The Czech Republic (Česká republika)

The Czech Republic Location and neighbouring countries The area and population Three parts of our country Landscape (mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, ponds) Sights, monuments, historical places

The Czech Republic Holiday resorts, spas, national parks Famous personalities Czech products Capital and big cities Important cities 3

The Czech Republic – location, area, population The Czech Republic is the state in the centre of Europe. Area is about 79 thousand square kilometres. Population is about 10 million people.

The Czech Republic – basic facts Curency: Czech crown - czech symbol "Kc", international symbol "CZK„ Flag: Two horizontal white (top) and red (bottom) bands with blue triangel. Anthem: „Where is my home?“

The Czech Republic – division Our country consists of three parts: Bohemia Moravia Silesia

The Czech Republic - neighbouring countries Neighbours of the Czech Republic are: Poland in the north Slovakia in the east Austria in the south Germany in the west

• the parliament • the senate The Czech Republic - system of government, head of our state, political bodies The Czech Republic is a democratic republic. The head of state is the president (Miloš Zeman). Political bodies of the Czech Republic are: •the government • the parliament • the senate

The Czech Republic – mountains, peaks The highest mountains are the Giant Mountains (the highest peak is Sněžka/Snowdon, it is 1 602 m high). Next mountains are Krušné Mountains, Šumava, Vysočina, Beskydy, Jeseníky. A lot of protected areas and four national parks can be found in our mountains.

The Czech Republic – rivers Our longest river is the river Vltava – it is 430 km long, there are some dams on this river, for example Orlík or Slapy. Our biggest river is the Elbe flowing from the Giant Mountains to the North Sea.

The Czech Republic – lakes and ponds The biggest and the most beautiful lake is Lake Mácha. In Šumava Mountains we can find Black Lake and Devil's Lake. South Bohemia is famous for its ponds (Rožmberk,Horusický, Bezdrev). Rožmberk is the largest pond in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is visited by many tourists from all over the world. Popular tourist’s destinations are: Castles and chateaus (Karlštejn Castle, Český Krumlov, Lednice-Valdice area) Spa towns (Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně, Poděbrady, Bohdaneč) Places of natural beauty (Bohemian Paradise, Moravian Karst) National Parks (Giant Mountains, Šumava, Podyjí)

National Parks Šumava National Park Krkonoše National Park National Park Podyjí České Švýcarsko National Park

Famous Czech Personalities History: Master Jan Hus, J.A. Komenský, Charles IV Politicians: T.G. Masaryk,Václav Havel Writers: Karel Čapek, Milan Kundera, Franz Kafka Musicians: Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák Sportsmen: Jaromír Jágr, Petr Čech, Dominik Hašek

Famous Czech Products Gingerbread Pilsner Urquell Semtex Cut glass Czech Jewellery Jan Becher liquor Olomouc cheese Baťa shoes Automobiles Škoda

Capital city of Silesia is Opava, famous for Silesian University. Capital cities The capital city of the Czech Republic is Prague, the largest city of the CR. It is one of the most visited towns in Europe, full of historical places and buildings. Capital city of Moravia is Brno, the second largest city of the CR, famous for the Masaryk University and the Masaryk circle (motorcycle races). Capital city of Silesia is Opava, famous for Silesian University.

Other cities Ostrava The third largest city of the CR, steel industry. Plzeň Brewery, automobile industry Pardubice Steeplechase horse-racing, gingerbread, Semtex

Other cities Hradec Králové PETROF pianos, University of HK Kolín, Kopřivnice Automobile industry Kutná Hora Historical town with St. Barbora cathedral