Part 230

Land boundaries: total: 1,881 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country

Elevation extremes: lowest point : Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite

Land use: arable land: 41% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 11% forests and woodland: 34% other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 240 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

Geography - note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe

@Czech Republic:People

Population: 10,298,324 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 930,874; female 886,444) 15-64 years : 69% (male 3,542,900; female 3,539,351) 65 years and over: 13% (male 535,049; female 863,706) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.13% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 8.84 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 11.02 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.86 years male: 70.49 years female: 77.42 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech note: 300,000 Slovaks declared themselves Czech citizens in 1994

Ethnic groups: Czech 94.4%, Slovak 3%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Gypsy 0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 1%

Religions: atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%, Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%

Languages: Czech, Slovak