Geography of The Czech Republic

The Czech landscape is quite varied. Bohemia, to the west, consists of a river basin, drained by the Elbe (Czech: Labe) and Vltava rivers. It is surrounded by mostly low mountains such as the Sudetes with its part Krkonoše, containing the highest point in the country, the Sněžka at 1,602 metres (5,256 ft). Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava river, but also contains the source of the Oder (Czech: Odra) river. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The Czech Republic also possesses Moldauhafen, a 30,000-square-metre (7.4-acre) enclave in the middle of Hamburg docks, which was awarded to Czechoslovakia by Article 363 of the Treaty of Versailles to allow the landlocked country a place where goods transported downriver could be transferred to seagoing ships; this territory reverts to Germany in 2028.

Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Geographic coordinates: 49°45′N 15°30′E / 49.75°N 15.5°E / 49.75; 15.5

Map references: Europe

Area:

• total: 78,866 km2 (30,450 sq mi)
• land: 77,276 km2 (29,836 sq mi)
• water: 1,590 km2 (610 sq mi)

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina; slightly larger than Scotland

Land boundaries:

• total: 1,881 km (1,169 mi)
• border countries: Austria 362 km (225 mi), Germany 815 km (506 mi), Poland 658 km, Slovakia 215 km (134 mi)

Panhandles:
Aš Hook, Šluknov Hook, Frýdlant Hook, Broumov Hook, Javorník Hook, Osoblaha Hook, Břeclav Hook (March-Thaya Triangle).

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; hot summers; cold, cloudy, white 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 extremes:

• lowest point: Elbe River - 115 m (377 ft)
• highest point: Sněžka - 1,602 m (5,256 ft)

Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber, uranium

Land use:

• arable land: 41%
• permanent crops: 2%
• permanent pastures: 11%
• forests and woodland: 34%
• other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 240 km2 or 93 sq mi0 (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding

Environment - international agreements:

• party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
• signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

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