Expatriates Forums in Czech Republic

Fresh Start film making competition

mehak — Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:35 am

Author: mehak

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:35 am

It's the beginning of "Fresh Start" Competition at Filmaka! Make a
1-3 film on this theme and you could win funding to direct your
feature film! The competition is judged by esteemed international
filmmakers Werner Herzog, Zak Penn, Colin Firth, Paul Schrader, and
more! Each month there is a new theme and 15-20 filmmakers receive
$1500-$4500. Three of them go on to compete for feature funding at
the end of the year. Last year's final winner, Nuru Rimington-Mkali,
got $5 million to direct his film! Submissions are due February22,
2009. Ready to take the first step? Go to

filmaka . com/competition.php

Czech Republic with UK telly!

Suzi Williams — Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:11 pm

Author: Suzi Williams

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:11 pm

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very short skirts in Czech Republic...good or bad ?

jasmine007 — Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:04 pm

Author: jasmine007

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:04 pm

Perhaps many women simply do not have shapely enough legs that can carry off the wearing of a very short skirt gracefully.
Legs have to be more than shapely they also have to be attractive. Nylon stockings make legs more attractive but this is evidently a personal choice .

Not only are our legs not elegant or sexy enough to show off in a very short skirt but our posture isn't observed enough to NOT show off more than we intended. How many times have your eyes been drawn to the sudden hiking of a skirt thigh high? More times than many men would like their wives or partners to know about anyway, I'll bet.
The sudden hiking of a skirt thigh high can be improved upon if the woman is wearing pantyhose nylon stockings. At least these look a bit sexier than the sudden appearance of fish-belly white thighs.

>>>>>But from this woman's perspective, another of the disadvantages of wearing a very short skirt is **********the breeze factor*******. Don't laugh, but getting a sudden gust of cold wind up bare legs is cold and disconcerting, to be polite.<<<<<<<<<

Very short Skirts leave a lot of bare leg open to the elements and this is very disadvantageous as far as most women are concerned.

How Women Can Look Good Inside and Out of the Gym ?

jasmine007 — Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:03 pm

Author: jasmine007

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 7:03 pm

Hello friends

The following tips are are for those gorgeous girls and mature women who spend their quality time in Gym to look the same outside of the Gym as well ?
Have Fun ....

1. Throw out your bodysuits and leg warmers

Avoid oversized shirts and shorts. While these items might feel comfortable they tend to make you look unkept and can be hazardous if they get caught in an exercise machine. If you want to look your absolute best, choose outfits that fit your body well and are in colors that flatter you.

2. Choose clothing that is made for exercise
The t-shirt and jeans that you wear are not be suitable for the gym. Workout clothes are designed to keep sweat and moisture away from the body. Cotton t-shirts, while breathable, can keep moisture close to the skin. Jeans similarly trap moisture next to the body and are also too restricting. Instead, shop for fitness wear that is made to be quick drying and moisture wicking. Look for items with polyester, spandex, and mesh ventilation panels.

3. Wear a good sports bra

An important part of looking good in the gym is wearing a good sports bra. Working out can include alot of jumping and running, activities that can cause breast jiggle and discomfort. If you are heavy breasted, look for sports bras with wide straps that provide good support. Make sure they are made of breathable fabrics to avoid chafing.

4. Wear footwear appropriate for your workout
Look for shoes that are appropriate for your exercise routine. Exercise footwear is designed to be activity specific. If you are a runner, look for a good running shoe. If you are an aerobics fanatic, pick a sneaker that is made for aerobic workouts. Picking the right shoe for your activity will guarantee you get the support you need and help you avoid injury.

5. Avoid wearing jewelry

As a general rule, your jewelry should not be a part of your workout ensemble. While you might want to keep your wedding band on, wearing too many rings can make it difficult to grab weights or handles on exercise machines.

Follow these simple tips and you will not only look good inside and out of the gym, but you will enjoy a successful workout too.

