View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1990 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Airports [time series]

158 total, 158 usable; 40 with permanent-surface runways; 19 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

40 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

73,805 km total; including 489 km superhighway (1986)

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

475 km (1986); the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river

Merchant marine [time series]

21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 208,471 GRT/ 308,072 DWT; includes 15 cargo, 6 bulk

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil, 1,448 km; refined products, 1,500 km; natural gas, 8,000 km

Ports [time series]

maritime outlets are in Poland (Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin), Yugoslavia (Rijeka, Koper), FRG (Hamburg), GDR (Rostock); principal river ports are Prague on the Vltava, Decin on the Elbe (Labe), Komarno on the Danube, Bratislava on the Danube

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

13,116 km total; 12,868 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km 1.524-meter broad gauge, 146 km 0.750- and 0.760-meter narrow gauge; 2,854 km double track; 3,530 km electrified; government owned (1986)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

stations--58 AM, 16 FM, 45 TV; 14 Soviet TV relays; 4,360,000 TV sets; 4,208,538 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth station

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Czechoslovak People's Army, Frontier Guard, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

28.4 billion koruny, 7% of total budget (1989); note--conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results

Military manpower [time series]

males 15-49, 4,019,311; 3,076,735 fit for military service; 137,733 reach military age (18) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 15% of GNP (includes forestry); largely self-sufficient in food production; diversified crop and livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry; exporter of forest products

Aid [time series]

donor--$4.2 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-88)

Budget [time series]

revenues $22.4 billion; expenditures $21.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.7 billion (1986 state budget)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

koruna (plural--koruny); 1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru

Electricity [time series]

22,955,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced, 5,410 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

koruny (Kcs) per US$1--17.00 (March 1990), 10.00 (1989), 5.63 (1988), 5.43 (1987), 5.95 (1986), 6.79 (1985), 6.65 (1984)

Exports [time series]

$24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--machinery and equipment 58.5%; industrial consumer goods 15.2%; fuels, minerals, and metals 10.6%; agricultural and forestry products 6.1%, other products 15.2%; partners--USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, US

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$7.4 billion, hard currency indebtedness (1989)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GNP [time series]

$123.2 billion, per capita $7,878; real growth rate 1.0% (1989 est.)

Imports [time series]

$23.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--machinery and equipment 41.6%; fuels, minerals, and metals 32.2%; agricultural and forestry products 11.5%; industrial consumer goods 6.7%; other products 8.0%; partners--USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, US

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 2.1% (1988)

Industries [time series]

iron and steel, machinery and equipment, cement, sheet glass, motor vehicles, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood, paper products, footwear

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

1.5% (1989)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Czechoslovakia is highly industrialized and has a well-educated and skilled labor force. Its industry, transport, energy sources, banking, and most other means of production are state owned. The country is deficient, however, in energy and many raw materials. Moreover, its aging capital plant lags well behind West European standards. Industry contributes over 50% to GNP and construction 10%. About 95% of agricultural land is in collectives or state farms. The centrally planned economy has been tightly linked in trade (80%) to the USSR and Eastern Europe. Growth has been sluggish, averaging less than 2% in the period 1982-89. GNP per capita ranks next to the GDR as the highest in the Communist countries. As in the rest of Eastern Europe, the sweeping political changes of 1989 have been disrupting normal channels of supply and compounding the government's economic problems. Czechoslovakia is beginning the difficult transition from a command to a market economy.

Unemployment rate [time series]

0.9% (1987)

Geography

Climate [time series]

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Coastline [time series]

none--landlocked

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than New York State

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

Nagymaros Dam dispute with Hungary

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

infrequent earthquakes; acid rain; water pollution; air pollution

Land boundaries [time series]

3,446 km total; Austria 548 km, GDR 459 km, Hungary 676 km, Poland 1,309 km, USSR 98 km, FRG 356 km

Land use [time series]

40% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 9% other; includes 1% irrigated

Maritime claims [time series]

none--landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

coal, timber, lignite, uranium, magnesite, iron ore, copper, zinc

Note [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

mixture of hills and mountains separated by plains and basins

Area (Total area) [time series]

127,870 km2; land area: 125,460 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

2 socialist republics (socialisticke republiky, singular--socialisticka republika); Ceska Socialisticka Republika, Slovenska Socialisticka Republika

Capital [time series]

Prague

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

1.71 million party members (April 1988) and falling

Constitution [time series]

11 July 1960; amended in 1968 and 1970; new constitution under review (1 January 1990)

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Rita KLIMOVA; Chancery at 3900 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 363-6315 or 6316; US--Ambassador Shirley Temple BLACK; Embassy at Trziste 15-12548, Prague (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone [42] (2) 53 6641 through 6649

Executive branch [time series]

president, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Independence [time series]

18 October 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Executive branch (Leaders) [time series]

Chief of State--President Vaclav HAVEL (since 28 December 1989); Head of Government--Premier Marian CALFA (since 10 December 1989); First Deputy Premier Valtr KOMAREK (since 7 December 1989); Jan CARNOGURSKY (since 7 December 1989)

Legal system [time series]

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Federal Assembly (Federalni Shromazdeni) consists of an upper house or House of Nations (Snemovna Narodu) and a lower house or House of the People (Snemovna Lidu)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic; abbreviated CSSR; note--on 23 March 1990 the name was changed to Czechoslovak Federative Republic; because of Slovak concerns about their status in the Federation, the Federal Assembly approved the name Czech and Slovak Federative Republic on 20 April 1990

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

CCC, CEMA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ICO, ILO, ILZSG, IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

National holiday [time series]

National Holiday of the Republic (Anniversary of the Liberation), 9 May (1945)

Political parties (Other political groups) [time series]

Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Czechoslovak People's Party, Slovak Freedom Party, Slovak Revival Party, Christian Democratic Party; more than 40 political groups are expected to field candidates for the 8 June 1990 election

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Civic Forum, since December 1989 leading political force, loose coalition of former oppositionists headed by President Vaclav Havel; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC), Ladislav Adamec, chairman (since 20 December 1989); KSC toppled from power in November 1989 by massive antiregime demonstrations, minority role in coalition government since 10 December 1989

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 President--last held 22 May 1985 (next to be held 8 June 1990; will be a free election); results--Gustav Husak was reelected without opposition; Federal Assembly--last held 23 and 24 May 1986 (next to be held 8 June 1990; will be a free election); results--KSC was the only party; seats--(350 total) KSC 350

Government type (Type) [time series]

in transition from Communist state to republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

14 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

64.3% Czech, 30.5% Slovak, 3.8% Hungarian, 0.4% German, 0.4% Polish, 0.3% Ukrainian, 0.1% Russian, 0.2% other (Jewish, Gypsy)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

11 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

8,200,000 (1987); 36.9% industry, 12.3% agriculture, 50.8% construction, communications, and other (1982)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Czech and Slovak (official), Hungarian

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

69 years male, 76 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

99%

Nationality [time series]

noun--Czechoslovak(s); adjective--Czechoslovak

Net migration rate [time series]

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

Revolutionary Trade Union Movement (ROH), formerly regime-controlled; other industry-specific strike committees; new independent trade unions forming

Population [time series]

15,683,234 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

50% Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant, 2% Orthodox, 28% other

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.0 children born/woman (1990)

Slovakia