Czechia
| Location: | Central Europe |
|---|---|
| Capital: | Prague |
| Official language: | Czech |
| Government: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Time zone: | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Area: | 78,871 km2 |
| Population: | 10,533,399 (2022) |
| Currency: | Czech koruna (CZK) |
| Exchange rates: | € 1 = approx. 24 CZK; $ 1 = approx. 22 CZK, £ 1 = approx. 27 CZK For current exchange rates see the Czech National Bank |
| International dialling code: | +420 |
Due to its location, Czechia is often called the “country in the heart of Europe”. Almost all European capitals are reachable from Prague in 1-2 hours by plane.
Since its establishment as a self-governing state in 1993 after the break-up of the former Czecho-slovakia, Czechia (also known as the Czech Republic) has become a member of the OECD, the Euro-pean Union, NATO and the Schengen Area.
According to the Global Peace Index, Czechia is in the top 10 (8th position) of the most peaceful and stable countries out of 163 countries in the world.
Czechia has a temperate climate with four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter), with an average temperature of 20-25°C in summer, dropping to 0°C, or even a couple of degrees below, in winter.
Except for the sea, Czechia offers a plethora of natural beauty spots. Surrounded by mountains that create natural borders in the north, west and south, the landscape is dotted with rivers, lakes, forests and fields. The southeastern part of the country, known as Moravia, where the second-largest city in the country (Brno) is located, is famous mainly for its fertile vineyards.
As for its cultural heritage, Czechia is a rich country with a number of historical monuments (castles, monasteries, churches, etc.), several of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The sophisti-cated public transport system, with trains, buses, and even boats, allows safe, fast travel through-out the country.
Czechia is also famous for its culture, including writers such as Milan Kundera, Václav Havel, Karel Čapek, Bohumil Hrabal, composers such as Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů, and film directors such as Miloš Forman. Famous Czech scientists and researchers include Jan Janský, who discovered the four blood groups; Jaroslav Heyrovský, winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry; Jan Wichterle, the inventor of contact lenses; Antonín Holý, the inventor of effective treatments for HIV and hep-atitis B, and many others. The country is also well-known for its tasty cuisine, good beer (with more than 550 different brands), ice hockey and many other things that are just waiting to be discovered.
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