strong annual and seasonal fluctuations, which leads to the emergence of an acute problem of water supply in several areas of the country in the fall. This is why regulating river flows is so important, not only for water supply needs, but also for shipping and electricity production.

The Czech Republic is famous for its artificial fish ponds, many of which were created back in the 15th and 16th centuries. In Southern Bohemia alone there are about 5 thousand ponds, the area of ​​which is approximately 20 thousand hectares.

The Czech Republic is a country that is literally created for tourism. It is no wonder that income from foreign tourism to the country in 1993 amounted to about 1.3 billion US dollars.

There are not many countries in the world in which, like the Czech Republic, there are picturesque mountains, and charming valleys sandwiched between them, and dense forests, and gurgling mud hills, in small craters of which healing water boils.

Let's stop at some of the world's most famous resorts in the Czech Republic.

Karlovy Vary– a resort famous for the treatment of diseases of the liver, gall bladder and stomach. In 1999, the resort celebrated its 640th anniversary of its founding. But long before 1359, the resort was known and enjoyed wide fame, as evidenced by archaeological finds in the surrounding areas.

Marianske Lazne– along with Karlovy Vary, it is the second city in the resort triangle of Western Bohemia. Marianske Lazne is the most important resort for the treatment of internal, skin and nervous diseases.

Frantiskovy Lazne– the third city in the resort triangle of Western Bohemia. On the territory of Františkovy Lazne there are 24 healing springs, complementing large deposits of mineralized mud. Of the mineral waters, the Glauber IV spring is especially famous.

Krkonoše in the north and Orlicke Mountains in the east of the country - favorite vacation spots. There is a famous tourism center called "Czech Paradise" and a state nature reserve here. Typical of the “Czech Paradise” are numerous ruins of medieval castles clinging to rock ledges, bizarre labyrinths formed by the weathering of sandstone rocks, overgrown with dense pine forests. In the “Czech Paradise” there is a corner of nature of rare beauty – the Prachov Rocks with wild stone piles of bizarre shapes and outlines. Hiking trails are laid in gaps and on rocky ledges. Rock climbing competitions are often held in these places, as it is difficult to find a more suitable place to practice this sport. The natural diversity and picturesque landscapes create ideal conditions for walks and long hikes in the Krnonose mountains, especially in winter on skis. Here are located such famous centers of mountain tourism as Harrachov, Spindleru Mlýn, Janske Lazne, etc. All these places are distinguished by the fact that they lie at an altitude of 650-700 m in closed basins, well protected from the vagaries of the weather, among forests.

Rough Jesenik– located in northern Moravia. The mountain peaks in this area rise above the forests. The highest of them, Praded, reaches 1492 meters. Visitors to Jesenik most appreciate the dense coniferous forests, which in some places turn into virgin forest, preserved in its original form. Under the influence of these forests, nature created such climatic conditions here that one after another, at a short distance from each other, four resorts were opened: Karlova Studanka, Lázně Jesenik, Dolní Lipová and Velké Losiny.

In addition to medical and mountain resorts in the Czech Republic, karst areas with extensive caves are very famous and popular among tourists. Artificial lighting especially emphasizes the beauty and color of the stalactite and stalagmite decorations of the lakes. In the Czech Republic, the most famous caves are called Moravian red

25 kilometers from Brno there is a vast area of ​​forests. Here, on an area of ​​100 sq. kilometers, over the course of thousands of years, natural underground caves, entire halls and lakes of extraordinary beauty and size were created. The road itself to the Skalni Mlyn hotel - the entrance gate to the caves - is very romantic, since the narrow highway seems to cut between steep, forested rock walls. The highway leads along the Punkva River, which suddenly disappears underground. Where, through what places and underground roads it flows is unknown, but it appears already at the Matsokha failure, 138 meters deep, and from there it again continues its underground journey and again finally flows to the surface. An exemplarily maintained entrance to the caves, convenient paths between stalagmite forests and colored lakes, a walk along the bottom of the sinkhole, entertaining boating on underground lakes, the most remarkable formations of stalactites and stalagmites illuminated by reflectors, creating the impression of lace, waterfalls, trees and figures - everything this gives tourists the opportunity to take a close look at nature’s workshop and realize its boundless richness of shapes and colors.

