The Czech Republic Flashcards

Question

WWI

Answer 1

independant Czechoslovakia

Answer 2

1939 Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

Answer 3

The Communist takeover

Answer 4

the Soviet invasion

Answer 5

the Velvet revolution

Answer 6

the independent Czech Republic

Answer 7

threee branches (Legislative, Executive and Judicial)

Answer 8

The parliament is two-chambered and represents the legislative power: 1) The lower house is called the Chamber of Deputies: elections for the Chamber of Deputies are held every four years; unless the government is dissolved/ends earlier the Chamber of Deputies has proportional representation; all parties that get over 5% of the votes enter the parliament 200 members (21 years old) 4-year term 2) The upper house is called the Senate a third of the Senate is elected for a six-year term with elections occurring every two years, majority system - if no candidate gets over 50% of the votes in the first round, the two most successful candidates continue to the second round, and the one who wins it takes the seat, 81 members (40 years old) Functions - debate, vote, make bills/laws, agree or disagree on sth, make/approve/reject a proposal, pass a law.

Answer 9

The executive power is represented by the government and the president. a) the government consists of the prime minister and Cabinet (fourteen ministries are the heads of their ministries, e.g. Interior, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Health, Transport and others.) All governmental debates take place at the Government's seat Straka Academy in Prague. The ministers are responsible for executing the laws previously created by Parliament. b) the head of the state is the president, who is elected every five years and can only be elected for two terms, direct election, commander-in-chief, sign/return/veto a bill, appoint ministers/judges, pardon sb, declare an amnesty, represents the country abroad, the official seat is Prague castle)

Answer 10

Judicial power is represented by independent courts at various levels (district courts, regional courts, high courts in Prague and Olomouc, the Supreme Court in Brno, and the Constitutional Court in Brno Judges - appointed by the president for life Political parties - a multi-party system (several political parties), various ideas about the economy, social welfare and cultural life in the country, written down in their political program, they can be left-wing or right-wing Elections - every citizen older than 18 years has the right to vote, voting takes place in polling stations all around the country

Answer 11

- rich customs and long traditions - the tradition of balls and dances - feasts in many villages (hody) during which you can see people dressed in folk costumes with rich embroidery, e.g. the Ride of the Kings held in many Moravian regions and is usually performed by young boys from the village - putting up the maypole - top of the tree is decorated with colourful ribbons and needs to be protected at night from being cut down by neighbouring villagers - pig-slaughtering in winter - performed by the village butchers and are great occasions for meeting relatives and neighbours - fairs - All Souls´ Day, St Nicholas Day, Easter, 1st of May

Answer 12

hiking, Nordic walking, mountain biking, climbing, horseback riding, camping, bird watching, yachting, windsurfing, water skiing, snorkelling, kiteboarding, motor boating, water scootering, paddle boating

Answer 13

In the Czech Republic there are many castles worth visiting such as Konopiště, Český Krumlov, Bouzov, Helfštýn, Hukvaldy, Sovinec, Velké Losiny, Buchlov, Pernštejn, Hluboká nad Vltavou, Červená Lhota, Zvíkov, Žebrák, Bezděz, etc.

Answer 14

1. The Elbe/Labe River (rises in the Giant Mountains) 2. The Vltava River (passes through Prague and has many tributaries) 3. The Berounka River 4. The Sazava River 5. The Morava River 6. The Dyje River 7. The Odra River

Answer 15

home of the pagan god Radegast

Answer 16

The Czech Republic offers rich and varied landscapes. The landscape is hilly/quite mountainous around the borders and flatter in the centre. The highest mountain is Sněžka (1603 m) in the Krkonoše Mountains (the Giant Mountains) in the north. Silesia boasts the Hrubý Jeseník with its highest point called Praděd and the Beskydy Mountains, whose highest mountain is Lysá hora. Many rivers such as the Elbe, the Vltava and the Morava flow through the country. The Vltava river is the longest in Czechia, and it flows into the country's biggest river, the Elbe, which then flows into the North Sea. There are not that many natural lakes in Czechia but the best-known are Černé or Čertovo in the Šumava. However, there are a lot of artificial lakes which are used for carp breeding, for example, Rožmberk Pond in South Bohemia, which is also the biggest artificial lake in the country. The country often suffers from floods. The land is quite heavily forested (bark beetle - kůrovec).

Answer 17

In the south has some of the oldest forests in the country. Šumava region includes nature reserves such as Boubín Forest and the Black (our biggest and deepest lake, it is of glacial origin) and Devil Lakes.

Answer 18

popular area for hiking and has many interesting rock formations

Answer 19

cave systems

Answer 20

canoeing, rafting and kayaking

Answer 21

The lake is a popular recreation area.

Answer 22

Mountains are famous for their natural beauty, the Dlouhé Stráně hydroelectric power plant and Lázně Jeseník with modern hydrotherapy.