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Basic information about the Czech Republic

 The Czech Republic is situated approximately in the geographical center of Europe and has an area of 78,866 sq. km. It is a landlocked country 326 km from the Baltic and 322 km from the Adriatic. It shares borders with Germany (810 km), Poland (762 km), Austria (466



COUNTRY AND PEOPLE

The Czech Republic is situated approximately in the geographical center of Europe and has an area of 78,866 sq. km. It is a landlocked country 326 km from the Baltic and 322 km from the Adriatic. It shares borders with Germany (810 km), Poland (762 km), Austria (466 km) and Slovakia (265 km). The highest point of elevation is the peak of Mt. Snezka (1,602 m above sea level) and the lowest point of elevation is near Hoensko where the River Labe leaves Czech territory (117 m above sea level).


TOPOGRAPHY

The divide between the two principal mountain systems in Europe - the Hercynian and Alpine-Himalayan - runs through Czech territory. The country's topography is therefore quite varied: plains (4.5% of the country), hills (50.1%) highlands (33.9%) and mountains (11,6%). Altitude levels: lowland regions under 200 m above sea level make up 4.95% of the country, regions 200 - 500 m above sea level make up 74.1%, regions 600 - 1,000m above sea level 19.3% and regions over 1,000 m above sea level 1.6%.


CLIMATE

The Czech Republic lies in the temperate climate zone of Europe, which makes for pleasantly mild summers and winters with only moderate amounts of precipitation.
Lowland temperatures in July average 20oC, {Prague 19.5oC} and in mountainous areas 8-11oC.
Lowland temperatures in January average -1 to -2oC, -5 to -7oC in the mountains.


POPULATION

Tthe Czech Republic has a population of about 10,5 million people, approx. 5 million males and 5.3 million females. Three quarters of the population live in urban areas. The population density is 131 inhabitants per sq. km, while the total growth in population in the Czech Republic is 0.8 persons per 1,000 inhabitants.