WTS:NOKIA N95 AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE

luikam — Thu Jun 07, 2007 1:46 am

Author: luikam

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 1:46 am

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Brand new Nokia 6060 **** 105 USD

Brand new Nokia N91**** 155 USD

Brand new Nokia N90 **** 170 USD

Brand new Nokia N70 ****160 USD

Brand new Nokia 1600 **** 100 USD

O2 3G Datacard $120usd

Orange Blackberry $110usd

Orange 3GDatacard $110usd

Orange SPVC500 $110usd

Orange SPV M2000 $114usd

(PANASONIC)

Panasonic X60 $120usd

Panasonic X60 $120usd

PanasonicX70 $124usd

Panasonic X300 $114usd

Panasonic X700 $132usd

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Sony ericsson T616 850/1900 --US$125

SONY ERICSSON R520m(UNLOCK)-- US$89

SONY CMD-Z5-- US$89

SONY ERICSSON R380 World-- US$89

SONY ERICSSON R380s-- US$69

SONY ERICSSON T68m-- ---US$79

SONY ERICSSON T610--------- US$109

SONY CMD-MZ5-- ---------------US$109

SONY ERICSSON P800(UNLOCK)-- US$105

SONY ERICSSON P900(UNLOCK)---US$108

SONY ERICSSON P980i(UNLOCK)---US$115

NEXTEL I860 AT JUST $100

NEXTEL I930 AT JUST $130

(PLAYSTATION)

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PlayStation 3 ...........$500usd

NINTENDO WII ...............$100USD

Apple i phone 4gb...........$250usd

Apple i phone 8gb..........$300usd

Eten glofish m700 ..........$300usd

Eten glofish m500..........$200usd

Eten g500 ..................$180usd

Eten m600..................$180usd

Eten m600 +................180usd

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Brand new Samsung D500 130 USD

Brand new SamsungP860 130 USD

Brand new Samsung P850 145 USD

Brand new Samsung E730 130 USD

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Brand new Samsung D510 **** 135 USD

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Brand new Samsung D710 **** 135 USD

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Brand new Motorola E895 **** 120 USD

Brand new Motorola V3x **** 130 USD

Brand new Motorola V8 **** 120 USD

Brand new Motorola V6 **** 120 USD

Brand new Motorola A1010 **** 100 USD

Brand new Motorola E1060 **** 90 USD

Brand new Motorola V1050 **** 90 USD

Motorola Motorola a388c....... 150usd

(IMATE JASJAR PHONES)

I-MATE Smartflip ....... $140

I-MATE JAMin ......... $240

I-MATE JASJAm ........ $280

I-MATE K-JAM ......... $180

I-MATE SP5 ......... $150

I-MATE SP5m ......... $155

I-MATE SP4m ......... $120

I-MATE JAM Black ........ $150

I-MATE JAM ......... $160

I-MATE PDA2 ......... $190

I-MATE PDA2k ......... $168

I-MATE SP3i ......... $130

I-MATE SP3 ......... $135

I-MATE Pocket PC ......... $140

I-MATE Smartphone2 ........ $110

I-MATESmartphone ........ $115

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IBM Thinkpad T42 1.7GHz 512MB 40GB CD-RW/DVD 15" XGA ;;$400

IBM ThinkPad X41 Tablet PC 1.5GHz 1.5GB 60GB Bluetooth;;;$500

IBM Thinkpad T43 1.86GHz 2GB 60GB DVD Burner 14.1" SXG...$450usd

SONY VAIO A217S-- 100GB-- 512MB RAM-- XPHOME-------------$500

SONY VAIO B1VP-- 40GB HD-- 512MB RAM-- XP PRO--------------$430

SONY VAIO T370P/L-- 60GB HD-- 512MB RAM-- XP----------------$400

SONY VAIO A215Z 60GB HD-- 512MB RAM-- XP------------------$320

Apple MacBook Pro (APPMA092LLA) Notebook 2.16 GHz, 17 in...$1000usd

Apple iBook G4 (M9564LLA) 1 GHz, 12.1 in. Display, 256 MB,..$280usd

Apple MacBook (MA699LL/A) 1.83 GHz, 13.3 in. Display, Apple MacOS X 10.4,..$650usd.

Apple MacBook Pro (MA610LL) 1.67 GHz, 17 in. Display, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 512 MB..$1100usd.

Apple PowerBook G4 (M9184LLA)1.33 GHz, 12.1 in. Display, Apple MacOS X 10.3, 256 MB..$300usd.

