The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe that includes the historic regions of Bohemia and Moravia, and part of Silesia. The republic borders Poland to the north, Germany to the northwest and west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and the largest city is Prague.

The country's dominant ethnic group are Czechs, who represent about 94 percent of the population. Slovaks account for approximately 3 percent; and Poles, Germans, Roma (gypsies), and Hungarians make up most of the remainder. The total population was estimated at 10.2 million people as of 2003. About 75 percent of the people live in urban areas. In 2002 the World Bank estimated the per capita income at U.S.$5,480. The official language of the Czech Republic is Czech, a language of the West Slavic subgroup of Slavic languages.

The Czech Republic's total land area is 78,864 square kilometers (30,450 square miles...