The majority of the 10.2 million inhabitants of the Czech Republic are ethnically and linguistically Czech (95%). Other ethnic groups include Germans, Roma, Poles and Hungarians. Historical minorities of, like those of Germans and Poles are declining due to assimilation. Roma community is growing. There is also a growing Vietnamese community. Since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, Slovaks staying in the Czech Republic have comprised roughly 3% of the population. Languages Romani, languages of native region Religions Christianity, Islam Related ethnic groups South Asians (Desi) The Roma (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom) or Romanies are an ethnic group living in many communities all over the world. ... Cultural assimilation (often called merely assimilation) is an intense process of consistent integration whereby members of an ethno-cultural group, typically immigrants, or other minority groups, are absorbed into an established, generally larger community. ... The Dissolution of Czechoslovakia is a general term for the dissolution of the former country of Czechoslovakia into the nations of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, effective January 1, 1993. ...

Minorities

Languages Romani, languages of native region Religions Christianity, Islam Related ethnic groups South Asians (Desi) The Roma (singular Rom; sometimes Rroma, Rrom) or Romanies are an ethnic group living in many communities all over the world. ... Hungarians (Hungarian: ) or Magyars[5] are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. ...

Poles

Main article: Polish minority in the Czech Republic

The most concentrated linguistic minority in the Czech Republic are ethnic Poles, historically the majority, today constituting about 10% of the Karviná and Frýdek-Místek districts population. Poles have the right to use their language in official dealings, the public media (the Czech TV and the Czech Radio) regularly broadcast in Polish, and there are many Polish primary and secondary schools in the area. The Polish minority has been decreasing substantially since World War II as education in Polish was difficult to obtain, while Czech authorities did not permit bilingual signs to maintain Polish awareness among the population. Polish minority in the Czech Republic (Polish: , Czech: ) is a Polish national minority living mainly in Zaolzie territory. ... Karviná District (Czech: , Polish: ) is a district (okres) within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. ... Frýdek-Místek District (Czech: , Polish: ) is a district (okres) within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. ... Logo of ÄŒeská televizes ÄŒT1 channel. ... ÄŒeský rozhlas is the publicly-funded radio broadcaster in the Czech Republic. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The erection of bilingual signs has technically been permitted since 2001, if a minority constitutes 10% of the population of a municipality. The requirement that a petition be signed by the members of minority was cancelled, thus simplifying whole process.^[4] Still, only a couple of villages with large Polish minorities have bilingual signs (Vendryně/Wędrynia for instance). Bilingual sign (or, by extension Multilingual) is the representation on a panel (sign, usually traffic sign, safety sign and informational sign) of texts in more than one language. ... VendrynÄ› is a small village in the northeastern Czech Republic, at the Olza (OlÅ¡e) river, in Moravian-Silesian Region. ...

Germans

The German minority of the Czech Republic, historically the largest minority of the country, was almost entirely removed when 3 million were forcibly expelled in 1945–6. Remaining Germans are granted some special rights in theory; however, the actual use of German in dealings with officials is usually not possible. There is no bilingual education system in Western and Northern Bohemia, where the German minority is most concentrated. However, this is in large part due to the absence of German speaking youth, a heritage of the post-war policy of the Communist government. Germans expelled from the Sudetenland // The expulsion of Germans after World War II refers to the forced migration of people considered Germans (Reichsdeutsche and some Volksdeutsche) from various European states and territories during 1945 and in the first three years after World War II 1946-48. ...

According to the 2001 census there remain 13 municipalities and settlements in the Czech Republic with more than 10% Germans.

Many representatives of expellees' organizations support the erection of bilingual signs in all formerly German speaking territory as a visible sign of the bilingual linguistic and cultural heritage of the region, yet their efforts are not supported by some of the current inhabitants, as the vast majority of the current population is not of German descent. The term bilingualism (from bi meaning two and lingua meaning language) can refer to rather different phenomena. ... Cultural heritage (national heritage or just heritage) is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations. ...

Greeks

Another influential minority are Greeks. Large numbers of Greeks arrived in Czechoslovakia when the Greek Civil War broke out. The first transports of Greek children arrived in 1948 and 1949. Later, more transports, also including adults, arrived.^[5] They were partly leftists, communists and guerillas with their relatives, hence the willingness of Czechoslovak government to allow the immigration.^[6] This was viewed rather as a temporary solution. After the defeat of DSE and other left-wing guerillas, the Greeks stayed in Czechoslovakia. In total more than 12,000 Greeks immigrated to Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1950.^[6] Today, there are about 7000 Greeks in the country (3219 according to 2001 census data)^[6], mostly in the towns of Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Jeseník, Krnov, Třinec, Karviná, Šumperk, Vrbno pod Pradědem, Havířov and Bohumín (most of these towns are in the Moravian-Silesian Region).^[7] Combatants Hellenic Army, Royalist forces, Republicans, British troops Communist guerillas (ELAS, DSE) Commanders Alexander Papagos, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, James Van Fleet Markos Vafiadis Strength 150,000 men 50,000 men and women Casualties 15,000 killed 32,000+ killed or captured The Greek Civil War (Greek: ) was fought between 1946 and... Nickname: Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area  - City 496 km²  (191. ... Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region South Moravia Founded 1146 Area  - city 230. ... Czech Republic Moravian-Silesian Ostrava 23  - Moravská Ostrava a Přívoz  - Hošťálkovice  - Hrabová  - Ostrava-Jih  - Krásné Pole  - Lhotka  - Mariánské Hory a Hulváky  - Martinov  - Michálkovice  - Nová BÄ›lá  - Nová Ves  - PetÅ™kovice  - Plesná  - Polanka nad Odrou  - Poruba  - Proskovice  - Pustkovec  - Radvanice a Bartovice  - Stará BÄ›lá  - Slezsk... Jeseník (Czech: Frývaldov until 1947, German: Freiwaldau) is a city and a district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. ... Krnov (read kûr´nôf in Czech, German: Jägerndorf, new-Polish: Krnów, old-Polish: Karniów, Latin: Carnovia) is an Upper Silesian city in the northeastern Czech Republic, in Moravian-Silesian Region, in the District of Bruntál, on the Opava River near the Polish border. ... Location of TÅ™inec in the Czech Republic TÅ™inec (Polish: ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. ... Location of Karviná in the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Moravian-Silesian District Karviná First mentioned 1268  - Mayor Tomáš Hanzel (ÄŒSSD) Area    - City 57. ... Å umperk (-Czech, German: Mährisch Schönberg) is a city and district in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. ... Vrbno pod PradÄ›dem (German: ) is a town in Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. ... HaviÅ™ov is an urbanity within the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. ... Bohumín (-Czech, German: Oderberg, Polish: Bogumin) is a city in the Czech Republic near the border with Poland. ... Moravian-Silesian Region (Czech: Moravskoslezský kraj) is an administrative unit (kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-eastern part of its historical region of Moravia and in most of the Czech part of the historical region of Silesia. ...

