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The Czech Republic is divided into 14 self-administrating regions. 5 regions are in Moravia and 9 are in Bohemia. They have much to offer - beautiful nature, countless historic and cultural monuments. They offer a wide range of cultural and sports activities. You can also find several universities and important industrial factories in the Czech Republic.
Bohemia consists in 9 regions – the Prague, Central Bohemia, South Bohemia, Pilsen, Carlsbad, ;st;, Liberec, Hradec Kr;lov; and Pardubice Regions. Most of Bohemia is covered by hilly country, with fertile lowlands surrounding the Elbe River in the northern half, with the historically important, but quite small, Mount ;;p (456 m) rising above the area.
The country is bordered on all sides by a circle of mountains (clockwise from the south-east): The Nov; Hrady Mountains, ;umava, Bohemian Forest, Ore Mountains, Lusatian Mountains, Jizera Mountains and Giant Mountains, with Sn;;ka (1,602 m) the highest peak in the country, the Eagle Mountains and to the east, the extensive area of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands.
Practically the entire territory of the Czech Republic is part of the Elbe catchment area. However, the longest Czech River is the Vltava, which is 430 kilometres long. The largest lake is Black Lake in ;umava. The largest reservoir is Lipno, which is also located in ;umava.

Prague
Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic. According to the Czech Statistical Institute it had 1,233,211 inhabitants as at 1/1/2009 .
One of the oldest European universities is located in Prague – Charles University M, which was established in 1348. The Czech Polytechnic, which dates from the 18th century, is also an important university.
The metropolis also attracts visitors to its numerous historic monuments. You can find architecture here ranging from 13th-century to modern, all in an area you can walk comfortably within a few days. The entire historic centre of Prague has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1992. Its most important monuments include the Prague Castle , Charles Bridge and the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas.
Many exhibitions also take place here; you can visit theatres, for instance the National Theatre or the Prague State Opera . Naturally, there are also plenty of opportunities for sports activities and there are even golf courses in Prague.

Central Bohemia Region The Central Bohemia Region also boasts a number of historic monuments. Wikipedia states that the town of Kutn; Hora , which is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, has the greatest concentration of monuments in this region. The Gothic castle of Karl;tejn , which King Charles IV had built, is also worth a visit.
One of the most famous golf courses is located in the municipality of Karl;tejn. The region also includes several protected landscape areas. The most valuable of these is the protected landscape area of K;ivokl;tsko, which is included in the list of biosphere reserves. Other interesting areas include the Protected Landscape Areas of Koko;;nsko, ;esk; kraj, ;esk; r;j, Brdy and D;b;n.
Central Bohemia is not only a place of nature and history, it is also the location of important industrial subjects, chiefly from the automotive industry – for instance, ;koda Auto Mlad; Boleslav and TPCA Kol;n.
The Slapy Reservoir is a site that attracts visitors interested in recreation.
South Bohemia
When you mention South Bohemia, the first thing that comes to mind is the ponds. These chiefly attract swimmers and fishermen. Carp is the typical fish here and it is prepared in many dishes in the local restaurants.
The Orl;k water reservoir is a site of tourist interest. There are also many historically valuable monuments and comprehensive urban monument reserves in the South Bohemia Region. The centre of ;esk; Krumlov is a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. One of the most beautiful ch;teaux is Hlubok; nad Vltavou, which is a popular place for weddings. This region also deserves attention due to its picturesque South Bohemian farming villages with their Rustic Baroque architecture. The most famous of these is Hola;ovice, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
West Bohemia
The Carlsbad and Pilsen Regions make up East Bohemia. The centre of the Pilsen Region is the town of Pilsen, chiefly famous due to the beer of the same name – Pilsen - known worldwide as Pilsner. The ;KODA holding factory is also well-known.
