Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a beautiful and historic central European nation with thirteen regions. Its capital, Prague, is in the northern-central part of the country, about 150 kilometers south of Dresden. The western half of the nation touches southern Germany. It borders Poland to the north-east and Slovakia and Austria to the south. The Czech Republic was former after it split from Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The prime minister of the Czech Republic, Mirek Topolanek, lost a confidence vote on March 24, 2009, and said he would resign. President Klaus accepted the resignation on March 26, 2009.YahooNews: Czech PM Topolanek formally resigns after vote (March 26, 2009) Jan Fischer took office in May 2009 as an interim prime minister until the upcoming election in October 2009.

Czechoslovakia was originally created in 1918 after the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I. Germany occupied the nation starting in 1938 after Adolf Hitler's violation of the Munich Agreement. During a 1948 coup, the Czech Republic became a Communist state and remained as part of the eastern bloc until 1989. The Czech Republic split from Slovakia, on January 1, 1993 to become an independent nation.

The Czech Republic is a representative democracy, with a parliament and prime minister as the head of state. The current prime minister of the Czech Republic is Mirek Topolanek, chairman of the conservative Civic Democratic Party. They were the first former communist nation to allow legal same-sex marriages.

One thing you will appreciate in a visit to the Czech Republic is the vibrant culture that permeates daily life. The arts and music are very much a part of even an ordinary weekday evening, especially in the city of Prague.

Food is also economical for either the budget diner or the gourmet connoisseur.

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  Creative Commons image by "The World Factbook"

• Wikipedia: Geography of the Czech Republic | Protected Areas of the Czech Republic

• WorldAtllas.com: Czech Republic Map and Information

• CIA World Factbook: Czech Republic Geography

• Zamky-hrady: Czech Republic- Manors, Castles, Historical Towns

• GoNOMAD.com: "Czech Republic: Jousting in Cesky Krumlov"

• Cesky Krumlov: Five-Petalled Rose Celebrations 2007 Photogallery

• Helfstyn: Helfstyn: History and architectural development

• myCzechRepublic: Darren Baker's Trapasy

• Brightcove.TV: Uranium mining in the Czech Republic (Time 2:39)

• MySpaceTV.com: Czech Clips

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