Of particular interest to tourists is the rich history of the country and places associated with it.

In addition to the huge number of monuments of primitive times, testifying to the aspirations for fine art in ancient times, on the basis of documents from the historical era preserved on the territory of the Czech Republic, it is possible to trace to the smallest detail the development of architecture, sculpture, painting and other types of artistic creativity for an entire millennium. If some cities of the Czech Republic are considered museum cities, then the entire Czech Republic can rightfully be said that its territory represents a kind of huge art exhibition. Despite the fact that in the past the territory of the country was many times subjected to the destructive force of military furies, here, as if on islands of peace and quiet, a true reserve of art has been preserved. The Czech Republic has many well-preserved monuments of architectural art. These are, first of all, rotundas, round church buildings, the development of which culminated in an independent architectural type. Although from the rotunda, which is considered to be the oldest of the Czech buildings of this type, only a small part has survived under the stone slabs of the Prague Cathedral of St. Vita, but other rotundas still stand in different places in the Czech Republic and Moravia. The most artistically remarkable is the rotunda in Znojmo, as it contains paintings from the 12th century. The mural depicts kings from the Přemysli family and the legend about how the plowman Přemysl was called to the princely throne.

One of the characteristic features of the Czech Republic is a large number of castles and palaces, which make up a significant part of the entire wealth of ancient monuments. They can be found at almost every step. After all, in the Czech Republic there is almost not a single hill, not a single rock, on which there would not be a castle or at least its ruins; you can hardly find a village without a large or small castle. Not only are there an unusually large number of them, but the most famous of them also have great historical and artistic significance.

The most famous architectural monuments are:

Church of St. Bartholomew built in the 13th century and the town hall (16th century) in Pilsen;

13th-century Gothic churches in Ust nad Labem;

Church of St. Mary and the Episcopal Palace in Ceske Budejovice;

old town (XIV century) in Hradec Králové;

church (XIII century) and old town (XIV century) in Pardubice;

Cathedral of St. St. Peter and Paul (XV century) and town hall (XVI century) in Brno;

Cathedral of St. Wenceslaus (12th century), archbishop's palace, baroque mansion district in Olomouc;

the old town of the 13th century, Charles Bridge with figures of saints, Hradcany Castle, St. Witta in Prague.

Population of the Czech Republic

The population of the Czech Republic is 10.3 million people. Of these, Czechs - 94.4%, Slovaks - 3.8%, Poles - 0.7%, Germans - 0.5% and other nationalities - 0.6%.

The majority of the country's population is Catholic. There are also many other Christian communities of other faiths, the largest of which is the Hussite Church.

In the 70s, the country had a demographic problem. The age structure of the population was less favorable than in neighboring states. The country lacked workers. Therefore, the state government has implemented a number of major measures to stimulate the birth rate, which have yielded positive results. In terms of population density, the Czech Republic ranks one of the first among the former European socialist countries - about 130 people per 1 sq. kilometer. But the national average hides even more striking contrasts if we take industrial areas (500 or more people per 1 sq. km) and sparsely populated mountainous areas (less than 20 people per 1 sq. km).

The urban population of the Czech Republic accounts for more than 65% of its total. The largest cities in terms of the number of residents living in them are: Prague - 1.2 million inhabitants, Brno - 390 thousand people; Ostrava - 330 thousand people; Pilsen - 175 thousand people; Usti nad Labem - 106 thousand people; Olomouc - 106 thousand people; Liberec - 104 thousand people. Mostly cities with a population of 20-50 thousand people predominate. Small sizes are also characteristic of rural settlements in the Czech Republic, where villages with 150-250 inhabitants are still typical.

Culture of the peoples of the Czech Republic

The peoples of the Czech Republic have created over the centuries a rich and unique national culture. This is ancient architecture and modern architecture, traditional creativity of folk craftsmen, folklore, folk dances, customs, and norms of behavior. This is also the culture of everyday life, and above all material culture - the layout of rural dwellings and entire settlements, folk costume and food.