The national park of ;umava, which is the largest protected natural territory here, is located in the Pilsen Region. It also extends partially into South Bohemia. ;umava is, naturally, not only a national park. For instance, throughout the year the Lipno Reservoir attracts visitors who are interested in recreation. The best known centre in this locality is Lipno nad Vltavou – in summer you can bathe in the Lipno Reservoir or play golf, in winter you can ski at the X11 Lipno ski complex .
There are also many historic monuments in this region. For instance, the Plasy Monastery, the Kozel Mansion and Man;t;n are all well known. From the ethnographic aspect the Chodsko Region is of great interest. It surrounds the town of Doma;lice. You can enjoy traditional Chodsky Kolave (sweet cakes) here, perhaps during a visit to the Chodsko Celebrations.
When you mention the Carlsbad Region, everyone immediately thinks of the world-famous spa towns of - Carlsbad –, Mari;nsk; L;zn; and Franti;kovy L;zn; . Their lesser-known siblings are L;zn; J;chymov X16 , also called the radon spas, L;zn; Kyn;vart and Konstantinovy L;zn; . The best-known local mineral water is Mattoni.
Carlsbad is also famous thanks to the International Film Festival, which has been held here every year for more than four decades. The herbal liqueur Becherovka has contributed to this region’s fame. This region is also famous for its products from the Moser company glassworks and rose porcelain, which are exported worldwide.
North Bohemia
Both the Liberec and ;st; Regions are located in North Bohemia. The centre of the Liberec Region is the town of Liberec , chiefly known thanks to Je;t;d, with an architecturally unique building located on its peak. This building serves as a hotel with a lookout restaurant and there is a 92-metre-tall transmission tower above it.
Je;t;d is also a well-known skiing centre, which was modernised recently. There are ski-jumps here. Skiing enthusiasts will also enjoy other centres in the Jizera Mountains, for instance, Bed;ichov. The Jizera Mountains are chiefly famous for their cross-country skiing opportunities. The Jizera 50 race takes place here every year. After skiing, you can relax in Liberec in the Babylon Centre, which also includes an aquapark.
During the rest of the year, this region also has excellent conditions for cyclists. As well as the Jizera Mountains the Ralsko Area is of interest; it used to be a closed military area.
The M;cha Region is attractive due to its offer of bathing opportunities. It boasts many bodies of water, the most famous of which is M;cha Lake, as well as interesting cliff formations. It is also worth visiting ;esk; R;j (Czech Paradise) if you are interested in seeing the cliff formations.
There are also many historic monuments in the Liberec Region. We can list Sychrov Ch;teau, where many cultural events take place, Hrub; Rohozec, Fr;dlant and Bezd;z Castle, among others.
The North Bohemian town of Terez;n has a truly tragic past. This is the site where Jews were transported from all over Europe during the Second World War and the town was transformed into a concentration camp. In 1947 the Terez;n Memorial was established here.
The ;st; Region has been chiefly linked to brown coal mining for many years and to this day it is linked to the chemicals industry. In spite of this, we can still find sites of beauty and interest here. One of the most important of these is the Czech Switzerland National Park, which also contains the Elbe Sandstones with their unique cliff towns, towers and gorges. The Teplice Spa also welcomes visitors.
East Bohemia
East Bohemia includes the Hradec Kr;lov; Region and the Pardubice Region. The town of Pardubice is the centre of the Pardubice Region, and is renowned for its Pardubice gingerbread and the Velk; Pardubick; Steeplechase.
Hradec Kr;lov; – the town of Bohemian Queens, Eli;ka Rej;ka (Elisabeth Richenza) and Eli;ka Pomo;ansk; (Elizabeth of Pomerania). The town boasts many historically valuable monuments, of which we can mention the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit dating from the 14th century, the Renaissance White Tower, the Baroque Bishop’s Palace and the Old Town Hall. Hradec Kr;lov; is also a university town.
Chlum is located not far from Hradec Kr;lov;. This is a town in which a bloody Prussian-Austrian battle took place on 3 July 1866. Memorial events take place every year on the anniversary of this battle.
