Czech Tourist Authority 13 Harley Street, London
W1G 9QG, United Kingdom (you can request free brochures)
T: 020 7631 0427; For tourist information call 09063 640 641
F: 020 7631 0419 www.czechtourism.com

Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated on the Vltava river, it is home to approximately 1.2 million inhabitants. (It can be derived from jobs statistics, however, that additional 300,000 work there without having registered as residents.) Nicknames for Prague have included "city of a hundred spires", "the golden city", "the Paris of the Twenties in the Nineties", the "mother of all cities", and "the heart of Europe". Since 1992, the historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of world heritage sites. Prague is a popular tourist destination. There are lots of old buildings, many with beautiful murals on them. It contains one of the world's most pristine and varied collections of architecture, from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern.

Geographical situation
Czech Republic is situated in central Europe, surrounded by hills and mountain ranges. It borders with Germany to the west, Poland to the north, Slovakia to the east and Austria to the south. The country is composed of three historic regions, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. However, there are 14 regions nowadays, each with its own County seat and administration.  The area of the Czech Republic is 78 866 square km. Prague is 496 square km.

Location - 50°05'N and 14°27'E - centre of the Czech Republic.
Elevation: 180 - 399 m above a see level.

Time zone is Central European time zone - GMT+1, in summer - GMT+2.

The approximate population of Czech Republic is 10.5 million inhabitants; 94%'of them are Czechs, 4% Slovaks and there is also a small minority of Poles and Germans. Prague has population close to 1.3 million inhabitants. Population of the Czech Republic is relatively homogenous.

Official language is Czech language. English, German and Russian is widely spoken (but not everywhere).

Climate of Prague is a mild continental climate. Hot summers, cold (winters average temperature minus 0,9°C, summer average season - July 19,0°C)

Electrical voltage is 230 V - 50/60 Hz. All sockets have two round female contacts (live left) and round blanking/grounding protecting pin in middle top.

Currency is Czech crown - symbol "Kc" or international symbol "CZK". Exchange rates: 42Kc for 1 British Pound, 23 Kc for 1 USD$ and 28 Kc for 1 EUR.
Public transport: metro, tram, bus.
River: in Prague - Vltava.
European Union member: Yes, since 1st May 2004.
Euro currency in use: No, estimated in 2012.
Country international calling code: 420.
Safety: Low rate of violent crime, a higher rate of  petty crime like car theft and pick pocketing.
Government: Parliamentary democracy with president as the head of state and prime minister as the head of government.
Historical centre: Old Town (Stare Mesto), Lesser Town (Mala Strana), Prague Castle (Hradcany), New Town (Nove Mesto), Vysehrad.
Administrative division: 22 administrative areas.
Major industries: fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor vehicles, glass, armaments.
Religion: Atheist 39.8 percent, Roman Catholic 39.2 percent, Protestant 4.6 percent, Orthodox 3 percent, other 13.4 percent.
Ethnic groups: Czech 94.4 percent, Slovak 3 percent, Polish 0.6 percent, German 0.5 percent, Gypsy 0.3 percent, Hungarian 0.2 percent, other 1 percent.

Religion
The main religion of the Czech Republic is Christianity. Approximately 40 percent of the population are Roman Catholic. Protestant denominations account for about 3 percent of the population. About 5 percent of people in the Czech Republic are an atheist. Many of those who identify themselves as members of religious organizations do not practice their religion actively. Prior to World War II (1939-1945), the country had a large Jewish population. Most of the Jews died in the Holocaust, the Nazi campaign to exterminate the Jews of Europe. There are currently between 15,000 and 18,000 Jews living in the Czech Republic.

Politics
The Czech Republic is a parliament democracy whose head of state is a President, indirectly elected by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Parliament (Chamber of Deputies and the Senate) are elected in free elections; the government, headed by the Prime Minister is usually built as an outcome of coalition talks and appointed by the President, asking finally for confidence from Parliament.


Land and Resources
The total area of the Czech Republic is 78,864 sq km (30,450 sq mi). The maximum distance from east to west is about 490 km (about 305 mi), and the maximum distance from north to south is about 280 km (about 175 mi). Mountain ranges surround much of the country.

Natural Regions
The Czech Republic contains two main regions—Bohemia, located in the west, and Moravia, located in the east. Part of the region of Silesia occupies the north-central section of the country. The central part of the Czech Republic is dominated by the elevated plateaus of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and the low plains and rolling hills of the Bohemian Basin. A number of rivers drain these areas, and much of the country’s farmland is located there. Rising along the edges of these central regions and extending outward to form much of the country’s natural border are a number of mountain ranges. The Erzgebirge in the north and the Šumava Mountains in the west, are well known for their spas and ski resorts. The Šumava comprise part of the Böhmerwald (Bohemian Forest), a highland region located in the west and southwest that forms the country’s border with Germany. The Sudety mountains are located in the north and form part of the border with Poland. The Sudety range includes the Krkonoše Mountains, which contain the country’s highest point, Snežka (1,603 m/5,259 ft). One of the country’s largest nature reserves is also located in the Sudety range. Extending along the Czech-Slovak border in the southeastern part of the country is a section of the Carpathian Mountains. Also located in the southeast are the Moravian Lowlands, which contain the fertile valley of the Morava River where a variety of crops are grown.

Rivers and Lakes
There are many rivers, lakes, ponds and dams in the Czech Republic. The main rivers of the Czech Republic are the Elbe (known locally as the Labe is longest one), the Vltava, the Ohre, the Morava, the Lužnice, the Jihlava, and the Svratka. The Sázava, Odra (Oder), and Opava rivers are also important. The most famous reservoir dams are called Slapy, Upno, Orlík and Vranov. 

Healing springs
The Czech Republic is famous for a large number of springs and spas. Well-known spas are to be found in towns Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, Františkovy Lázně and Luhačovice.

Population and Settlement
The Czech people are descended from Slavic tribes who arrived at Bohemia and Moravia in the 5th century a.d. The Czechs are the country’s dominant ethnic group, representing about 94 percent of the population ,followed by Slovaks with about 3 percent; Poles, Germans, Roma (Gypsies), and Hungarians comprise most of the remainder.
Principal Cities

Prague (population, 1999 estimate, 1,193,270) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Other important cities include Brno (384,727), an educational and industrial centre; Ostrava (322,111), a center for metal industries; Plzen (168,422), noted for its breweries; and Olomouc (103,372), a trade and industrial center.

Prague Information Centre
If you want free maps, a guide book, pamphlets, magazines about Prague you should drop off at one of tourist information centre.
Offices are located at
- Celetna,   Prague 1
- Karlova 1, Prague 1
- Narodni 4, Prague 1
- Nerudova 4, Prague 1

Pickpockets.
Be careful specially when using trams (22 or 23 are mostly targeted).
The most common method is for a gang of women to crowd the entrance to the tram and cause a squeezing congestion. Even if you feel the hand of the pickpocket and yell they will hang on to your wallet and still get away with it. As the tram leaves they will simply laugh at you. At the moment situation is rapidly improving and there's less and less cases. But still be aware.