Angličtina - The Czech republic

• population: 10 mil.
  
• area: 78,866 sq km
  
• capital: Prague
  
• other cities: Brno, Ostrava, Hradec Králové, Plzeň, Zlín
  
• three main parts: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia
  
• official language: Czech
  
• member of EU, NATO

Geography, climate

• location: inland country in central Europe bordered by Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria, it's surounded by mountains along borders
• highest point: Sněžka 1603 m
• mountain ranges:
• the Giant mountains
• the Bohemian forest in Bohemia
• the Jeseníky mountains                  
• the Beskydy mountains in Moravia 
• the Ore mountains
• largest river is the Elbe which flows through Germany and empties into the North Sea
• other: Vltava with numerous dams (Lipno, Slapy), Morava river which empties into the Danube and finaly into the Black Sea
• humid continental climate with cold winters and warm summers
• natural resources of coal (Ostrava), lignite (Chomutov, Most, Teplice)

Government

• parliamentary democracy
• bicameral legislature
• Chamber of Deputies (lower house, 200)
• Senate (upper house, 81)
• head of government: Prime Minister Miroslav Topolánek
• president: Václav Klaus
• main parties: ODS, ČSSD

Economy

• the CR is both industrial and agricultural country
• we grow weat,  potatoes, sugar beet, rye
• we produce wood, paper, chemicals, steel, glass, machines (motor cars, trams, buses etc), guns

History

• in the 4th century BC Celtic tribes settled in area of today's ČR and named it "Bohemia"
• in the 7th century Frankish merchant Samo became the ruler of the new Slavic state called Great Moravia
• by the end of 9th century Czech state was unified by the Přemyslids
• during Middle Ages it was part of the Holy Roman Empire (Charel IV., a Czech king became the Holy Roman Emperor (1355)
• in the 16th century country came under the Habsburg reign
• country was devastated during Hussite Wars and after the Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
• Germanisation
• Czech National Revival - cultural movement in 18th and 19th centuries
• Czechoslovakia (1918) after collapse of Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of WW I.
• during WW II. Czech state was occupied by the Germans (Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), Slovakia broke away
• 1948-1989 - communist era with influence of Soviet Union
• in 1989 freedom after the Velvet Revolution
• in 2003 Czech republic was founded
• 2004 - Czech republic joined the EU

Famous Czech people

• Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (first president of Czechoslovakia)
• Václav Havel (first spokesmen for Charter 77, leading figure of the Velvet Revolution, first Czech president)
• Emil Zátopek (famous runner, three gold medals at the summer Olympics in Helsinki)
• Jaromír Jágr, Dominik Hašek - hockey players
• Jan Železný, Roman Šebrle - athletics
• Matina Návratilová - tennis
• Karel Čapek - R.U.R. - robot
• Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana - composers

Nobel prize winners:

• Jaroslav Heyrovský (chemistry - invention of the polarographic method
• Jaroslav Seifet (literature)

Symbols

• flag
  • The Czech flag was first adopted in 1918 as the flag of Czechoslovakia
    
  • consist of a horizontal white band above a red band (traditional colours of Bohemia and Moravia) and a blue triangle on the left side (originally represented Slovakia but it was kept even after the split of Czechoslovakia)
• anthem
  • Where is My Home?
    
  • written by the composer František Škroup and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl as a part of the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka
• the national colors
  • The Bohemian national colors are regarded as being white and red. The colors of Moravia are gold and red and the national colors of Silesia are gold and black.
• the large and small national emblem
  • originally, the emblem used by Czech kings was a silver single-tailed lion on a red background, later on double-tailed
    
  • the large national emblem
    • individual fields symbolize the historical lands - Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia
      
    • two lions (Bohemia) and two eagles (for Moravia and Silesia)  in the national colors
• the flag of the president of the republic

Prague

• biggest and oldest city in the CR, also a capital city
• seat of president, governent, parliament
• more than 1.2 mil. people
• best views of Prague are from Petřín hill where is also an observation tower and a cableway
• the Old town is from 13th century, first settled in 5th century

Czech cuisine

• pickled sausage with onions
• pickled cheese with peppers
• svíčková
• pieces of tenderloin covered in sweet creamy sauce
• served with dumplings, slice of lemon and cranberry sauce
• goulash
• beef and onions cooked with spices and served with dumplings
• roasted pork - national dish
• served with sauerkraut and dumplings
• řízek
• slice of pork or chicken meat breaded and fried
• served usually with potatoes
• beer
• cheaper than mineral water in restaurants

Czech attractions

• many castles (Karlštejn)
• and chateaus (Hluboká)
• spa towns in the west (Karlovy vary, Mariánské lázně)