East Bohemia also offers the opportunity to visit many beautiful castles and ch;teaux. The ch;teau in Litomy;l is actually a UNSECO World Cultural Heritage Site. This is a Renaissance ch;teau, the outer walls and chimneys of which are covered in sgraffito designs. More than 8,000 of them cover the building. A classical music festival titled “Smetana's Litomy;l“ is also held in Litomy;l regularly.



Hr;dek u Nechanic is also beautiful and is frequently called “Little Hluboka“. However, the ch;teau park has been transformed into a golf course.
The Baroque Karlova Koruna mansion in Chlumec nad Cidlinou, by the world-famous builder J. A. Santini, the ch;teau in ;astolovice, the ch;teau in Nov; Hrady and the castles of Litice nad Orlic; and Kun;tick; Hora, Rychmburk, Lichnice and Svojanov are also worth a visit.
The horses from the National Stud in Kladruby nad Labem are famous worldwide.
The region also offers many areas of natural beauty. The Adrspach-Teplice Rocks and the Broumov Cliffs are a frequent tourist destination. The Eagle Mountains are popular with cyclists and skiers. The best-known centres are ;;;ky , De;tn;, Rokytnice in the Eagle Mountains and ;enkovice. In summer, the Se;ska Reservoir provides an opportunity for bathing.
The Czech Republic is a relatively small country in terms of area, about 79 000 k (similar in size to Ireland, for example), yet it is very rich and diverse in terms of regional landscapes and sights.
The Czech Republic is administratively divided into 14 regions: Prague (Hlavn; m;sto Praha), South Bohemia (Jiho;esk; kraj), South Moravia (Jihomoravsk; kraj), Karlovy Vary (Karlovarsk; kraj), Hradec Kr;lov; (Kr;lov;hradeck; kraj), Liberec (Libereck; kraj), Moravia-Silesia (Moravskoslezsk; kraj), Olomouc (Olomouck; kraj), Pardubice (Pardubick; kraj), Pilsen (Plze;sk; kraj), Central Bohemia (St;edo;esk; kraj), ;st; nad Labem (;steck; kraj), Vyso;ina (Kraj Vyso;ina) and Zl;n (Zl;nsk; kraj).
This chapter addresses the administrative structure only in part, as the regions are used here more for tourist purposes.
What are the Czech "tourist regions"? They are simply parts of the country that offer a certain kind of tourism that connects the individual elements of the region (such as its geography, nature, history and culture) and, at the same time, distinguishes it from other areas. For example, one region may be ideal for wine lovers or for cyclists, while another will please people who love hiking and skiing in the mountains. The government agency CzechTourism is responsible for promoting the Czech regions.
Information Portals of Czech Republic's Regions:
Central Bohemia Region
South Bohemian Region
Plze; Region
Karlovy Vary Region
The Ust; Region
Liberec Region
Hradec Kr;lov; Region
The Pardubice Region
The Vyso;ina Region
South Moravian Region
The Olomouc Region
Moravian-Silesian Region
Zl;n Region
The Czech Republic is located in the Northern Hemisphere, approximately in the middle of the European Continent. Its neighboring states are Germany (to the west), Poland (to the north), Slovakia (to the east, which together with the Czech Republic constituted Czechoslovakia until 1992) and Austria (to the south).
The Czech Republic does not have access to the sea. The main watershed divides the catchment areas of the North, Baltic and Black seas. The closest seas are the Baltic and the Mediterranean - both of which are very popular destinations for Czech travelers. The main rivers running through the Czech Republic are the Elbe (Labe_ (370 km) and the Vltava (433 km) in Bohemia, the Morava in Moravia (246 km), the Dyje (306 km) the Oder (Odra ) (135 km) and the Opava rivers (131 km) in Silesia.
From a geographical point of view, the Czech Republic lies on the boundary line of two mountain ranges. The hilly western and middle part of Bohemia is formed by the Czech highlands and the slightly higher mountain ranges of ;umava, ;esk; les, Kru;n; hory, Krkono;e, Orlick; hory and Jesen;ky. The West Carpathian Mountains (Beskydy) lie in the eastern part of the country.
