Interesting facts about Czech Republic
Czech Republic is one of the newly formed independent countries in the European continent. Formerly being a part of the Independent Republic of Czechoslovakia that was formed in 1918, Czech Republic split itself from Czechoslovakia into a separate country in 1993. The other part of the erstwhile Czechoslovakia emerged as an independent country by name Slovakia.
Czech Republic is a landlocked country located at the central region of Europe. The country shares its borders with Slovak Republic in the east, Germany in the west as well as northwest, Poland in the north east and Australia in the south.
Ever since becoming a separate country in 1993, the country embraced reforms with special focus on privatizations. Thanks to the policies formulated and implemented by the Government in power, the country achieved the status of a developed economy in the year 2006, thus becoming first country in the erstwhile group of Comecon countries, according to World Bank statistical analysis, to achieve this feat. The country became a member of the NATO, or North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1999, and joined the European Union in 2004.
One interesting feature of the Czech Republic is that it is one of the very few countries in the European Continent that has least religious populations. In response to a question in a poll conducted in 2005, only 19% of the respondents said that they believe there is god. As much as 59% of the people in the country are either aethists or non-believers in god.
The capital and the largest city of the country is Prague. More than 92% of the total inhabitants in the country are Czech, with the balance population comprising of Slovaks, Germans, Poles and others. The currency used in the country is Czech Koruna and the official language is Czech.
For a country that has become an independent entity in 1993, the economic progress made in the past 15 years has been spectacular. Czech Republic, today, is one of developed economies in the European Union, and has a per capita GDP in excess of 80% of the European average per capita GDP.
Most of the institutions and sectors in the country, including the banks as well as telecommunications, are in private sector. The present Government continues to push for more privatization in the days and years to come.
The country has successfully abolished border controls and maintains very good relationship with all of its neighbors. As such there is no restriction of entry for people from the neighboring countries of Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Poland.
Another interesting feature of this new independent country is that the literacy rate in the country is in the high 90s. As per the 1999 estimate, the literacy rate is 99%. The education system in the country is assigned the 15th best education system in the world by the Programme for International Student Assessment.