ABSTRACT
The Czech Republic (Česká Republika) (CzR) is located in Central Europe, has a geographic area of 78,866 km2 and a population of 10,308,000 inhabitants. The Czech state emerged in the late ninth century; in the Middle Ages it was a significant regional power. In the years 1526–1918, the Czech Lands were a part of the Habsburg Monarchy. The Czechoslovak Republic was established in 1918. During 1948 to 1989, it was a Communist state. On 1 January 1993, the country was split into the Czech and Slovak Republics. Since 1 May 2004 the Czech Republic has been a member state of the European Union.