The uniqueness of individual regions is so significant that, taking into account linguistic features - dialects, experts rightfully define them as different ethnographic areas. In the Czech Republic, such areas are Chodsko, located on the southwestern border of the country with the center in Domazlice, Blata - in Southern Bohemia, near the city of Sobeslav, Horacko - in Moravia, Hanacko with the center in Olomouc, Valassko, occupying the territory from Gottwald and Kijov to the border with Slovakia.

Interesting examples of Czech folk architecture can be seen in Southern Bohemia, in Blaty, where a stone house with richly decorated pediments was especially common, in Chodsko, where a typical peasant house with a wooden frame is often found to this day, and finally, in northeastern Bohemia, in the region Turnov and Novaya Paki, where houses with very beautiful roof ridge decoration are still preserved.

The territory of the Bohemian-Moravian Upland was characterized by a large peasant manor, closed on all sides, with a gate for entry from the facade. Now the most typical of them are taken under state protection, some have been transported to museums of folk architecture.

The Wallachian and Silesian Beskydy regions of Moravia are characterized by wooden houses, which are very different from the spacious rural houses of Hanacka with a canopy over the entrance and from the houses in South Moravia, standing sideways to the street, whitewashed and painted with colored plinths. In the Stražnice area, such houses are often painted with bright patterns around windows and doors; This tradition still exists today.

The interior decoration of Czech living quarters remained unchanged for many years. And nowadays, in some places, traditional furniture is preserved: a table, benches with carved backs, a bed with many pillows.

The artistic talent of the Czech people also manifested itself in such an area of ​​culture as national costume. In the past, several dozen different national costumes could be counted throughout the country. Based on the suit, one could unmistakably determine a person’s place of residence. The richness of national clothing is manifested in the endless variety of designs of its decorations: embroidered, woven, wicker, etc. It is impossible to describe all the variants of folk clothing - they are very diverse. For example, in the relatively small space occupied by Moravian Mlovacko, there were 28 types of folk clothing. National costumes were widely worn in the Czech Republic until the middle of the last century. Currently, the Czech national costume has been preserved only by two local groups - the Chods and the Moravian Slovaks.

On holidays, Khod women wear a white jacket with wide puffed sleeves, a red pleated skirt, a striped woven apron and a bright bodice. A large black scarf with red flowers is thrown over the head, tied with a characteristic knot at the back of the head. If we talk about Moravian Slovakia, then an interesting national costume is worn in Podluzhi - this is the name of its southern outskirts, lying on the border with Austria between the Morava and Dyje rivers . Podluzhsky women's festive national costume is worn on a simple white linen shirt. Over it they put on a jacket with wide sleeves, pulled together under the elbows. An overskirt of silk or wool is worn over several short, tightly starched petticoats. A sleeveless vest is put on the jacket, and a “collar” is fastened to it. Wide multi-colored ribbons hang freely from the belt and neck. The girls wear boots with accordion tops made of thin leather on their feet. The head is decorated with “horns” or “kokesh”. Folk art is closely related to ancient customs and rituals. Czechs, both urban and rural, still celebrate some traditional religious holidays. The biggest traditional family holiday is Christmas. Nowadays, Christmas has become a public holiday that lasts for several days.

The Czech Republic has a developed network of educational institutions: 4 thousand primary and secondary schools, where about 1.2 million schoolchildren study, 670 secondary specialized educational institutions and 23 universities. Since 1991, there have been 250 private schools operating in the country.

General characteristics of the national economy of the Czech Republic

Modern Czech Republic is a relatively small, highly developed industrial country, economically diverse, with a complex economic geography. The Czech Republic has always been famous not only for the volume of industrial products, but also for their high quality.

The main branches of Czech industry are fuel and energy, mechanical engineering, chemical, textile, food, glass and porcelain. The Czech Republic has well-established agricultural production. With a small land area, the Czech Republic fully satisfies its domestic food needs. In addition, a significant part of agricultural products is exported.

