infrequent earthquakes; acid rain; water pollution; air pollutionNote:
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
:Czechoslovakia People
Population:
15,725,680 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
13 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
11 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
68 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Czechoslovak(s); adjective - Czechoslovak
Ethnic divisions:
Czech 62.9%, Slovak 31.8%, Hungarian 3.8%, Polish 0.5%, German 0.3%,
Ukrainian 0.3%, Russian 0.1%, other 0.3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Orthodox 2%, other 28%
Languages:
Czech and Slovak (official), Hungarian
Literacy:
99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)
Labor force:
8,200,000 (1987); industry 36.9%, agriculture 12.3%, construction,
communications, and other 50.8% (1982)
Organized labor:
Czech and Slovak Confederation of Trade Unions (CSKOS); several new
independent trade unions established
:Czechoslovakia Government
Long-form name:
Czech and Slovak Federal Republic
Type:
federal republic in transition
Capital:
Prague
Administrative divisions:
2 republics (republiky, singular - republika); Czech Republic (Ceska
Republika), Slovak Republic (Slovenska Republika); note - 11 regions (kraj,
singular); Severocesky, Zapadocesky, Jihocesky, Vychodocesky, Praha,
Severomoravsky, Jihomoravsky, Bratislava, Zapadoslovensky, Stredoslovensky,
Vychodoslovensky
Independence:
28 October 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)
Constitution:
11 July 1960; amended in 1968 and 1970; new Czech, Slovak, and federal
constitutions to be drafted in 1992
Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, modified by Communist
legal theory; constitutional court currently being established; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code in process of modification
to bring it in line with Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(CSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
National holiday:
National Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) and Founding of the Republic, 28
October (1918)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly (Federalni Shromazdeni) consists of an upper
house or Chamber of Nations (Snemovna Narodu) and a lower house or Chamber
of the People (Snemovna Lidu)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Vaclav HAVEL; (interim president from 29 December 1989 and
president since 5 July 1990)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Marian CALFA (since 10 December 1989); Deputy Prime Minister
Vaclav KLAUS (since 3 October 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Jiri DIENSTBIER
(since 28 June 1990); Deputy Prime Minister Jozef MIKLOSKO (since 28 June
1990); Deputy Prime Minister Pavel RYCHETSKY (since 28 June 1990); Deputy
Prime Minister Pavel HOFFMAN (since 3 October 1991); note - generally,
"prime minister" is used at the federal level, "premier" at the republic
level; Czech Premier - Petr PITHART; Slovak Premier - Jan CARNOGVRSKY
:Czechoslovakia Government
Political parties and leaders:
note - there are very few federation-wide parties; party affiliation is
indicted as Czech (C) or Slovak (S); Civic Democratic Party, Vaclav KLAUS,
chairman, (C/S); Civic Movement, Jiri DIENSTBIER, chairman, (C); Civic
Democratic Alliance, Jan KALVODA, chairman; Christian Democratic Union
Public Against Violence, Martin PORUBJAK, chairman, (S); Christian
Democratic Party, Vaclav BENDA, (C); Christian
