78,866 square kilometres bordered on the south by Austria, on the north by Poland, on the west by Germany, and on the east by Slovakia northern and western parts of the country have tall mountains with large forests and beautiful nature parks

most of the country consists of the Bohemian Massif, a large basin circled by low mountain ranges that occasionally exceed 3,000 feet above sea level basin – A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land or ocean floor the highest mountains are in the Sudeten Mountains, along the Polish border in the north.

in the southwest is the large Bohemian Forest, a heavily forested, low mountain range the country's main river is the Elbe, which flows into Germany and becomes a major waterway the Oder and Vistula rivers flow north into Poland the Vltava is the longest within the country, flowing 435 kilometers

Czech Republic lies in the temperate climate zone, which is characterized by cool summers and cold, cloudy and humid winters "April is half March and half May." "In April, up to nine kinds of weather can meet in a day." "April weather is more capricious than a woman" April weather in the Czech Republic is unpredictable and can change from sunny to snowy in a matter of minutes

On October 28, 1918, at the end of World War I ( ), the areas that are now the Czech Republic and Slovakia became part of the nation of Czechoslovakia The time between WWI and WWII is now called "the First Republic“ in the mid-1930s, the German inhabitants of the Czech border areas began calling for autonomy

In September 1938, Germany, Britain, France and Italy signed the Munich Pact, giving Hitler the right to invade and claim Czechoslovakia's border areas, despite the fact that France had a treaty with Czechoslovakia promising help in the event of military aggression

many people were unhappy with the government and wanted more freedom In 1989, the country's top Communist leaders left office On March 15, 1939, Czechoslovakia was invaded by Hitler's army Soon after WWII, the Communist Party came into power Under Communist rule, Czechoslovakia's economy did well.

Population: Nearly 95 percent of the population consists of Bohemians (Czechs) Religion: 40% Roman Catholic 40% Atheist / non-religious Sports:Kickball*, Soccer, Hockey, Volleyball, and Tennis **Kickball is an original Czech sport similar to volleyball in which the players kick the ball over a low net** Language: Czech

Foods: Goulash Soup (polévka) Sausage Dumplings Beer (pivo)

Prague Brno Ostrava Pilsen (is one of the most famous beer- brewing centers in the world)

about half of the workers of the Czech Republic hold jobs in service industries stores, hotels, hospitals, banks, and companies that buy and sell land a large group of workers have jobs in factories make products, such as cloth, shoes, and glass

Currency Czech crown (koruna) = 100 hellers * Heller coins have not been in use as of September 1, 2008, but hellers are still incorporated into merchandise prices. The final price is always rounded off to the nearest crown value. Industry The largest single industry is engineering, followed by food production, electronics, chemicals, rubber, asbestos, and iron and steel **during Communist rule the country was a leader in the production of automobiles and diesel locomotives**

Government Type parliamentary, multiparty form of government -head of state is the president - head of government is the prime minister, who governs with a cabinet - parliament consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies

Hluboka Bouzov Lnare Pernstejn Troski

Jemniste Karlstejn Mnichovo Hardiste Nove Hrady