Central Europe
Gothic · Beery · Cultured
Czech Republic is a country located in Central Europe. Its capital city is Prague, with other major cities including Brno and Ostrava. With a population of approximately 10.9M, the main language spoken is Czech. The country covers an area of 78,865 km². The official currency is the Czech koruna (Kč). Traffic drives on the right side.
Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other nation — about 188 litres per person per year.
Prague serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Czech Republic, positioned in Central Europe. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Prague survived World War II with its medieval core intact — a concentrated density of Gothic, Baroque, and Art Nouveau architecture centred on the Charles Bridge that makes it perhaps Europe's best-preserved historical city centre, a fact that draws 8 million visitors annually to a city of 1.3 million.
With a population of approximately 10.9M, Czech Republic is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Czech, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Czech Republic is reached via the dialling code +420. Czechs blend central European pragmatism with a tradition of literary irony that runs from Kafka through Hašek's Good Soldier Švejk to Havel — a philosophical orientation that made the Velvet Revolution of 1989 uniquely appropriate as a method of overthrowing communist rule: bloodless, creative, and quietly relentless.
Czech Republic spans 78,865 km², in the Central Europe subregion of Europe. Geographically centred around 49.8°N, 15.5°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Europe convention.
The official currency is the Czech koruna (Kč), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Czech Republic's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
The emblematic dish of Czech Republic is Svíčková. Svíčková na smetaně — beef sirloin in a cream sauce with bread dumplings, cranberry jam, and lemon — is the Czech national dish, and the accompanying Pilsner Urquell or Kozel beer is consumed with the conviction that Czech brewing (the world's first pale lager was developed in Plzeň in 1842) has never been equalled.
Ice Hockey / Football holds a special place in the heart of Czech Republic's national identity. Ice hockey is the national sporting religion, with the Czech Republic winning Olympic gold in 1998 with Dominik Hašek, Jaromír Jágr, and Petr Forsberg — a team assembled from NHL players who played for their country rather than their clubs, producing a tournament performance still discussed as the finest national team achievement in the sport's history.
The highest point in Czech Republic is Sněžka, rising to 1,603 metres above sea level. Bohemian Switzerland (České Švýcarsko) in the country's northwest contains the Pravčická Gate — Europe's largest natural sandstone arch at 26 metres wide — rising above a deeply eroded sandstone landscape of towers, gorges, and river canyons that inspired 19th century Romantic painters and formed the visual template for European ideas of sublime wilderness.