Location:
Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria
Geographic coordinates:
49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 78,867 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 77,247 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 1,620 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 116
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 2,143 km
border countries (4): Austria 402 km, Germany 704 km, Poland 796 km, Slovakia 241 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
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:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Labe (Elbe) River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural resources:
hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber, arable land
Land use:
agricultural land: 54.8%
arable land 41%; permanent crops 1%; permanent pasture 12.8%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 34.4%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 10.8% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
Irrigated land:
320 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
Total renewable water resources:
13.15 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.7 cu km/yr (41%/56%/2%)
per capita: 164.7 cu m/yr (2009)
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