The leading sector of the Czech economy is industry. During the years of socialism, a radical reconstruction of old industrial areas was carried out in the country and a number of previously absent new industries were created. The construction of a large number of new enterprises, combined with the reconstruction of existing ones, has led to a significant increase in the cooperation of industrial enterprises not only within traditional economic regions, but also on a national scale. This is how the Ostrava-Karvina region, the machine-building agglomerations of Prague, Brno, Pilsen, and the electrical power and chemical complex of Northern Bohemia emerged.

The Czech national economy has a good energy base. It is based on thermal power plants, which account for up to 90% of all generated electricity. At the same time, the amount of coal reserves in the country is sharply decreasing, the Czech Republic attaches great importance to the development of nuclear energy. In previous years, with the assistance of the Soviet Union, several nuclear power plants were built in the country in Southern Bohemia and Southern Moravia. In addition, hydroelectric power plants, which are built mainly on the country’s mountain rivers and in areas where there are no coal deposits, also make a large contribution to the energy fund.

Such an important industry as mechanical engineering is developing at a special pace in the country. The Czech Republic produces universal computer-controlled machines, electric locomotives, trolleybuses and trams, cars, etc.

The Skoda car manufacturing company, whose headquarters is located in Mladá Boleslav, has become especially famous in the world.

The Skoda company was founded in 1925 on the basis of the famous Czech company Laurin and Clement. In the mid-90s, the Skoda company became part of the German concern Volkswagen and from that moment the company began active activities in Europe. Currently, 30% of the company's shares belong to the Czech government and 70% of the shares to the German concern Volkswagen, and negotiations are underway on the acquisition of the Czech government's share by the concern.

The company produces a number of models of modern cars (Scoda Oktavia, Scoda Felicia, Scoda Fabia) that meet international standards and are very popular in many European countries, including Russia.

The chemical industry developed rapidly in the Czech Republic.

The development of this industry was complicated by the insufficiency or absence of many types of raw materials, a known tension in the energy balance. Overcoming these difficulties is greatly facilitated by close economic cooperation with other countries, in particular with the Russian Federation, which supplies the Czech Republic with the necessary quantities of oil, natural gas and other types of raw materials. The main centers of the chemical industry in the Czech Republic are concentrated in Central and Northern Bohemia.

The Czech light industry has a traditionally high level of development - textile, glass and shoe production.

Currently, the Czech textile industry produces a wide range of fabrics based on natural fibers (wool, linen, cotton), artificial fibers (viscose silk, polyamide and polyester fibers), as well as so-called mixed fabrics made from a combination of synthetic and natural fibers.

The Czech glass, ceramic and porcelain industries have long gained worldwide fame. Glass production is concentrated mainly in the cities of Jablonec na Nisa, Nowy Bor, Poděbrady, and Karlovy Vary. The centers of the ceramic and porcelain industry are located in South Moravia and Western Bohemia. The so-called “Czech” glass produced at the Bohemia glass factory in the city of Poděbrady has gained particular worldwide fame. This is a large enterprise specializing exclusively in the production of hand-cut lead crystal.

Brewing has been developed in the country for a long time. Among the variety of beers that are brewed in breweries in the Czech Republic, Pilsen beer "Prazdroj" has enjoyed a high reputation since the Middle Ages. Many countries tried to produce their own “Pilsner beer”, but it was not possible. Only a combination of high-quality hops, barley malt and special water from artesian wells makes it possible to brew real “Prazdroy”.

Beer has been a favorite folk drink among the Czechs for a long time, and it was produced in strict accordance with strictly established rules, the observance of which was monitored by city councilors. The quality of beer was checked in a rather unique way. Beer was poured onto the polished oak bench. The brewer sat on the spilled beer in his “trademark” leather pants and sat until the beer dried. Then he stood up, and if the bench rose with him, it was recognized that the beer was of good quality.

The modern economy of the country places increasing demands on transport.

The basis of the transport system of the Czech Republic is made up of railways, providing mass transportation of goods over long distances. The Czech railway network is one of the densest in the world. Currently, most railway lines are electrified and have second tracks. Road transport also plays an important role in cargo transportation, accounting for about a quarter of total cargo turnover. The country is covered by a dense network of highways and the construction of new highways continues.

A number of pipelines pass through the country, through which natural gas and oil from Russia are supplied to the Czech Republic and further to Western European countries.

