The Czech Republic, or Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec.
The Czech Republic is a Central European country, a member of the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations. It entertains diplomatic relations with 191 countries of the world, around half of which maintain a resident embassy in the Czech capital city, Prague.
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.
Václav Havel was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 31 December, before he became the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He was the first democratically elected president of either country after the fall of communism. As a writer of Czech literature, he is known for his plays, essays and memoirs.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1942 after amalgamating with the similar Emergency Rescue Committee, the IRC provides emergency aid and long-term assistance to refugees and those displaced by war, persecution, or natural disaster. The IRC is currently working in about 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities where it resettles refugees and helps them become self-sufficient. It focuses mainly on health, education, economic wellbeing, power, and safety.
Václav Havel Airport Prague, formerly Prague Ruzyně International Airport, is the international airport of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The airport was founded in 1937, when it replaced the Kbely Airport. It was reconstructed and extended in 1956, 1968, 1997, and 2006. In 2012, it was renamed after the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel. It is located at the edge of the Prague-Ruzyně area, next to Kněževes village, 12 km (7 mi) west of the centre of Prague and 12 km (7 mi) southeast of the city of Kladno.
České dráhy, often shortened to ČD, is the major railway operator in the Czech Republic providing regional and long-distance services.
A humanitarian crisis is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area. Local, national and international responses are necessary in such events.
The Czech Republic is often considered the 2nd most progressive former Eastern Bloc country in regards to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. In 2006, it legalized registered partnerships for same-sex couples, and a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was being considered by the Parliament of the Czech Republic before its dissolution for the 2021 Czech legislative election, when it died in the committee stage. Now, in 2023, the bill is back in the Czech parliament waiting for the members of the Chamber of Deputies to take the vote.
Brno University of Technology is a university located in Brno, Czech Republic. Being founded in 1899 and initially offering a single course in civil engineering, it grew to become a major technical Czech university with over 18,000 students enrolled at 8 faculties and 2 university institutes.
Fortuna Arena is a football stadium, in Prague-Vršovice, Czech Republic. The stadium has a capacity of 19,370 people and it is the biggest and the most modern football stadium in the Czech Republic.
The Via Foundation, Nadace Via, is a charitable foundation located in Prague, Czech Republic.
People in Need (PIN) is a Czech nonprofit, non-governmental organisation based in Prague, Czech Republic. PIN implements humanitarian relief and long term development projects, educational programmes, and human rights programmes in crisis affected regions internationally. Its director is Šimon Pánek. As of 2022, PIN operates in 33+ countries.
Czech Centres is an organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic consisting of offices in 22 countries throughout three continents. It was established for the promotion of the Czech history, culture, language, tourism and trade abroad. It is considered an active instrument of foreign policy of the Czech Republic through public diplomacy.
The International Visegrad Fund is an international donor organization promoting development of closer cooperation among the Visegrad Group (V4) countries—the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. The main aim of the fund is to strengthen the ties among people and institutions in Central and Eastern Europe through giving support to regional non-governmental initiatives. The Fund is the only institutionalized form of regional cooperation of the Visegrad Group countries.
The 2011–12 Czech First League, known as the Gambrinus liga for sponsorship reasons, was the 19th season of the Czech Republic's top-tier football league. It began on 29 July 2011 and was originally due to end on 26 May 2012, although due to the Czech Republic's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012, the end of the season was brought forward to 12 May 2012. Viktoria Plzeň were the defending champions, having won their first Czech Republic championship the previous season.
Igor Blaževič is a European human rights campaigner of Bosnian origin living in the Czech Republic as the founder and longtime director of One World, the Europe's biggest human rights documentary International Film Festival and the director of the People in Need foundation. He is also the member of the steering committee of World Movement for Democracy. Currently he is a Programme Director at the Prague Civil Society Centre. Among other activities he is the director of the Educational Initiatives, training program for the Burma activists based in Thailand.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of over 160 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
The Association for Democracy Assistance and Human Rights (DEMAS) (Czech: Asociace pro podporu demokracie a lidských práv) is a Czech organization founded in 2008 which is an amalgamation of 11 NGOs and 5 observer status organizations. DEMAS, and the organizations within focus on supporting democracy and upholding human and civil rights within the Czech republic and internationally. They state their mission as being "Ready to serve the cause of democracy, human rights and civil society whenever and wherever the need arises." Funding for DEMAS initially came mostly from the Czech Republic government, and through programs meant to offer funding for NGOs, such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). NED funding is given out by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. DEMAS is also funded by the European Union, European Commission, private donors, and other governmental grants and funds.
The Czech Army Central Band is a unit of the Czech Land Forces responsible for providing musical support to the Army of the Czech Republic and the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. Its parent organization is the Army Music Service of the Czech Armed Forces which heads all bands in the CAF. The band currently consists of 46 active musicians who are based in Prague. As of September 2018, the band is led by the Chief Director of Music, Gustav Foret and his deputy, Captain Richard Czuczor.
