The population of the Czech Republic is over 10 million people.
Slavic tribes began to populate the Czech lands in the 5th-6th centuries (before that, the Goths, Germans, Quads, macromans lived here), and the first Slavic state of the Middle Ages, the Great Morava, arose on Czech land in the 9th century (the Moravian Empire covered the territories of Slovakia, Silesia, Bohemia, as well as modern states - Poland, Germany and Hungary).
Today the Czech Republic is a successful country with a rich heritage and culture.
National composition:
- Czechs (81%);
- other nations (Germans, Ukrainians, Jews, Gypsies, Hungarians, Poles).
130 people live per 1 sq. Km, but the most densely populated are large urban agglomerations - Prague, Ostrava, Brno (up to 250 people live here per 1 sq. Km), and the least populated districts of Prachatice and Cesky-Krumlov (population density - 35 people) per 1 sq. km).
The official language is Czech.
Major cities: Prague, Brno, Pilsen, Ostrava.
The inhabitants of the Czech Republic profess Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism.
Life span
On average, the male population lives up to 70, and the female population - up to 77 years. If we compare the indicators of average life expectancy in the Czech Republic with other EU countries, then they are quite low (the Czech Republic allocates $ 1900 per year for health care per person).
An important role in this matter belongs to the fact that the Czech Republic is characterized by a high level of alcohol consumption per capita, but nevertheless, spirits are drunk here less than in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. In addition, the Czech Republic is one of the ten countries in the world for the consumption of cigarettes. As for the problem of obesity, 21% of the population of the Czech Republic faces it.
Traditions and customs of Czechs
Czechs are very fond of holidays, especially folk ones, for example, on the feast of St. Barbara (December 4), it is customary to cut sprigs from a cherry tree and put them in water. According to legend, if the barborka has time to turn green by Christmas, then the person who cut it off will be able to achieve its goals.
Wedding traditions are interesting in that the groom, wooing the bride, must come to her parents and ask them for permission to marry (he must take a bouquet of flowers with him). The wedding table, as a rule, does not abound with treats (wedding cake, sandwiches and booze are displayed on the table). This is due not to the stinginess of the local population, but to their upbringing and traditions. But the program of the wedding evening is replete with theatrical performances and colorful ritual dances.
At Czech weddings, flowers play an important role - their petals are usually scattered before the wedding procession and at the venue of the wedding ceremony (this rite is performed to attract the goddess of fertility).
Czechs are hospitable, polite and friendly people: they are so friendly towards strangers that you should not be surprised if someone sits down at your table in a cafe.
