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Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total:
78,866 kmē
land:
77,276 kmē
water:
1,590 kmē
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total:
1,881 km
border countries:
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 countryElevation extremes:
lowest point:
highest point:
Natural resources:
hard coal , soft coal , kaolin, clay, graphite, timberLand use:
arable land:
41%
permanent crops:
2%
permanent pastures:
11%
forests and woodland:
34%
other:
12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 240 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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, Climate Change-Kyoto 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