Air transport plays a significant role in domestic and international passenger transportation.

Since 1990, radical changes have been carried out in the Czech Republic in order to achieve the parameters of a market economy. Particular emphasis is placed on the denationalization of property and the formation of a competitive environment. The “small” privatization has almost been completed, during which the vast majority of trade and service enterprises were sold at auctions. In 1996, the private sector in the Czech Republic accounted for about 15% of commercial industrial production, 44% of the volume of construction work, and 55% of retail turnover.

At the same time, the country experienced an economic recession in the early 90s, despite foreign investment in the Czech economy, which in 1992 amounted to about 1 billion US dollars. So in 1992, the reduction in industrial production was 16% and in agriculture 11.5%. Currently, there is a period of stabilization of the country's economy.

Foreign economic relations of the Czech Republic

Foreign economic relations are of particular importance for the Czech Republic, as a relatively small state with a diverse and at the same time specialized economy that requires the import of many types of raw materials. Maintaining sustainable rates of economic growth, implementing progressive structural changes, and increasing the efficiency of the national economy largely depend on the successful development of foreign economic relations. The development of economic cooperation between the Czech Republic and neighboring countries is favored by the fact that, in terms of their sectoral structure, the economies of the Czech Republic and each of these countries complement each other to a certain extent; their geographic proximity and the presence of main railways and highways connecting them are also important. The benefit of economic cooperation with these countries is also determined by the fact that the majority of enterprises in key sectors of heavy industry are concentrated near their borders, therefore the distances between suppliers and consumers are small and sometimes measured only a few tens of kilometers, which significantly reduces transport costs. Thus, the peculiarities of the sectoral and territorial structure of the national economy, combined with close proximity, create great opportunities for cooperation in a wide variety of areas of economic life.

During the years of the existence of the socialist camp, the main mutually beneficial economic ties of the Czech Republic developed with the socialist countries, which made it possible to solve the problem of creating the necessary prerequisites for the stable and uninterrupted development of the national economy. The diverse connections of the Czech Republic with socialist countries through the specialization of production cooperation in leading industries, the presence of a guaranteed sales market contributed to the organization of large-scale production, strengthening the position of the Czech Republic in the system of the international socialist division of labor as the most important manufacturer and exporter of machinery and equipment.

The wide range of exports of mechanical engineering products was dominated by complete equipment - rolling mills for ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy power equipment, equipment for sugar factories and breweries. Metal-cutting machines, trucks and cars, tractors and electric locomotives are also exported.

The imports of the Czech Republic are dominated by fuel and raw materials, mainly from the oil and gas complex. Crude oil and natural gas come to the Czech Republic mainly from the Russian Federation through pipelines built within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance of the countries of the socialist camp. Machinery and equipment are also imported in large quantities. The import of advanced technology contributes to the accelerated development of the country's industry.

After the collapse of the socialist camp, the Czech government took a new political course and placed its main emphasis on the development of bilateral relations with the countries of Western Europe and on attracting foreign investment into the country into the Czech economy (mainly Germany, France and Italy). Many Czech enterprises were sold to foreign corporations, which allowed the Czech economy to be more closely integrated into the general economy of Western Europe. In 1993, exports amounted to 12.6 billion US dollars, imports - 12.4 billion dollars.

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. The residences of the President, the Government and the National Assembly are located here, and the largest cultural and scientific institutions are concentrated. Prague is extremely beautiful and attractive at any time of the year. It owes its beauty to both nature and the creative genius of man.

On the ancient coat of arms of Prague it is written: “Prague is the mother of places,” which means “Prague is the mother of cities.” It has existed for over a thousand years. The entire history of the Czech people is connected with this city, and each era has left its mark on the appearance of present-day Prague. Prague is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is picturesquely located on both banks of the river. Vltava, it has many beautiful architectural monuments and greenery. Prague, as the architects say, has a unique silhouette, which is created by numerous pointed towers, cathedral domes and the Paris Kremlin - the Castle - dominating the city. The Czech people love their capital and are proud of it. It is not for nothing that in songs and ancient legends it is called “Golden Prague”, i.e. “Golden Prague”.

