Regions of the Czech Republic

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Regions of the Czech Republic
  • Also known as:
  • Kraje České republiky (Czech)
CZ-cleneni.svg
Category Unitary state
Location Czech Republic
Number13 regions + Prague
Populations293,195 (Karlovy Vary Region) – 1,466,215 (Central Bohemian Region)
Areas3,163 km2 (1,221 sq mi) (Liberec Region) – 10,929 km2 (4,220 sq mi) (Central Bohemian Region)
Government
Subdivisions

Regions of the Czech Republic (Czech : kraje [ˈkrajɛ] ; singular kraj [kraj] ⓘ ) are higher-level territorial self-governing units of the Czech Republic.

Contents

History

Historical lands and current administrative regions Czech Republic - Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (en).png
Historical lands and current administrative regions

The first regions ( kraje ) were created in the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 14th century. At the beginning of the 15th century, Bohemia was already divided into 12 regions, but their borders were not fixed due to the frequent changes in the borders of the estates. During the reign of George of Poděbrady (1458–1471), Bohemia was divided into 14 regions, which remained so until 1714, when their number was reduced to 12 again. From 1751 to 1850, after the four largest regions were divided, the kingdom consisted of 16 regions. Between 1850 and 1862, there were several reforms and the number of regions fluctuated between 7 and 13. Due to the parallel establishment of political districts in 1848, however, their importance declined. In 1862, the regions were abolished, although the regional authorities had some powers until 1868. [1]

Moravia was divided into four regions in 1529. In 1569–1735, their number was five, then the number increased to six. After the introduction of the political districts in 1850, Moravia consisted of two regions. In 1855–1860, there were six regions, but in 1860 they were abolished. [1]

Czech Silesia was not divided into regions until 1783, when it was divided into two regions. From 1850, Czech Silesia formed one region. [1]

From the 1860s to 1948, the Czech lands were divided into counties and districts. Regions were reintroduced in 1949 in Czechoslovakia. From 1949 to 1960, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was divided into the Capital City of Prague and 13 regions. [2] In 1960–1999, the Czech part of Czechoslovakia was divided into the Capital City of Prague and following 7 regions: [3]

According to the Act no. 129/2000 Coll. ("Law on Regions"), which implements Chapter VII of the Czech Constitution, the Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions and one capital city with regional status as of 1 January 2000. [4] The capital city of Prague, which has simultaneously the status of a region and a municipality, is treated by Act no. 131/2000 Coll. ("Law on Capital City of Prague"). [5]

Competences

Rights and obligations of the regions include: [4]

Government

Every region is governed by a regional council, headed by a governor ( hejtman ). Elections to regional councils take place every four years. The number of council members varies according to the population in the region and consists of 45 (population under 600,000), 55 (population 600,000–900,000) or 65 people (population over 900,000). [4]

List of regions

Licence
plate 		RegionCapitalPopulation
(2025) [6] 		Area
(km2)		Pop. density
(per km2)		GDP
(million CZK, 2022) [7] 		GDP per
capita (2022) [8]
AFlag of Prague.svg Prague 1,397,8804962,8181,926,3231,453,579
SFlag of Central Bohemian Region.svg Central Bohemian Prague [a] 1,466,21510,929134775,682557,641
CFlag of South Bohemian Region.svg South Bohemian České Budějovice 653,22710,05865309,007480,506
PFlag of Plzen Region.svg Plzeň Plzeň 614,6407,64980326,669553,512
KFlag of Karlovy Vary Region.svg Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary 293,1953,31089111,015377,886
UFlag of Usti nad Labem Region.svg Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem 808,3565,339151360,731440,737
LFlag of Liberec Region.svg Liberec Liberec 449,4943,163142202,639457,749
HFlag of Hradec Kralove Region.svg Hradec Králové Hradec Králové 555,9234,759117299,250543,106
EFlag of Pardubice Region.svg Pardubice Pardubice 530,4694,519117268,290513,222
JFlag of Vysocina Region.svg Vysočina Jihlava 517,6476,79676241,562474,282
BFlag of South Moravian Region.svg South Moravian Brno 1,229,3437,188171745,193624,757
MFlag of Olomouc Region.svg Olomouc Olomouc 631,5005,272120317,890503,709
ZFlag of Zlin Region.svg Zlín Zlín 578,9983,963146304,826524,888
TFlag of Moravian-Silesian Region.svg Moravian-Silesian Ostrava 1,182,6135,427218597,665499,813
CZFlag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic Prague 10,909,50078,8711386,786,742634,993

Coats of arms

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Administrative buildings only. Prague is not considered a part of the region.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "100 let proměn hranic našich regionů (Leták ke konferenci a vernisáži výstavy map)" (in Czech). Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. 2018. pp. 17–18.
  2. ↑ "Historie krajského zřízení sahá hluboko do minulosti" (in Czech). Czech Statistical Office . Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ↑ "Zákon č. 36/1960 Sb. o územním členění státu". zakonyprolidi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "Zákon č. 129/2000 Sb. o krajích (krajské zřízení)". zakonyprolidi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Zákon č. 131/2000 Sb. o hlavním městě Praze". zakonyprolidi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Population of Municipalities – 1 January 2025". Czech Statistical Office. 16 May 2025.
  7. ↑ "Gross Domestic Product: Current prices (CZK mil.)". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office . Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "Gross Domestic Product: Per capita (CZK)". Public Database. Czech Statistical Office . Retrieved 19 April 2024.
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