Apple MacBook (MA254LL/A) 1.83 GHz, 13.3 in. Display, Apple MacOS X 10.4,..$1250usd.

Apple MacBook Pro (MA611LL/A)2.33 GHz, 17 in. Display, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 2..$1450usd.

Apple MacBook (MA700LL/A) 2 GHz, 13.3 in. Display, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 1..$100usd

(QTEK PHONE)

Qtek 8500 ....... $100

Qtek S200 ....... $140

Qtek 9000 ....... $190

Qtek 8310 ....... $150

Qtek 8300 ....... $140

Qtek 9100 ....... $190

Qtek 8100 ....... $100

Qtek S110 ....... $120

Qtek S100 ....... $130

Qtek 9090 ....... $140

Qtek 8020 ....... $132

Qtek 8010 ....... $100

Qtek 2020i ...... $160

Qtek 2020 ....... $160

Qtek 1010.......$100

(sidekick)

sidekick 1.........$80usd

side kick 11........$100usd

SIDE-KICK T-Mobile Sidekick II Cell Phone........$100

T-Mobile Sidekick II....................$80

Sidekick II T-Mobile with Color Screen...$120

T-Mobile Sidekick II TMO to Go Prepaid Phone...$110

T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone (T-Mobile)......$100

T-Mobile Sidekick II T-Mobile Replacement Phone...$110

T-Mobile Sidekick - Data Only Product Features..$90

T-Mobile SideKick II.............$100

Mobile Sidekick II................$100

Mobile Sidekick III................$150

(These games are brandnew sealed in original Box.)

apple 80 gb ..................ipod.......$200

apple 4 gb ipod mini blue m9802ll/a-------$64

apple 4 gb ipod mini pinkm9804ll/a--------$64

apple 4 gb ipod mini green m9806ll/a--------$64

apple 6 gb ipod mini bluem9803ll/a---------$68

apple 6gb ipod mini silver m9801ll/a-------$68

apple 20 gb ipod m9282ll/a------------------$69

apple 4 gb ipod mini pink m9435ll/a---------$49

apple 40 gb ipod photo--------------------$59

apple 4 gb ipod nano--------------------$69

apple 2 gb ipod nano--------------------$62

apple 4 gb ipod mini silver m9160ll/a-----$49

apple 60 gb ipod photo m9830ll/a--------$86

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CZECH REP COUNTRY PROFILE / CZECH REP COUNTRY GUIDE

Czech Republic Info — Thu May 17, 2007 10:00 am

Author: Czech Republic Info

Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 10:00 am

CZECH REPUBLIC COUNTRY PROFILE

Introduction

Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalise Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Geography

Location:
Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Geographic coordinates:
49 45 N, 15 30 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 78,866 sq km
land: 77,276 sq km
water: 1,590 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain:
Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Natural resources:
hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

Land use:
arable land: 39.8%
permanent crops: 3.05%
other: 57.15% (2001)

Irrigated land:
240 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding

Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
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

People

Population:
10,228,744 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.7% (male 773,028/female 731,833)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 3,651,018/female 3,627,006)
65 years and over: 14.2% (male 565,374/female 892,879) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.5 years
male: 37.9 years
female: 41.3 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.071% (2007 est.)

Birth rate:
8.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate:
10.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate:
0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.056 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.008 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.641 male(s)/female
total population: 0.951 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.86 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.42 years
male: 73.14 years
female: 79.88 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.22 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 10 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups:
Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)

Religions:
Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Languages:
Czech

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Ceska Republika

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Prague
geographic coordinates: 40 55 N, 21 00 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky Kraj, Jihomoravsky Kraj, Karlovarsky Kraj, Kralovehradecky Kraj, Liberecky Kraj, Moravskoslezsky Kraj, Olomoucky Kraj, Pardubicky Kraj, Plzensky Kraj, Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky Kraj, Ustecky Kraj, Vysocina, Zlinsky Kraj

Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday:
Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Constitution:
ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003)
note: the Czech Republic's first president Vaclav HAVEL stepped down from office on 2 February 2003 having served exactly 10 years; parliament finally elected a successor on 28 February 2003 after two inconclusive elections in January 2003
head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007), Jiri CUNEK (since 9 January 2007), Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; last successful election held 28 February 2003 (after earlier elections held 15 and 24 January 2003 were inconclusive; next election to be held January 2008); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav KLAUS elected president on 28 February 2003; Vaclav KLAUS 142 votes, Jan SOKOL 124 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 5-6 November and 12-13 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ODS 37, KDU-CSL 14, Open Democracy 13, CSSD 7, Caucus Open Democracy 7, independents 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS 57, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10, independent 1

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders:
Caucus SNK [Josef ZOSER]; Christian and Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Miroslav KALOUSEK, chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Jirina NOVAKOVA, chairman]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman]; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia or KSC [Miroslav STEPAN, chairman]; Czech National Social Party of CSNS [Jaroslav ROVNY, chairman]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Stanislav GROSS, acting chairman]; European Democrats [Jan KASL]; Freedom Union-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Hana Marvanova, chairwoman]; Open Democracy [Sona PAUKRTOVA, chairwoman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Bohemian and Moravian Trade Union Confederation [Milan STECH]

International organisation participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER
embassy: Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [420] (2) 5753-0663
FAX: [420] (2) 5753-0583

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)

Economy

Overview:
The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-04 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as interest rates drop and the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. Current account deficits of around 5% of GDP are beginning to decline as demand for Czech products in the European Union increases. Inflation is under control. Recent accession to the EU gives further impetus and direction to structural reform. In early 2004 the government passed increases in the Value Added Tax (VAT) and tightened eligibility for social benefits with the intention to bring the public finance gap down to 4% of GDP by 2006, but more difficult pension and healthcare reforms will have to wait until after the next elections. Privatisation of the state-owned telecommunications firm Cesky Telecom is scheduled to take place in 2005. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $221.4 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.2% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita:
$21,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 37.8%
services: 59.4% (2006 est.)

Labour force:
5.31 million (2006 est.)

Labour force - by occupation:
agriculture 4%, industry 38%, services 58% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8.4% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
27.3 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.7% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
26.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $57.88 billion
expenditures: $62.53 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

Public debt:
29.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Industries:
metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Industrial production growth rate:
9.5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
79.14 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:
58.8 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
24.6 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
9.8 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
15,240 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - consumption:
203,100 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
26,670 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
182,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:
17.25 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
216 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
9.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
88 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
8.815 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
-$4.352 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$89.34 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 52%, chemicals 5%, raw materials and fuel 9% (2003)

Exports - partners:
Germany 33.5%, Slovakia 8.7%, Austria 5.5%, Poland 5.5%, France 5.3%, UK 4.6%, Italy 4.3% (2005)

Imports:
$87.7 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)

Imports - partners:
Germany 30%, Russia 5.7%, Slovakia 5.4%, China 5.1%, Poland 5%, Italy 4.8%, France 4.5%, Netherlands 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$30.99 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$50.2 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$2.4 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004-06)

Currency (code):
Czech koruna (CZK)

Exchange rates:
koruna per US dollar - 22.596 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003), 32.739 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
3,217,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
11.776 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: privatisation and modernisation of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; growth in the use of mobile cellular telephones is particularly vigorous
domestic: 86% of exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems now being enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:
150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Internet country code:
.cz

Internet hosts:
1.267 million (2006)

Internet users:
5.1 million (2005)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 9,572 km
standard gauge: 9,473 km 1.435-m gauge (2,951 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 99 km 0.760-m gauge (2005)

Highways:
total: 127,747 km
paved: 127,747 km (includes 518 km of expressways) (2003)
unpaved: 0 km (2002)

Waterways:
664 km (on Elbe, Vltava, and Oder rivers) (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2006)

Ports and harbours:
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2006)

Airports:
121 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 75
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 49 (2006)

Heliports:
2 (2006)

Military

Military branches:
Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command, Support and Training Forces Command (2005)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18-50 years of age for voluntary military service; military service transformed into a fully professional, all-volunteer force no longer dependent on conscription beginning in January 2004 (2005)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 18-49: 2,414,728 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,996,631 (2005 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 66,583 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2.17 billion (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.81% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property; individual Sudeten Germans seek restitution for property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organised crime