Nature in the Czech Republic, as well as its forests and mountains has been inhabited and cultivated since ancient times. In spite of this, you can still find beautiful, untouched scenic areas.
The Czech Republic has an area of 78,864 km; and borders Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. It is interesting to note that nearly all borders with the neighboring countries are formed by mountain ranges , and this is entirely so with respect to Bohemia.
The mountains of ;umava, ;esk; les (Bohemian Forest), and the Kru;n; Mountains in the northwest stretch along the border with Germany. The border with Poland is formed by the Krkono;e Mountains, the highest Czech mountains with the highest peak in the Czech Republic, Sn;;ka (1,602 meters).
These mountains are far from being the only natural treasures of the country. The area of T;ebo;is also a beautiful place, a region of hundreds of smaller and larger ponds.
You will also find nice places along the Elbe and Vltava rivers, the longest Czech river (430 kilometers), or in the vicinity of the biggest Czech man-made lake – Lipno (4,870 hectares).
You can discover a true natural paradise in several regions of rock towns, that of ;esk; r;j (Bohemian Paradise), ;esk; ;v;carsko (Bohemian Switzerland) and the Adr;pa;sko-Teplick; Rocks.
The hilly landscape of Bohemia has a contrasting counterpart in the fertile and level landscape of South Moravia with the Morava River. But when going northward, Moravia also rises to increasingly higher hills and mountains, starting with the rolling plains of the White Carpathians, the Javorn;ky, and further north you already have true mountains – the Beskydy and the Jesen;ky, which form the borders with Slovakia and Poland.
Six areas of the Czech Republic have even been identified as interesting biosphere ecosystems, and these areas have been included in the UNESCO list of global biosphere reserves. These are the areas of P;lava, K;ivokl;t, ;umava, T;ebo;, the Krkono;e and B;l;ch Karpat (the White Carpathians).
Particularly valuable areas of the Czech natural countryside have been declared national parks, protected landscape areas, national nature reserves, national natural heritage sights and natural reserves, and are subject to special regulations on natural heritage protection.
There are many rare and protected areas in the Czech Republic, but the most important among them are the ;umava National Park (the biggest national park in the Czech Republic), the Krkono;e National Park, the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, and the Podyj; National Park.
The population of the Czech Republic is now bigger than in 2001 due to foreigners. In 2001, the population of the CR counted 10,230,060 people, and now it is 10,562,214 people. The statisticians who examined the results of the 2011 Population and Housing Census claim that this growth is caused by the rising birth rate, but concede that it is mainly due to the migration of foreigners, whose population in the Czech Republic has risen by 360.5% in comparison with 2001 (there were 124,668 foreigners in 2001, now they total 449,450 people).



The results of the 2011 population census also showed that most of these foreigners came from the Ukraine (117,810), followed by Slovaks (84,380) and Vietnamese (53,110). As for other nations, there are 36,055 Russians, 20,780 Germans and 17,856 Polish living in the CR. People from 182 countries participated in the Czech population census. In comparison with the data from 2001, the group that saw the biggest increase were Germans (by 504.4%), followed by Ukrainians (471%), Russians (368.5%) and Slovaks (248.7%).
Most foreigners live in the capital city Prague, precisely 178,177 people, making up 14% of the total population of the capital (1,272,690). The second highest population of foreigners is in the Central Bohemian Region with 55,928 foreigners, and the South Moravian Region (37,724) is third.
For the first time in history the population census form included a question about registered partnership (relationship between partners of the same sex). The voluntary question was answered positively by 2,055 people.
On the other hand, the other voluntary question concerning religion was not answered by 4.8 million people (the number was nearly 1 million in 2001). 3,612,804 people consider themselves atheists. The Roman Catholic Church has the most supporters in our country with 1.8 million believers, followed by the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (52 thousand) and the Czechoslovak Hussite Church (40 thousand).