MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central
Europe and a member state of the European Union. The country has borders with Poland to the
northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south, and Slovakia to the east. The capital and
largest city is Prague a major tourist destination. The country is composed of the historic
regions of Bohemia and Moravia, as well as parts of Silesia.
Following the Battle of the White Mountain, the Czech lands fell under the Habsburg rule from
1526, later becoming part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. The independent
Republic of Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian
empire after World War I. After the Munich Agreement, German occupation of Czechoslovakia
and the consequent disillusion with the Western response and gratitude for the liberation of the
major portion of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army, the Communist party won plurality (38 %)
in 1946 elections. In an 1948 overturn, Czechoslovakia became a communist-ruled state. In
1968, the increasing dissatisfaction has culminated in attempts to reform the communist
regime. The events, known as Prague Spring of 1968, had ended with a invasion of armies of
Warsaw Pact countries, and the troops remained in the country until the overturn in 1989
Velvet Revolution, when the communist regime collapsed. On January 1, 1993 the country
Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
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MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
The Czech Republic is a pluralist multi-party parliamentary representative democracy.
President Václav Klaus is the current head of state. The Prime Minister is the head of
government (currently Mirek Topolánek). The Parliament has two chambers — the Chamber
of Deputies and the Senate. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European
Union in 2004. It is also a member of the OECD, the Council of Europe and the Visegrád
Group.
The Czech Republic made economic reforms such as fast privatization and flat tax. Annual
gross domestic product growth has recently been around 6%. The country is the first former
member of the Comecon to achieve the status of a developed country (2006) according to
the World Bank. The Czech Republic also ranks best compared to the former Comecon
countries in the Human Development Index.
The Czech landscape is quite
varied. Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, drained by the Elbe and the Vltava rivers,
and surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Krkonoše range of the Sudetes. The
highest point in the country, Sněžka, at 1,602 m (5,262 ft), is located here. Moravia, the
eastern part of the country, is also quite hilly. It is drained mainly by the Morava River, but it
also contains the source of the Oder River. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows
to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The Czech Republic also
leases the Moldauhafen, a 30,000-square-metre (7.4-acre) lot in the middle of the Hamburg
Docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to
allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported downriver could be transferred
to seagoing ships. The territory reverts to Germany in 2028.
Phytogeographically, the Czech Republic belongs to the Central European province of the
Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of the
Czech Republic can be subdivided into four ecor egions: the Central European mixed forests,
Pannonian mixed forests, Western European broadleaf forests and Carpathian montane
conifer forests.
The Czech Republic has a temperate, continental
climate with relatively hot summers and cold, cloudy winters, usually with snow. Most rains
are during the summer. The temperature difference between summers and winters is
relatively high due to its landlocked geographical position.
Even within the Czech Republic, temperatures vary greatly depending on the elevation. In
general, at higher altitudes the temperatures decrease and precipitation increases. Another
important factor is the distribution of the mountains. Therefore the climate is quite varied.
At the highest peak (Sněžka, 1,602 m/5,260 ft) the average temperature is only −0.4 °C
(31 °F), whereas in the lowlands of South Moravia, the average temperature is as high as
10 °C (50 °F). This also applies for the country's capital Prague, but this is due to urban
factors.
The coldest month is usually January followed by February and December. During these
months there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes in the major cities and
lowlands. During March, April and May, the temperature usually increases rapidly and
especially during April the temperature and weather tends to vary widely during the day.
Spring is also characterized by high water levels in the rivers due to melting snow followed
by floods at times.
The warmest month of the year is July, followed by August and June. On average, the
summer temperatures are about 20 °C (68 °F) higher than during winter. Especially in the
last decade, temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) are not unusual. Summer is also
characterized by rain and storms.
Autumn generally begins in September, which is still relatively warm, but much drier. During
October, temperatures usually fall back under 15° or 10°C (59° or 50°F) and deciduous trees
begin to shed their leaves. By the end of November, temperatures usually range around the
freezing point.
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MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
Sincerely
MTC Meteorologie Technologie
Consulting GmbH
Franz Mikulits
Managing Director
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Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8