|
People
The Czechs are the country's dominant ethnic group, representing
about 94%of the population, Slovaks account for about 3% and Poles,
Germans, Roma (Gypsies), and Hungarians comprise most of the remainder.
The country is divided informally into seven regions. The Czech
Republic has been one of Europe's most highly industrialized regions
since the latter half of the 19th century. Some 66 percent of the
population lives in urban areas.
Language
The official language of the Czech Republic is Czech, a language
of the West Slavic subgroup of Slavic languages. Moravians speak
a form of Czech that differs slightly from the form spoken in Bohemia.
Slovaks speak Slovak, a language closely related to Czech. Members
of other ethnic groups generally speak Czech in addition to their
own native languages.
Religion
The principal religion of the Czech Republic is Christianity. Approximately
39% of the population is Roman Catholic. Other active Christian
churches include the Orthodox Church and Protestant denominations
such as the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren and the Czechoslovak
Hussite church.
Many of those who identify as members of religious organizations
do not practice their religion actively.
|
