II.

Land and Resources

The Czech Republic rests on elevated tablelands, known as the Bohemian Plateau, which stretch west to the German border and east to Slovakia. Mountains, including the Bohemian, Sudety, and Carpathian ranges, rise along the plateau’s edges, primarily to the north and east. The country’s highest point is Sněžka, which rises 1,602 m (5,256 ft) in the Sudety Mountains. The lowest point is the River Elbe, which at the border with Germany is 117 m (384 ft) above sea level. The central part of the Czech Republic is made up of the Bohemian Basin and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands; the Moravian Lowlands lie to the east. These regions contain the republic’s most fertile soils. The central part of the plateau consists primarily of rolling hills, farmland, and fertile river valleys. The Bohemian Forest forms the south-western border with Germany.

A.

Rivers and Lakes

The republic’s primary rivers include the Elbe, Vltava, Morava, Neisse, and Oder. Other important streams include the Jizera, Ohre, Beca, Sázava, Svratka, and Luznice. Lakes are mostly small, some of the largest being man-made reservoirs.

B.

Climate

The interior plateau areas of the republic have a primarily continental temperate climate with warm summers and cold winters. The mountainous areas endure harsher winters and receive heavy rainfall. The southern areas of the republic near the border with Austria have hot summers and milder winters. The average temperature in Prague in January is -3° C (27° F), in July, 18° C (64° F). The average annual precipitation is 410 mm (16 in) in Prague, and 550 mm (22 in) in Brno.

C.

Natural Resources

The Czech Republic has relatively poor mineral resources. Coal is the most common and profitable natural resource, particularly brown coal and lignite. Increased excavation and use of coal have wreaked environmental havoc on air and water quality, which has subsequently affected the health of the populace. Magnesite, iron ore, and a few non-metallic minerals are also common in parts of the republic. There are sizeable uranium deposits and smaller mercury, antimony, and tin deposits in the Ore Mountains (part of the Bohemian Mountains).

D.

Plants and Animals

Spruce and fir trees are the most common trees in the republic’s forests, particularly at higher elevations, while mixed forests of oak, ash, and maple are characteristic in lower zones. The uncultivated lowlands are covered mostly with clover, reeds, and broom grass. Wildlife is becoming scarce because of pollution and deforestation, but wolf, brown bear, wild boar, wildcat, white eagle, chamois, and fox are found in the mountainous Carpathian region.

E.

Environmental Concerns

The Czech Republic operates four nuclear reactors but produces most of its energy by burning domestic coal. Much of the coal burned is low quality with a high ash and sulphur content, producing high levels of air pollution. Partly as a result of this, the incidence of illnesses doubled in Prague between 1975 and 1990.

Forests in the Czech Republic are among the most seriously affected by acid rain in all of Europe—about 57 per cent had been damaged by air pollution by the mid-1980s. Fertilizer applications are uncontrolled; in some areas of the country the nitrate content is so high that the water is considered unsafe for human consumption.

Within the Czech Republic about 3,500 plant species and 60,000 animal species are known, including invertebrates. There are three national parks and about 190 other reserves and specially protected sites and the government has ambitious plans to increase the extent of the system. Five biosphere reserves have been designated under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Program at Krivoklátsko (1977), Trebon Basin (1977), Palava (1986), Sumava (1990), and Bílé Karpathy; ten sites have been declared under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.