Geography of Czech Republic
Location: | Central Europe, southeast of Germany |
Geographic coordinates: | 49 45 N, 15 30 E |
Map references: | Europe |
Area: | total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than South Carolina |
Land boundaries: | total: 2,290.2 km border countries: Austria 466.3 km, Germany 810.3 km, Poland 761.8 km, Slovakia 251.8 km |
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
Climate: | temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters |
Terrain: | Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m |
Natural resources: | hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber |
Land use: | arable land: 38.82% permanent crops: 3% other: 58.18% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 240 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | flooding |
Environment - current issues: | air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | 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 |