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Czech Republic. Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pens,Cartridges, Fountain Pens.
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England Description Czech Republic
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Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
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Location
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Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria
WebCam
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Geographic Coordinates
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49 45 N, 15 30 E
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Area - comparative
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slightly smaller than South Carolina
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Coast line
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0 km (landlocked)
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Climate
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none (landlocked)
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Terrain Czech Republic
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temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
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Natural Resources Czech Republic
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Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
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Irrigated land
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hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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240 sq km (2003)
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Natural Hazards
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16 cu km (2005)
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Environment Currentissues
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flooding
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Geography Note
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air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
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Population Czech Republic
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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
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Population growth rate
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10,201,707 (July 2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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-0.106% (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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8.76 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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10.79 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Total Fertility Rate
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0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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1.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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fewer than 10 (2001 est.)
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Religions
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Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)
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Languages
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Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)
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Education Expenditures
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Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)
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Government Type
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4.4% of GDP (2004)
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Administrative Divisions
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parliamentary democracy
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Independence
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13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky, Pardubicky, Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky, Vysocina, Zlinsky
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National Holiday
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1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia); note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs generally consider 28 October 1918, the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day
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Constitution
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Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
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Legal System
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ratified on 16 December 1992, effective on 1 January 1993; amended in 1997, 2000, 2001 (twice), 2002
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Suffrage
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civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; legal code modified to bring it in line with European Union obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
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Legislative Branch
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18 years of age; universal
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Cyril SVOBODA]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Green Party [Ondrej LISKA]; Open Democracy Club (a liberal parliamentary group within the Czech senate); Tradice Odpovednost Prosperita 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG]; Union of Freedom-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan CERNY]
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International Organization Participation
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Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]
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Flag Description
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ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Economy Overview
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two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Maintaining an open investment climate has been a key element of the Czech Republic's transition from a communist, centrally planned economy to a functioning market economy. As a member of the European Union, with an advantageous location in the center of Europe, a relatively low cost structure, and a well-qualified labor force, the Czech Republic is an attractive destination for foreign investment. Prior to its EU accession in 2004, the Czech government harmonized its laws and regulations with those of the European Union. The small, open, export-driven Czech economy grew by over 6% annually from 2005-2007 and by 2.5% in 2008. The conservative Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy throughout 2009. Nevertheless, the real economy contracted by 4.1% in 2009, mainly due to a significant drop in external demand as the Czech Republic's main export markets fell into recession.
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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$256.6 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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$191.9 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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-4.1% (2009 est.)
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Labor Force
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$25,100 (2009 est.)
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Unemployment Rate
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5.38 million (2009 est.)
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Population Below Poverty Line
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9.3% (2009 est.)
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Distribution Of Family Income
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NA%
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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26 (2005)
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Inflation Rrate
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23.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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32.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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1.1% (2009 est.)
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Stock Of Money
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0.25% (31 December 2009)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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6.25% (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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$86.55 billion (31 December 2008)
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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$58.6 billion (31 December 2008)
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Agriculture - Products
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$110.5 billion (31 December 2008)
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Industries
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$48.85 billion (31 December 2008)
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry
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Electricity Production
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motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments
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Electricity Consumption
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-13.4% (2009 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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82.72 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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61.65 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil Production
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19.99 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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8.52 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil Exports
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16,080 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Imports
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212,800 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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22,560 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Production
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213,900 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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15 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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192 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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8.719 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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968 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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9.573 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Exports
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3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Exports Commodities
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-$3.886 billion (2009 est.)
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Exports Partners
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$106.4 billion (2009 est.)
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Imports
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machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuel, chemicals
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Imports Commodities
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Germany 28%, Taiwan 8.5%, Slovakia 8.4%, Poland 5.9%, France 4.9%, UK 4.4%, Austria 4.3%, Italy 4.3% (2008)
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Imports Partners
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$99.97 billion (2009 est.)
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
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Debt - External
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Germany 28.6%, Taiwan 6.8%, Slovakia 6.2%, Poland 6.1%, Russia 5.8%, Netherlands 5.3%, Austria 4.9%, China 4.6% (2008)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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$76.83 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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$118.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Internet Country Code
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$11.11 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Airports
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13.78 million (2008)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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6.028 million (2008)
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