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Central Europe, southeast of Germany. Landlocked.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "he Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Maintaining an open investment climate has been a key element of the Czech Republic's transition from a communist, centrally planned economy to a functioning market economy. As a member of the European Union, with an advantageous location in the center of Europe, a relatively low cost structure, and a well-qualified labor force, the Czech Republic is an attractive destination for foreign investment."
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $26,100
2007 $25,200
2006 $23,700
GDP annual growth rate:
2008: 3.9%
2007: 6%
2006: 6.8%
Unemployment estimated for 2008: 6%
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 1.46 (2007)
Deaths: 10.69. Births: 8.89.
Estimate for July 2008: 10.22 million. Growth rate estimated for 2008: minus 0.082 percent per year.
Native home to Petra Nemcova, tsunami survivor and the greatest of supermodels -- at least formerly. When she is not rail thin she has the more beauty that the late and great Ingrid Bergman, and Bergman's charm and diction -- different from the impression one gathers from her pouting and narrowness of face in swimsuit photos.
More arriving than leaving, a net gain of 0.97 persons per 1,000 population.
Infant mortality for 2008: 3.83, down from 3.93 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 76.62, up from 76.02 in 2005.
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: less than 0.1 percent (2001).
Atheist 39.8 percent, Roman Catholic 39.2 percent, Protestant 4.6 percent, Other 13.4 percent.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.