Prague is best seen from Petrin Hill, which can be reached by cable car. On the hill stands the openwork steel tower of the television center. From here, the entire city is visible from a bird's eye view.

On the hilly left bank of the Vltava River, numerous monumental buildings of Prague Castle rise. Among them are the former royal palace and the famous Gothic Cathedral of St. Witta. By the way, this cathedral took almost 600 years to build and was completely completed only in 1928. The Vladislavsky Hall of the palace, built in the 15th century, is so large that in ancient times equestrian knightly tournaments were held there. At the foot of Hradcany Hill lies the ancient region of Mala Strana. Government offices and museums are concentrated here. The terraces on the hillsides are occupied by gardens. The oldest of Prague's bridges leads from Mala Strana to the Stare Mesto area - the famous Charles Bridge, decorated with sculptural figures and towers at the entrances. The bridge was built in the 14th century. In the center of Stare Mesto is the Old Town Square - a witness to many events in Czech history. From the south, Stare Mesto is adjacent to Nove Mesto. This is also an old area, but in the present it has been greatly rebuilt.

Prague is not only a museum city, not only the administrative and cultural center of the country, but also the largest industrial city in Czechoslovakia. The industry of Prague, as well as the whole of Czechoslovakia, is characterized by a large assortment and high quality of products. Prague produces machine tools (including program-controlled ones), machine tools, motorcycles, cars, locomotives, chemical products, fabrics, refrigerators, etc. The production and development of medical equipment is very well developed (including the production of “artificial heart” ”, used in heart surgery).

Prague is the country's largest transport hub. More than 10 railway and more than 40 bus lines converge here. Prague is a river port on the river. Vltava and, finally, a large airport. This city is connected by direct air lines to all major countries of the world.

Literature

Countries of the world. Brief political and economic reference book. 1996

Czechoslovakia. B.P.Zernov, O.E.Lushnikov. Moscow, "Thought", 1982

Through the most beautiful places in Czechoslovakia. L. Motka . Praha, Sportovni a turisticke nakladatelstvi, 1962 G.

Czechoslovakia: the path to socialism. P.Raposh. Moscow, "Progress", 1988

Prague (travel guide). Ts. Rybar. Moscow, "Planet", 1989

Universal encyclopedia. Cyril and Methodius. http://mega.km.ru

The majority of the population of the Czech Republic (95%) is made up of ethnic Czechs and speakers of the Czech language, which belongs to the group of West Slavic languages. Foreigners make up about 5% of the country's population. Among immigrants, the largest diaspora in the Czech Republic are Ukrainians, about 105,000. In second place are Slovaks (about 100,000), many of whom remained in the Czech Republic after the division in 1993 and make up approximately 2% of the population. In third are citizens of Vietnam (about 66,000). They are followed by citizens of Russia (about 35,000) and Poland (about 20,000). Other ethnic groups include Germans, Roma, Hungarians and Jews.

By language, the Czechs belong to the West Slavic peoples. The early works of Czech writing of the 13th-14th centuries were based on the language of central Bohemia. But as the influence of the Catholic Church, German feudal lords and the patriciate of cities increased in the country, it began to be oppressed in favor of the German and Latin languages. But during the Hussite wars, literacy and the literary Czech language became widespread among the masses. Then came the two-century decline of Czech culture under the rule of the Habsburgs, who pursued a policy of Germanization of the subject Slavic peoples (by the middle of the 19th century, 15% of the population spoke Czech; the possibility of taking one of the Slavic languages, in particular the Russian literary language, was considered as a literary language). The Czech language began to revive only at the end of the 18th century; its basis was the literary language of the 16th century, which explains the presence of many archaisms in the modern Czech language, in contrast to the living spoken language. The spoken language is divided into several groups of dialects: Czech, Middle Moravian and East Moravian.