Vietnamese

There are also Asian minorities in the Czech Republic. The largest is the Vietnamese one. During the communist era the governments of Czechoslovakia and Vietnam had a deal concerning the education of Vietnamese people in Czechoslovakia. Vietnamese people came to Czechoslovakia for the first time in 1956 and then the number of new migrants grew until the fall of communism. First generation Vietnamese work mostly as small-scale businessmen in markets. The second generation, raised in the Czech Republic, is viewed by many as a future elite of the country, because of its very good results in schools.^[8] Still, many Vietnamese are without the Czech citizenship. One of the towns with the largest Vietnamese communities is Cheb. Cheb (German: ( )) is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with 33,256 inhabitants. ...

Religion

Most of the Czech population claim to be atheist or agnostic (60%). The largest denomination is Czechs' traditional faith, Roman Catholicism, estimated at 27.4% of the population.^[2] For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... The term agnosticism and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church...

Statistics

Population: 10,287,189 (December 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0–14 years: 14.7% (male 773,028; female 731,833)
15–64 years: 71.1% (male 3,651,018; female 3,627,006)
65 years and over: 14.2% (male 565,374; female 892,879) (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.06% (2006 est.)
+0.30% (2005 est.)
+0.09% (2004 est.)
+0.08% (2003 est.)
−0.03% (2002 est.)
−0.25% (2001 est.)
+0.72% (1974 est.)

Birth rate:
10.28 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
10.00 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
9.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
9.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
9.10 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
8.87 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
19.55 births/1,000 population (1974 est.)

Death rate:
10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
10.56 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
10.50 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
10.91 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
10.54 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
12.69 deaths/1,000 population (1974 est.)

Net migration rate:
3.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
1.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
1.20 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
−0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1974 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 3.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.02 years
male: 72.74 years
female: 79.49 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2005) [1]

Nationality:
noun: Czech(s) (Czech language: Čech, plural: Češi)
adjective: Czech (česká) Czech (čeÅ¡tina []) is one of the West Slavic languages, along with Slovak, Polish, Pomeranian (Kashubian), and Lusatian Sorbian. ...

Ethnic groups: Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%^[9], Slovak 1.9%, Polish 0.5%, German 0.4%, Silesian 0.1%^[9], Roma 0.1% (those officially claiming so, unofficial estimate is cca. 2%), Hungarian 0.1%, other 2.8% (March 2001) Flag of Moravia Moravia (Czech and Slovak: Morava; German: ; Hungarian: ; Polish: ) is a historical region in the east of the Czech RepublicCzechia. ...

Ukrainians are the largest group of people without Czech citizenship living in the country.

Religions: Atheist and agnostic 60.0%, Roman Catholic 27.4%, Protestant 1.2%, Hussites 1.0%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.2%, Eastern Orthodox 0.2%, other religions 2.8%, unknown 8.8% (March 2001) “Atheist” redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Roman Catholic Church in the Czech Republic is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Protestantism encompasses the forms... The Hussites comprised a Christian movement following the teachings of the reformer Jan Hus (circa 1369–1415), who was influenced by John Wyclif and became one of the forerunners of the Protestant Reformation. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ...

Languages: Czech, also in some regions Moravian dialects,Cieszyn Silesian dialect and Polish language in Těšínské Slezsko as well as various Sudeten German dialects that are currently in extreme danger of extinction. Cieszyn Silesian dialect (Polish: gwara cieszyÅ„ska, Czech těšínské nářečí) is one of the Silesian dialects of Polish language with strong Czech and German influences. ... Polish (jÄ™zyk polski, polszczyzna) is the official language of Poland. ... Cieszyn Silesia (Polish: ÅšlÄ…sk CieszyÅ„ski, Czech: Těšínské Slezsko, German: Teschener Schlesien) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, between the Vistula and Oder rivers. ...

Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 99.9% (1999 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

External links

• Czech Statistical Office, state institution responsible to provide official data about Czech Republic
• Ethnic groups living in the Czech Republic (click on menu for others)

References