Czech Republic

 

This week we are in Central Europe which is the region lying between the defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. It includes the countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary.

So, this week we will start with the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. 

The country was once known as Czechoslovakia but in November 1989, the Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in the country and restored democracy. On 31 December 1992, Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved, with its constituent states becoming the independent states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

It has a population of around 10.7million, the capital is Prague, and the official language is Czech.

The koruna, or crown, has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro in the future. The official name in Czech is koruna česká.

The Czech National Bank, is the central bank and financial market supervisor in the Czech Republic, headquartered in Prague. It is a member of the European System of Central Banks.

The flag of the Czech Republic is the same as the flag of the former Czechoslovakia. Upon the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in December 1992, the Czech Republic kept the Czechoslovak flag while Slovakia adopted its own flag. The first flag of Czechoslovakia was based on the flag of Bohemia and was white over red. It was created in 1920, shortly after the founding of the first independent Czechoslovak state. The white, red, and blue colors are both symbolic and historic.

The coat of arms of the Czech Republic is divided into two principal variants. Greater coat of arms displays the three historical regions—the Czech lands—which make up the nation. Lesser coat of arms displays lone silver double-tailed lion in red shield. The Czech coat of arms dates back to the 13^th century. It consists of a shield divided into four squares. The top left and bottom right squares are red, with a white, double-tailed crowned lion. The lion is the symbol of Bohemia and signifies power and sovereignty.

Its national bird is I think the female eagle, and its national flower is the rose and the lion is the national animal.

It is considered a relative safe country with violent crime low but petty crime exists as it does in all countries.

Many Czech’s speak English, German and Russian.