The Czech Republic is one of the most densely populated countries. The average population density is 130 people. per 1 sq. km. The distribution of the population on the territory of the republic is relatively even. The most densely populated areas are the areas of large urban agglomerations - Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen (up to 250 people per 1 sq. km). The areas of Cesky Krumlov and Prachatice have the lowest population density (about 37 people per 1 sq. km). Currently, there are about 6,260 settlements in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is a highly urbanized country: about 71% of the population lives in cities and towns, while more than 50% live in cities with a population of over 20 thousand inhabitants; the share of the rural population continues to decline. The only metropolis in the Czech Republic is Prague, which is home to about 1,300 thousand residents (the population of Prague has been slowly decreasing since 1985).

The total population of the Czech Republic, having reached a post-war maximum in 1991 - 10,302 thousand people - subsequently slowly decreased until 2003, when it amounted to just over 10,200 thousand people, but since then there has been an increase to 10,500 thousand people. - mainly due to an increase in the flow of migrants (primarily from Ukraine, Slovakia, Vietnam, Russia, Poland and the countries of the former Yugoslavia). Natural population growth was negative in the period 1994-2005, but since 2006 there has been some positive growth due to an increase in the birth rate and a decrease in mortality. In recent years, the Czech Republic has become one of the countries with the lowest level of infant mortality (less than 4 people per 1000 births). Since 1990, the Czech Republic has seen a constant decrease in the number of abortions and cases of induced termination of pregnancy.

The majority of the population - 71.2% - is of productive age (from 15 to 65 years), 14.4% of Czech citizens are under 15 years of age, and 14.5% are over 65 years of age. At the productive age, the number of men slightly exceeds the number of women, but in the post-productive age women significantly predominate (there is one man for every two women). The average age of the Czech population is 39.3 years (women - 41.1 years, men - 37.5 years). Average life expectancy is about 76 years for men and 82 years for women.

Most of the adult population is married, although the proportion of unmarried people is relatively high: one in five men and one in eight women are unmarried. Currently, men get married at 28 years old, women - at 26 years old, which is approaching the European trend (for comparison: in 1993 these figures were 23 and 19 years old, respectively). The first child appears in a family most often 6 months after the wedding. Czech families are characterized by a high divorce rate. Currently, almost every second marriage ends in divorce, resulting in almost 80% of all children under the age of 15 living in single-parent families. The average family size has decreased over the past 30 years from 3.5 to 2.2 people.

The economically active population makes up 51.5% of the total. A specific feature of the Czech Republic among other countries is the high level of employment of women, who make up about 48% of the total economically active population. Most women work in the service sectors, healthcare, education, trade and public catering. Most women work out of economic necessity in order to maintain the family's standard of living. The unemployment rate is about 7%, which is higher than in 1990-1997. (3-5%), but noticeably less than in 1999-2004. (up to 10.5%).

A significant part of Czechs live outside the Czech Republic - in Austria, Germany, the USA, Canada, Australia and other countries. This is the result of economic migration in search of work, which took on noticeable proportions at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, and political emigration after the political coup of 1948 and the occupation of 1968.

Illiteracy in the Czech Republic is practically non-existent (occasionally found among older Roma people). A high level of literacy was typical for Czechs even during the First Republic (1918-1938): at that time, about 95% of all residents had a basic education. In recent years, the level of education has increased significantly. Every third economically active resident of the Czech Republic has completed secondary education (corresponding to the level of 12-13 years of education), and every tenth citizen of the Czech Republic has or is receiving higher education. The typical worker has at least intermediate vocational training. The high qualifications of Czech workers is one of the main advantages of the Czech economy. So far, the country lags behind the most developed European countries in terms of the share of the population with completed secondary and higher education.

Believers: Catholics - 27%, Czech Evangelical Brothers - 1%, Czech Hussites - 1%, other religions (Christian minority churches and sects, Orthodox, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) - about 3%. The majority of the population considers themselves atheists (59%), and almost 9% find it difficult to answer the question about their religion.

Foreigners who legally reside in the Czech Republic:

Armenia– about 2000 people.
Azerbaijan– about 450 people.
Belarus– about 4100 people.
Georgia– about 750 people.
Kazakhstan- about 3800 people.
Kyrgyzstan– about 600 people.
Moldova- about 11,000 people.
Russia– about 35,000 people.
Ukraine– about 105,000 people.
Uzbekistan– about 2000 people.

