Czechia

Czechia, the Czech Republic, sits at the crossroads of Central Europe, its borders tracing almost exactly the ancient lands of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Encircled by low mountains that form a natural fortress, it is a country of fairy-tale towns, spa resorts, and the spires of Prague rising above the Vltava. With about 10.9 million people, it ranks among Europe's most industrialized and prosperous post-communist states, famous for crystal glass, Škoda automobiles, and a beer-drinking culture unmatched anywhere on Earth.

The Bohemian Massif dominates the west, ringed by the Krkonoše, Šumava, and Ore Mountains, and the country's high point, Sněžka, reaches 1,603 meters on the Polish border. Moravia in the east is gentler, its vineyards and lowlands draining toward the Danube basin. The Elbe and Vltava rivers carry Bohemian waters north to the North Sea. A temperate climate, dense forests, and mineral springs at Karlovy Vary have shaped a landscape long prized for both its industry and its spas.

The Kingdom of Bohemia was a major power of the Holy Roman Empire, and Prague under Charles IV became an imperial capital and home to Central Europe's oldest university. After centuries within the Habsburg realm, Czechoslovakia emerged in 1918, endured Nazi occupation and communist rule, and split peacefully from Slovakia in the 1993 Velvet Divorce. The country's cultural legacy runs deep, from Kafka and Dvořák to the playwright-president Václav Havel, and its preserved historic centers draw visitors from across the world.

• Europe
  A small, intricate continent of outsized influence located in
• Austria
  An Alpine republic at the heart of old Europe neighboring country
• Germany
  Europe's economic engine at the continent's crossroads neighboring country
• Poland
  From the Baltic dunes to the Tatra peaks, the keystone of Central Europe neighboring country
• Slovakia
  A landlocked Carpathian country of castles, caves, and high Tatra peaks neighboring country