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The Czech Republic is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. According to the latest statistics, the number of people living in the Czech Republic is 10 million. Every tenth resident of the country is a resident of the capital. In Prague, official statistics currently count 1 million people. As in Europe as a whole, the majority of the population in the Czech Republic is urbanized.

Every year the population of the Czech Republic is growing rapidly, as evidenced by inexorable statistics. Natural population growth is growing, mortality is falling. In addition, the influx of emigrants makes a significant contribution to population growth. Many people flock to the Czech Republic because of the high standard of living in the country. These are not only socially vulnerable citizens of other countries, but also valuable professionals. At the moment, the largest influx of emigrants has been recorded from Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam and even the USA.

Nationalities of the Czech Republic

The majority of the population of the Czech Republic is made up of ethnic Czechs - about 95%. Accordingly, they are also the main speakers of the Czech language. In addition, Slovaks, Germans and Hungarians, Gypsies and Poles settled in the Czech Republic. The ethnic culture of individual nationalities is still traditionally preserved and does not assimilate with the main Czech one. The Czech Republic is a fairly tolerant country. Each nationality has its own national clothes, some details of which are very similar, but you can always distinguish them by national embroidery.

Among the emigrants, the largest number are citizens of Ukraine - more than 100 thousand. Citizens of Slovakia - 70 thousand, Vietnam - 50 thousand, Russia - 23 thousand, Poland - 20 thousand. Germans and Hungarians historically settled in the Czech Republic due to long colonial wars. In 1993, the diaspora of Slovaks in the country decreased, who, for political reasons, refused to remain in the Czech Republic. The Slovak diaspora decreased by 2%.

The population density in the Czech Republic is about 130 people per square kilometer, which makes the country, as we mentioned above, quite densely populated. At the same time, settlements are evenly distributed throughout the country. The Czech Republic is highly urbanized: most of the population is concentrated in cities - about 65%. In the areas of Prague, Brno, Olomouc, the population density reaches 250 people per square kilometer. At the same time, there is only one million-plus city in the Czech Republic - Prague.

Average life expectancy of Czechs: 72.9 years for men, 79.7 for women. Every fifth man and every eighth woman are single. This is explained by the high standard of living in the country, in which 48% of the fairer sex have the opportunity to build a career and remain economically active.

The Czech Republic is not the most religious country, despite its strong traditions of Catholicism. The explanation for this lies in the oppression of religious movements during the communist past. Almost 60% of the country's residents currently consider themselves atheists, which makes the Czech Republic the most atheistic country in Western Europe. There are about 27% of Catholic believers in the country, the remaining 3% are evangelists and Czech Hussites.

Languages ​​of the peoples of the Czech Republic

About 95% of the Czech Republic's population are native ethnic Czechs. They speak traditional Czech and quite strictly preserve the culture of the language and knowledge of their historical past. In fact, almost the entire country speaks Czech. There are three most common dialects - Czech, Central Moravian, East Moravian. The traditional Czech language steadfastly survived the colonial period of Germanization and military decline. In the 18th century, literary Czech was practically revived from its ashes, but they did it, to their credit, quite successfully: soon Czech began to enter the lives of peasants and became a simple colloquial dialect. Today the national language is heard in all corners of the country and is the main language used in everyday life. The older generation is also well acquainted with German, and the younger generation is fluent in English.

Characteristics of local residents

The population of the Czech Republic is very calm and polite. He has an excellent sense of humor and does not get into conflicts. The Czechs are a fairly educated nation, with many intellectually developed representatives. True, some consider the Czechs to be quite conservative.

If a local resident has invited you home, then it is considered good manners to bring flowers to the lady and take off your shoes when entering a residential area. The people here are sociable and friendly, hospitable - you will never be left without attention and can safely ask for help. By the way, Czechs understand Russian perfectly, and the level of English proficiency among young people is quite high - they will understand you in any critical situation.

The locals dress quite simply: sweater, jeans, sneakers. Moreover, both young people and the older generation dress this way. It is not customary here to advertise your income level. On the streets you will immediately notice that famous high level of European culture: there are no drunk people anywhere, no smoking in public places. Public holidays with cultural events on city streets and squares are no exception.